Ontario Sires Stakes History

I was recently given an Ontario Sires Stakes trophy which dates back to 1975, and as some of you may or may not know, the OSS began in 1974, so I was quite excited about receiving this little bit of history.  The trophy itself is for the "Two-Year-Old Colt Pace", which was held at Kawartha Downs Raceway, and the winning horse had a spectacular time of 2:08 4/5......Hmm, makes you wonder where all this new-found speed has come from nowadays??  That being said, I gently placed it atop my mantle (it's really quite heavy), and daydreamed about how great it must have been to have won something so sought-after. 

 
Well, a bit of time passed and just today I found myself rummaging through an antique and collectibles store and what do you think caught my eye??  Why yet ANOTHER Ontario Sires Stakes trophy!!  This one is much heavier than the above mentioned, but unfortunately the gold plaque had been removed, so I have no way of telling who won it or in what year they won it.

The base is made of polished, painted wood and the main part of the trophy is all glass, and yes, it's extremely heavy; I would say a good 5 pounds at least!  After getting some odd looks from the dealer as to why I would want such a thing, and after haggling a small discount on the price, I quickly took my treasure home and jumped on the computer.  I googled "Ontario Sires Stakes Trophies", and found not ONE photo or image of an OSS trophy-from today or since its inception in 1974!  I would really like to aim at collecting these if possible but it seems rather IMPOSSIBLE to even find what the other years look like.  So, if anyone has any information about the trophies I would be grateful to hear from you.  I'm guessing this is going to be quite tough-to try and collect one from each year-but this would be an awesome challenge for me!

You can e-mail me at newhorizonsequinecenter(at)gmail(dot)com 

Daylon Magician...Poof, He's Gone!

Yes, I realize its been a while since I posted but I've been bombarded with University courses that I just HAD to complete....UGH!!  Passing all my exams is a complete relief, but I've still been keeping up with all the harness racing action as well.  Hmm, let's see, what am I really ticked off at the most?  Well, I heard that See You At Peelers is retired (if true, its really no surprise to me-if racing compromises her health then better to be safe than sorry), and Daylon Magician is retiring to stud at Tara Hills.......REALLY?  This one I can't wrap my head around.  Let's break it down:  You have an exceptional horse that brings the industry to their feet while watching him race; he has a fan following; brings people to the track; seems to be sound, fit, and enjoys racing, has a lock on the Three-Year-Old Trotting Colt of the Year award, and his connections want to shuttle him off to a breeding shed????  Might as well get used to it folks, "There's more money as a sire than at the wire".  Hey, I should write a book..."From Wire to Sire"....I would need a thousand pages or so to tell the tale........Ok, granted, I'm not his owner, but as someone who's part of an industry that seems to be stagnate, do I not have a say?  Even a microscopic one?  He's THREE for crying out loud---His spine hasn't even completed its growth stage yet!  UGH!!  Just one of many more to be taken away from us way too soon...

On a positive note:  Monkey On My Wheel WILL BE RETURNING for a four year old campaign!!

The $5,500 purchase at the Spring Mixed Sale back in June of 2009 is money well spent and has earned over a million dollars thus far!  She is my favorite gal on the track!  Congratulations to all her connections and I can't wait to see her in 2012!