May/june 2011 Kenny Arsenault A Proud MAritiMer

Transcription

1 May/june 2011 Kenny Arsenault A Proud Maritimer

2 AND THEY RE OFF! The Ontario Sires Stakes Program helps to support a strong and sustainable live racing industry in Ontario. This series of races for two and three-yearold horses rewards excellence in Ontario breeding and Ontario Sired racehorses are some of the very best you'll see. To find OSS race dates at your local track, please call or visit COME ON OUT! And watch for these outstanding performers from last year... TOP OSS EARNERS IN 2010 Peach Martini 2 year old Filly Trot $291,500 Modern Connection 2 year old Filly Pace $320,000 Buckhams Bay 2 year old Colt Trot $297,500 Prodigal Seelster 2 year old Colt Pace $239,800 THE BEST OF THE BEST ARE OSS! The Ontario Sires Stakes is part of the Ontario Standardbred Horse Improvement Program and is administered by the Ontario Racing Commission.

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4 CONTENTS May/June 2011 When Leonard Created Quite A Sensation It s been 25 years since Quite A Sensation won the North America Cup in very dramatic fashion and at age 28 the Cinderella pacer continues to give his owners Linda and Claire Porter pleasure. Team Zimmerman In just a few short years Jan and Sanford Zimmerman have established Century Spring Farms as premier boutique breeding and boarding operation with an emphasis on teamwork and quality. A Proud Maritimer Kenny Arsenault recently turned 50 and makes no bones about the fact that he would change little about his career in harness racing exclusively based in his native Atlantic Canada. A character man to the core, there is little reason he should. Regular Features The European View Birger Jørgensen is the 2009 World Driving Champion who will defend his title at the upcoming 2011 Championship being held in the U.S. later this summer and a better representative would be hard to find. The View Downunder Sushi Sushi has collared two of the big money three-year-old events in the Southern Hemisphere, has been the subject of a serious offer of purchase and is managed expertly. A trip to North America could come next. EDITORIAL NOTE CHAMPION'S CLOSET ~ Art Professor BARTER HOUSE

5 Champions choose Brooks Photo by New Image Media For a second time Define The World has established himself as a true international competitor by representing Canada in the Olso Grand Prix and Elitlopp an extraordinary accomplishment on the world stage. Congratulations to owner Al Libfeld, trainer John Bax and driver Paul MacDonell. Brooks and Durham Feed Supplies are honoured to be the feed supplier of choice for this great champion and the many leading performers competing in Canada. Champions Choose Brooks performance horse FeeDS 1580 Hwy 7A, RR#4 Port Perry, Ontario L9L 1B5 (905) Fax (905)

6 EDITOR S NOTE May/June 2011 H E A T H E R M A C K A Y R O B E R T S Iwrite this just a few days after the National Driving Championship was conducted in Prince Edward Island to select Canada s representative to the World Driving Championship later this summer in New York and New Jersey. Jody Jamieson, who has represented Canada three times in the Worlds, winning his first attempt in 2001, emerged victorious and will wear the maple leaf with pride in a couple of months. He made no secret prior to the competition that he was in it to win it and relished the opportunity to make his fourth appearance in the event. One of his rivals in the National Championship was Kenny Arsenault, one of Atlantic Canada s best drivers who is featured in this month s issue. We also have a story this month on one of Jamieson s rivals in the upcoming World Championships, Birger Jørgensen whose story is told in Klaus Koch s European View. Jørgensen is the defending World Champion as he won the 2009 event. In the story he tells how when he first began competing in the championships they were friendly competitions and a chance for the drivers from around the world to get to know each other and socialize a bit. However, he says the tone has changed considerably in recent years as the drivers are taking the competition a lot more seriously, to the point that at a recent championship Jørgensen had to break up a would be fight between two young guns. You do not travel to the other side of the world in order to beat each other literally! he says in the story. Other drivers who will be competing in this year s contest have also been featured in these pages including the US representative Jason Bartlett, who will have the home field advantage, as well as the young pilot from New Zealand, Dexter Dunn. Bartlett was featured in our February issue of last year and that story may be read by clicking here. A year earlier, February of 2009, we carried a story on the young driving sensation from the Southern Hemisphere, Dexter Dunn who at 19 had already broken the record for the number of wins in one season. The story on Dunn, who plans to have a bit of a busman s holiday while in the US and try his hand at driving outside of the competition, may be read through this link. These four drivers also are all excellent ambassadors for the sport and should provide the hosts, the United States Trotting Association, with great opportunities for media interviews and appearances to obtain attention for the competition and the sport. Regardless of the sport, everyone wants the chance to meet a world champion. Best of luck to all of those in the competition as well as to Define The World who is in Europe as I type this for the second year in a row representing Canada at the Olso Grand Prix and Elitlopp. Good health and racing to all, Harold Howe Publisher/Director Advertising Sales hhowe@theharnessedge.com Heather MacKay Roberts Managing Editor hmr@theharnessedge.com Kathryn Patchett Art Director kpatchett@theharnessedge.com Greg Reinhart Website Reporter/Writer news@theharnessedge.com Jennifer Vo New Media news@theharnessedge.com Marian Howe Office & Circulation Manager circulation@theharnessedge.com Contributing Writers Todd Beelby, Jay Bergman, Paul Delean, Neale Donnelley, Bill Heller, Jonathan Huntington, Klaus Koch, Nicole Kraft, Dave MacLean, Gary McKay, Anna Meyers, Robert Okpu, Kimberly Rinker, Kathy Rumleski, Beverley Smith, Christy West, M. Kelly Young Photographers Kevin Bissonette, Thomas Blomqvist, Sylvain Gagnon, Chris Gallow, Jim Gillies, Ryan Haynes, Therese Hebert, Laptime Photo, Lisa Photography, Dale MacMillan, Bonny MaKarewicz, New Image Media, Christa Sanders, Nicole Sellers, Nigel Soult, Time Capsule Photography, Peter J. Thompson, Monica Thors, Kevin Tunney, Paul vanpeenen This month s cover: Photo by Ann MacNeill Ontario operating as: The Harness Edge 112 Barrett Avenue, Brantford, Ontario, Canada N3S 0P Fax: Note: The Harness Edge has not tested, nor does it endorse the products/services advertised within.

7 Eagle Luck p,2,1:54s, 3,1:50s, 1:48.3-1:51.1h ($1,179,916) Camluck Duncans Artsplace Artsplace Eagle Luck raced against the very best in North America for a number of years. He always raced with incredible determination and was able to grind it out. From my perspective he always gave me the supreme effort and was always passing horses at the finish line. driver John Campbell Winner of $250,000 Molson Pace in 1:51.1h over Western Fair s half-mile track. Took his 1:48.3 record at the Meadowlands winning the $85,000 Classic Series leg over Won The West, Total Truth, Mr Feelgood, Palone Ranger, Western Shore and Casimir Camotion. Won the $154,400 Clearwater Cup Final at Hiawatha Horse Park by 7 lengths in 1:50, a new track record. At three won an elimination of the Confederation Cup in 1:54.1h. Captured a $135,002 Simcoe Stake division at Mohawk Racetrack. Multiple OSS winner defeating the likes of Mister Big. Finished second in OSS Super Final at three. Paced 9 miles in 1:50 or faster. Fastest son of Camluck at stud. SERVICE FEE - $2,500 Multiple foal discount Trew Road, R.R.#1, Campbellcroft, ON L0A 1B0 (905) Fax (905) Website: office@kendalhills.com Photo by New Image Media

8 When Leonard Created Quite A Sensatio

9 Photo by Smile For Smiley n It s been 25 years since QUITE A SENSATION won the North America Cup in very dramatic fashion and at age 28 the Cinderella pacer continues to give his owners Linda and Claire Porter pleasure. By Harold Howe Leonard still has his winter coat and a muddy paddock does little to attest to his millionaire status. In fact, it would be safe to suggest that few realize this one-time celebrity even resides at this South-Western Ontario farm. It was 25 years ago this June that Quite A Sensation pulled off one of the more memorable upsets in Canadian racing by winning the $488,000 North America Cup with Trevor Ritchie in the bike. Sent off at odds of 30-1, few expected him to be a serious factor especially after he finished third in his elimination.

10 WHEN LEONARD CREATED QUITE A SENSATION Fate had a different idea though and to this day the horse s owners Linda and Claire Porter recall the night like it happened yesterday. The couple had never been in a similar situation before, it was by far the richest purse they had ever contested and realistically they were hoping to be lucky enough to get a cheque. Claire, a mechanic by trade was a pragmatist if nothing else and had no illusions about the racing game after having dabbled in it for over 20 years. (The pre-race hype) was all about Amity Chef and Incredible Finale. We were just hoping to get fifth money, admits Claire, now 69 and fully retired. I was standing on the turn where the horses came off the track to go back to the paddock at Greenwood. When the field got half-way down the homestretch all I could see were those white knee boots of his and he was coming for all he was worth down the outside. When they crossed under the wire I wasn t sure if he won but I knew he got us a good cheque. Linda never did see the finish. I never saw one of his races when When Quite A Sensation won the North America Cup 25 years ago at Greenwood, his story was front page news. The horse, now 28, enjoys a quiet retirement at the home of Linda and Claire Porter. they happened. I just could not stand to watch ever. Our son Jason came over to me right after the race and said he thought we finished second. I thought that was wonderful and was more than happy until his number flashed up and we d won. It was a big night for me because it was by far the biggest win I d ever had to that point in my career. By winning it showed for the first time I could compete in the bigger races, driver Ritchie recalls. I remember going into the race and having it all mapped out which usually never works out but it did this time. Amity Chef was favoured and I thought if I could get on his back I might do some good. Down the Greenwood backstretch that was exactly what happened. When we came off the turn the horse was feeling so good that I began to wonder if he had a shot to win it. I waited as long as I could and then came out but when we hit the finish I had no idea if I won or not. When Quite A Sensation s number flashed up on the tote board it was a feeling I will never forget, indescribable. To this day Ritchie retains an admiration for the horse. I guess what I liked most was that he always wanted to go forward, sometimes too much so. Any time he saw a stretch his thought was let s get rolling which may have cost him some wins. There was never any quit in him and he was never beaten without giving 100 per cent. The Porters did as much as anyone could with him and were great people to work with. Like I said this is the horse I give credit to for putting me on the map, adds Ritchie, Canada s driver of the year in 2000 who has 3,622 wins to his credit May/June 2011 The Harness Edge

11 one race, one night you ll never forget! THE SOBEYS GOLD CUP AND SAUCER Open event for aged horses, geldings and mares. To be raced at CDPEC. Nomination Date: Monday, August 8, 2:00 pm (AST) Nomination Fee: $500 Starting Fee: $350 Trial 1 Saturday, August 13, 2011 $12,500 Trial 2 Monday, August 15, 2011 $12,500 Consolation Friday, August 19, 2011 $20,000 Final Saturday, August 20, 2011 $60,000 CONDITIONS 1. All events conducted under the rules and regulations of the Maritime Provinces Harness Racing Commission, Standardbred Canada and Harness Racing PEI Inc. 2. Nominations close at 2:00 pm (AST) on Monday, August 8, All horses must be declared at this time. 3. The draw for the eliminations will take place Tuesday, August 9, 2011 at 12:00 pm. 4. All races will be contested at a distance of one mile unless otherwise stated. 5. The consolation starting positions shall be drawn electronically using the electronic draw system provided by Standardbred Canada. Elimination final shall be drawn by lot. 6. The nomination fee must accompany all nominations. The Gold Cup and Saucer nomination fee is $500. The $350 starting fee is due one-hour prior to post in the elimination. 7. There will be no starting fee for the consolation or final. 8. Payment for nomination fees, starting fees and supplemental nomination fees must be in Canadian Funds only. All fees must be made by certified cheque, bank draft or money order and made payable to Harness Racing PEI Inc. 9. Harness Racing PEI Inc. requires six (6) separate betting interests to start in any event or it may be cancelled. 10. Harness Racing PEI Inc. reserves the right to reject any entry and return entry fee, declare off any event if conditions warrant, call off any event not filling satisfactorily and place entries in their eligible class if entered incorrectly. 11. Should any unforeseeable conditions prevent the racing of this event, monies paid will be refunded. 12. Should any unforeseeable conditions prevent the racing of any or all events, Harness Racing PEI Inc. reserves the right to carry races to a future race date subject to MPHRC approval, or all monies paid will be refunded. 13. All horses shipping to the Charlottetown Driving Park Entertainment Centre must have a Negative Coggins and Equine Herpes Vaccination. The Racing Secretary shall require proof of such test. All horses shipping into Prince Edward Island must have current health certificates. 14. Horses must meet the qualifying standards of Harness Racing PEI Inc. 15. There is no retention barn for the eliminations. All horses entered into the final shall be in the retention barn at 2:00 pm on the day of the race. 16. Those nominating horses to these events are responsible for eligibility. No refunds will be made for ineligible horses. 17. If more than ten (10) horses are declared in to start, elimination races (trials) will be contested. a) If there are sufficient entries for two trials, they will be held on Saturday evening, August 13 and Monday evening, August 15, b) If there are sufficient entries for three trials, they will be held on Saturday evening, August 13, Sunday afternoon, August 14 and Monday, August 15, c) If there are sufficient entries for four trials, they will be held on Saturday afternoon, August 13, Saturday evening, August 13, Sunday afternoon, August 14 and Monday evening, August 15, Horses eligible for the Gold Cup and Saucer final and consolation are not eligible to race in overnight races during Old Home Week. 19. Declarations for the consolation and final will close at 10:00 am on Tuesday, August 16, a) If only two (2) elimination races are required, the top four (4) official finishers from each elimination will race in the final of the Gold Cup and Saucer. The two horses finishing fifth will be drawn by lot as to determine AE1 and AE2. b) If there are three (3) eliminations, the first three (3) official finishers in each elimination will advance to the final. c) If four (4) eliminations, the top two (2) official finishers in each elimination will race in the final. The also-eligibles will be drawn by lot from the four (4) third place finishers. Horses that are listed as also-eligibles for the Gold Cup and Saucer will be programmed in the consolation race but will retain the right to start in the Gold Cup and Saucer final if there is a horse(s) drawn. 20. Harness Racing PEI Inc. accepts no responsibility or liability for any accident, loss or damage, which may occur on the property as a result of these races. 21. In the consolation or final, should there be horses with common ownership; Harness Racing PEI Inc. reserves the right (as per MPHRC rule 208) to uncouple horses for pari-mutuel purposes. 22. All owners, trainers, and drivers must be licensed with MPHRC. For complete information contact Kathy Carragher, Clerk of Course at: 14 Exhibition Dr., Charlottetown, PEI C1A 5Z5 Tel Fax hrpei@pei.aibn.com Photos by Gail MacDonald

12 WHEN LEONARD CREATED QUITE A SENSATION lifetime to go with over $67 million in purses. At that time Quite A Sensation (barn name Leonard) was already a celebrity of sorts, at least in North Middlesex County, Ontario. His was the stereotypical Little Guy Does Well fable that everyone loves. Twenty months earlier Claire and Linda found themselves having a different kind of Thanksgiving. They attended the Blooded Horse Sale staged at Flamboro Downs. The auction no longer exists but in 1983 it was a fixture on the Canadian racing calendar. The couple came with a single purpose, to buy an Ohio-bred weanling colt named Quite A Sensation. The late Jack Graham, squire of Shadowland Farms, had bought the mother Genes Sensation at the long running Blooded Horse Sale in Delaware, Ohio (not to be confused with the Ontario auction). The unraced daughter of Gene Abbe was in foal to the Ohio stallion Chris Time. Graham was famous for collecting Just down the road from where the Porters and Quite A Sensation reside in Parkhill, Ontario, this sign at Ailsa Craig proclaims itself the birthplace of John Campbell and Earl Ross. mares at auction and reselling them back in Canada. She was just one of many and at $1,800 the price was always right. Quite A Sensation was the resulting foal and Graham was shrewd enough to know that for horses of this nature the profit would lie in selling them as weanlings rather than carrying them over another 12 months to the yearling stage. The four and one-half month old colt was just one of a number he consigned to that particular auction. Ontario was an odd place to offer up an Ohio-sired horse let alone a weanling. The Ontario Sires Stake program was a decade old and well established. Who would want to go to Ohio to race? Claire Porter for one. I always like Ohio-breds because they were affordable to buy and I had good luck developing them into horses that were easily sold. When I saw the catalogue and he was for sale I said to Linda let s go down and buy him. We took $2,000 with us. Anyone who has ever attended a horse auction knows how easy it can be to get caught up in a bidding war. That is what happened to the Porters who ended up spending $5,500 to secure the ownership papers. I still have no idea how that happened and we didn t have the money but I guess we scrambled around and got it. It seemed like everyone was bidding against us and maybe they were because when we got him racing I had more people come up and tell me that they tried to buy him but we were too tough that day. May/June 2011 The Harness Edge

13 Claire Porter poses with Quite A Sensation's North America Cup trophy, one of the most coveted prizes in harness racing. The purse for the WEG event these days is $1.5 million but when they won it was just under a half a million dollars. Today Parkhill, Ontario, where the Porters still live is largely unchanged from 25 years ago except for one noticeable fact. The fairgrounds where they developed Quite A Sensation is no more. The number of horses being trained there began to drop off and two years ago the village just shut it down, tore down the barn (18 stalls) and got rid of the track. There was very little interest in keeping it going in the community, Claire points out. Quite A Sensation was a big deal for everyone when he was winning the North America Cup but that is long forgotten. His point is well taken. There is no recognition whatsoever that the horse and his terrific story ever existed. Meanwhile just a few kilometres down the road at Ailsa Craig, that community has taken great pains to proclaim it to be the birthplace of John Campbell and NASCAR driver Earl Ross. But a quarter century ago, this community of 1,200 souls was captivated by the exploits of Quite A Sensation. The garage that Claire operated was Harness Racing Central. With all the travel and the other horses we had, we just closed down the garage for a period. It was just too much to raise three children, train and run the shop, we were killing ourselves with the hours. There wasn t enough money in it all to hire someone to train the horses, offers Claire. At 16 Claire followed in his father s footsteps and took on a mechanic s apprenticeship. It was a five year term and he moved right into the family shop but his enthusiasm would come with the horses. Bob McLinchey who was older than I was, got me into it. He had a few at the fairgrounds and I got hanging around the barn as unpaid help. I got my first horse in 1968 and started going to the Blooded Horse Sale in Ohio where a person could buy a horse for not a lot of money and have a shot at doing some good. But Quite A Sensation was the first weanling I ever bought. Even at age 28 Quite A Sensation remains a challenge. On the end of a lead shank it remains questionable just who is in charge. He was no different as a young horse. One night at Scioto Downs he reared up in the winner s circle and someone from the grandstand shouted out that he was definitely a Chris Time, remembers Linda. Three times he fell down on us and skinned up his knees. He was just misbehaving and it happened. He did not have to be gelded but we have three children and didn t want the bother of a stallion. He was very smart but sometimes just carried on. Through the winter of 1985 there was no reason for Porter to get particularly enthused about his charge. It wasn t until the colt made his first appearance at Western Fair Raceway in June a light bulb came on. He had been training fine and I thought I might have a decent racehorse. But it wasn t until he won his first start easily in 2:07.3 over London that I felt he might be even better than I had hoped for, he told the late Harry Eisen of The London Free Press at the time. The Harness Edge May/June 2011

14 WHEN LEONARD CREATED QUITE A SENSATION That led to a trip to Greenwood Raceway for the Kindergarten Series. There were eight legs of this two-yearold series designed to be educational and a perfect scenario for Quite A Sensation. That was a great event to develop a young horse. Today I see these youngsters being gutted in major stakes right off the bat. I think racing has lost something in not following along with what we had all those years ago, says Claire. The colt won six of those eight legs before finishing second to Amity Chef in the final and actually set a world record for a juvenile gelding with a 1:57 mile over the five-eighths mile track. With 11 starts and $25,200 in winnings the Porters pulled the pin and stopped for the year. And they still owned him. There were some inquiries. Jack Darling called at one point and there was some fellow from the U.S. who kept bothering us but we just more or less decided to keep him and race him ourselves, says Claire. He was just an average sized horse but had that big rear end you like to see. He did toe in on the right front and would hit a knee on the small tracks. The fastest I ever trained him here at Parkhill s little track was 2:10 with a half in a minute. The Porters have an affinity for Ohio and much of it due to Quite A Sensation. He made a number of starts in the three and four-year-old sires stakes program there. After the North America Cup he surfaced at Cleveland s Northfield Park where he set an all-age track record of 1:54.4 breaking Falcon Seelster s standard. He also broke the standard at Raceway Park in Toledo with a 1:55.3 clocking. He had some bad races for various reasons but he was a very low maintenance horse. Sore feet were a problem off and on but I would say I never spent $1,000 in veterinary bills over his career. That s pretty amazing by today s standards. I m very proud of the fact that he did what he did without being juiced, he raced as clean as a horse could. He had some bad races for various reasons but he was a very low maintenance horse. Sore feet were a problem off and on but I would say I never spent $1,000 in veterinary bills over his career. That s pretty amazing by today s standards. Claire Porter Quite A Sensation had his quirks. He could be rambunctious in the post parade and was not happy at all unless he traveled with companion Kojak Seelster. He wouldn t travel anywhere without his buddy Kojak. One time we decided to leave Kojak home for some reason or other and on the way to the track, Quite A Sensation threw himself three times in the trailer. That was the last time we went to a race without Kojak. The night of the North America Cup will always remain a wonderful memory for the Porters for many reasons, not just winning. Do you know that back then the Ontario Jockey Club put us up at the Sutton Place Hotel and the mini-bar was full? quips Claire. I don t know if half of Parkhill was there that night for the race but there was a heck of a lot of them and some of them did bet the horse so they did all right. It was a big group in the winner s circle. Stake payments were a hefty burden even back in the 1980s and the Porters were cautious. That is why they sidestepped the Meadowlands Pace and Confederation Cup and were ineligible for the Little Brown Jug. But they had no regrets. He still made about 25 starts that season which was plenty and I ve still got a photocopy of the cheque from that North America Cup win. That was pretty nice to take to the bank to deposit, says Claire. He finished the year healthy and came back to do some good things in the following years. We especially liked racing in Ohio. People were so welcoming and it was a lot like racing in Ontario but here it has changed so much. Now if we go to the races we hardly see anyone we know. By the end of 1991 the best days for Quite A Sensation were behind him. He was eight-years-old and conditioned races were just too much for him. The Porters would not consider putting him in a claimer and simply pulled the harness for the last time after a start at Windsor Raceway. It was time. He made 155 starts and won 49 of them to go with $1,087,568. The money was nice but it didn t change our lives, says Claire. Actually, it was nerve wracking and with so much going on it was hard to enjoy some of it. The time just went so fast. Anytime we raced in Ohio meant being away three and sometimes four days. But the horse was wonderful to us and we ve tried to look after him too these years. It s hard to believe he s been retired for 20 years now. Claire too is retired. He has no horses and sometimes wonders what he does with his days. But there are those memories when he and his horse created Quite A Sensation. May/June 2011 The Harness Edge