Grand Circuit Racing: September 19 23, 2010 The Jugette September 22 The Little Brown Jug September 23 Enjoy real VIP treatment on the first turn in the VIP PAVILION A delicious buffet served all day, a full service complimentary bar, and a spectacular view of all the racing action make this the best seat in the house! Weds., Sept. 22...$160 Thurs., Sept. 23...$240 Both Days...$350 Prices include fair admission For reservations or tickets contact Phil Terry at 1-800-DELFAIR or (740) 363-3754 or email pterry@littlebrownjug.com. TACK SHACK at the top of the stretch Covered view on the fence in a tent. $75 includes $10 betting voucher, sandwiches, snacks and six beverages. Reserved Grandstand Seats: Sept. 22 & Sept. 23...$50 Backstretch Bleacher Seating: Sept. 22 & Sept. 23...$50 Platform Seat (Jug Day only)...$45 Ground Chairs (Jug Day only)...$35/$30 Stadium Seats (Jug Day only)...$30 For reserved seating information call (740) 362-3851 or visit www.littlebrownjug.com
LATE CLOSERS FOR 2010 NOMINATIONS DUE WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13 Post Time 12:30 01) TROT 2yo Fillies NW 2PM or $15,000 Life..................... $10,000G 02) TROT 3-5yo F&M NW 3PM or $40,000 Life.................... $10,000G 03) PACE 2yo Fillies NW 2PM or $15,000 Life...................... $10,000G 04) PACE 3-5yo F & M NW 3PM or $40,000 Life................... $10,000G 05) TROT All Ages NW 5PM or $75,000 Life....................... $10,000G or $45,000 in 2010 as of 9-1-2010 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14 Post Time 12:30 07) TROT 2yo C&G NW 2PM or $15,000 Life...................... $10,000G 08) TROT 3-5yo C&G NW 3PM or $40,000 Life.................... $10,000G 09) PACE 2yo C & G NW 2PM or $15,000 Life..................... $10,000G 10) PACE 3-5yo C & G NW 3PM or $40,000 Life.................... $10,000G FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15 Post Time 12:30 11) PACE 3 Year Old Open (if possible Filly Div).................... $10,000G 12) TROT 3 Year Old Open (if possible Filly Div).................... $10,000G WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20 Post Time 12:30 13) TROT 2yo Fillies NW 2PM or $15,000 Life..................... $10,000G 14) TROT 3-5yo F&M NW 3PM or $40,000 Life.................... $10,000G 15) PACE 2yo Fillies NW 2PM or $15,000 Life...................... $10,000G 16) PACE 3-5yo F & M NW 3PM or $40,000 Life................... $10,000G 17) TROT All Ages NW 5PM or $75,000 Life....................... $10,000G or $45,000 in 2010 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21 Post Time 12:30 18) TROT 2yo C & G NW 2PM or $15,000 Life..................... $10,000G 19) TROT 3-5yo C&G NW 3PM or $40,000 Life.................... $10,000G 20) PACE 2yo C & G NW 2PM or $15,000 Life..................... $10,000G 21) PACE 3-5yo C & G NW 3PM or $40,000 Life.................... $10,000G 22) TROT Gentlemen s Driving Club.............................. $5,000G (NW $25,000 In 2010 to be driven by licensed amateurs) FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22 Post Time 12:30 23) PACE 3 Year Old Open (if possible Filly Div).................... $10,000G 24) TROT 3 Year Old Open (if possible Filly Div).................... $10,000G
GRAND CIRCUIT MEET SEPTEMBER 15, 2010 Nomination Fees: $450 (Except Event 22: $200) Lifetime Wins And Money Conditions Are Through And Including September 1, 2010» Event Numbers Name of Entry NO STARTING FEES Age/ Sex Sire Stall Applications Must Be Submitted By July 15 for Fall Meet and Grand Circuit Stalls are limited to those horses nominated to Red Mile Grand Circuit or Late Closer Events during Grand Circuit NOMINATIONS DUE (Postmarked by) SEPTEMBER 15, 2010 Be sure to include Event Numbers on each horse entered (PLEASE PRINT OR TYPE) Dam Make Checks Payable & Send To: The Red Mile 1200 Red Mile Rd. Lexington, KY 40504 Race Office: (859) 258-7670 Fax: (859) 258-7626 www.theredmile.com Amount Enclosed $ Nominator Address City State Zip Trainer Telephone Racing Conditions & Rules: 1. All nominations close September 15, 2010. 2. All events shall be conducted under the rules & regulations of the KHRC, USTA and The Red Mile. 3. All events to be raced as single dash events. 4. Lifetime money and Extended Pari-Mutuel races won conditions are thru and including September 1, 2010. 5. First place money of $1,000 or less shall NOT be considered race wins in Late Closing events. 6. Horses meeting either condition listed for an event are eligible for nomination to that event. 7. The Red Mile may reserve the right to cancel an event that does not meet the minimum number of nominations. 8. The Red Mile may require a minimum of six (6) separate betting interests declared to race or an event may be cancelled. 9. There will be no refunds for mis-entered horses. 10. The Red Mile reserves the right to carry over any event one race card if necessary. 11. Negative Coggins test within 12 months is required to enter stable area. 12. Qualifying Standards for The Red Mile Fall Meet: Horses declared into Red Mile Added Money events must show at least one charted line with no breaks in 45 days (race to race). 13. A nomination to these events is an agreement to the above terms and conditions.
Donovan s Dreams Fulfilled Bill Donovan has had a passion for Standardbreds since he was in high school and he has fulfilled his dream of raising top fillies and colts with his new Stirling Brook Farms in Easton, New York. By M. Kelly Young Photos by Niki Rossi Bill Donovan is used to moving. As the president of a Mayflower trucking business based near Boston, Massachusetts, and the force behind more than a dozen other largely shipping-related businesses, he knows about getting from point A to point B. But now he s attempting to move up in the world of breeding Standardbreds. Donovan is the owner of the newly built Stirling Brook Farms in Easton, New York, about 20 minutes from Saratoga Springs. He s owned many successful racehorses, including second-place Little Brown Jug finisher Hot Rod Mindale and has also bred some like Gryffindor, winner of the Messenger and third-place finisher in his sophomore Breeders Crown final (to Rocknroll Hanover) on his way to nearly $800,000 in career earnings.
DONOVAN S DREAMS FULFILLED Now the racing enthusiast has decided to venture full scale into a commercial breeding operation. His goal is to offer two dozen class yearlings each fall through quality, hands-on care and thoughtful mating selections. Donovan, who speaks with the accent of his native Boston, carefully selected the location of his farm after a year and a half of searching. While many of New York s key breeding operations are located in the southern part of the state, Donovan chose his site in the center of farmland on the rolling hills between Saratoga and the Massachusetts border. He also considered a farm in Kentucky and Pennsylvania, where state breeders awards were tempting, but said, I thought New York offered a better opportunity for a small breeder to enter into the market. If there was any place in New York I wanted to be, it had to be the Saratoga area. It s the finest area in New York for horses, in my estimation. Donovan broke ground on the site of a former dairy and crop farm in March of 2008 and officially opened the 250 acre farm in February of 2009, just in time for the foaling and breeding season. His commitment to quality is shown in the barn for mares and foals, which features 24 stalls measuring 14 by 14 feet with removable Among Donovan's matrons at the newly established Stirling Brook Farms is the five-year-old sister to this year's Meadowlands Pace winner One More Laugh ($1,300,287). Aint That Funny is carrying her first foal by Well Said. walls. A tour of the farm is available on their website through this link. It s so peaceful for me to come over here and clear my head, said Donovan, who spends his summers in Saratoga and winters in Ft. Lauderdale. I like coming over when there s nobody here in the afternoon and just go out by myself and visit the horses. It s so peaceful and so relaxing. To see him sitting at his desk in the farm office, looking down on what he has created, it is clear that Donovan is completely taken with the Standardbred sport. It has been a long love affair, starting in the unlikely location of his Boston neighbourhood. Across the street from his childhood home, Bob and Lorraine Haskell, the parents of his playmates, had harness horses at the now defunct Foxboro Raceway in Massachusetts. That track is where the young Donovan fell hard for harness racing. In high school he got his groom s license and worked at Foxboro in the summers until he earned his business July/August 2010 The Harness Edge
THE SALE of CHAMPIONS Where you can buy horses that are making headlines week-in and week-out, like these 2 and 3-year-old Lexington Selected graduates! ROCK N ROLL HEAVEN p,3,1:47.3 ($1,244,726) PUT ON A SHOW p,3,1:50 ($1,173,363) FANCY FILLY p,3,1:49.4f ($1,080,806) ON THE TAB 2,1:57 ($484,497) HOLIDAY ROAD 3,1:52.4 ($417,800) FRED AND GINGER p,3,1:48.4f ($358,792) LOOKINFORADVENTURE p,2,1:52 ($130,250) JEZZY 2,1:57.3 ($81,607) ROLL WITH JOE p,2,1:54 ($67,435) YOUR CHAMPION AWAITS! 2010 SALE: OCTOBER 13-17 Catalogs available in early September Randy Manges Geoffrey Stein (859) 255-8431, fax (859) 255-0302 www.lexingtonselected.com 2008 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale Graduate HOLIDAY ROAD is clearly on the Road to the Hambletonian after his convincing win in the $387,500 (div.) Stanley Dancer Mem. GSI, LLC 2010 / Michael Lisa/Lisa Photo
DONOVAN S DREAMS FULFILLED administration degree from Bentley University. When I graduated from college, much to my father s consternation, I decided to stay with the horses for a year or so, he recalled. It was during that time in 1975 when he started working for trainer Walter Ross. As a green groom he stayed home with the Massachusetts stable while Ross traveled to Du Quoin with Yankee Bambino and was edged out by Stanley Dancer s Bonefish in the fourth heat of the Hambletonian. Wally was a very knowledgeable horseman and a very good person to learn from, explained Donovan, who soon began to look forward to his trainer s license and maybe some day his driver s license. But the youngster s post-graduate plans at Foxboro quickly changed. Unfortunately, my father took ill and died the next year, leaving my mother to run the family business, which was a Mayflower moving agency, he remembered. So I decided I better stop working at the track and get a job so I could be closer to home. At the time he passed away I still had four younger siblings that were in junior high and high school. A few years later Donovan went to work for his mother temporarily while she searched for a new general manager and never left although he did buy her out of the business some 15 years later. He worked long hours and started 19 different companies over the ensuing years, freight operations, record storage, logistics management, and even a company that financed truck purchases for drivers. It s amazing what life deals you, he said, reminiscing. I often think where BILL DONOVAN SStirling Brook Farms is surrounded by picturesque views of rolling hills and agricultural land, but the inspiration for his farm's name didn t come from the location. When I started breeding horses and studying the trotters, it seemed like all good trotters had Scottish names. You had Scotland, you had Hoot Mon, you had Glasgow. So I said I had to give my horses Scottish names, he explained. Bannockburn is the famous site in Scotland where the Scots defeated the English. Dallas Dhu: friends of mine gave me a bottle of scotch and I said what a perfect name for a horse, that s Scottish. Loch Katrine was a lake in Scotland. Abbey Craig (a standout race mare at Saratoga and Donovan s favourite) is the church overlooking the field of Bannockburn. I was naming the horses like this and then the movie Braveheart came out. In the movie, at the end, they have the battle of Bannockburn and it s at Stirling Bridge over Stirling Brook. So I said, I ve got to name the farm Stirling Brook. Bill Donovan poses with his Malabar Man mare Honey Starlet while farm manager Tim Hayes holds her SJs Caviar colt Stirling Bravado. would I be today if my father hadn t passed away as young as he did? He was in his early 50s. I never had the desire to work in the family business, in fact, I was adamant I never would. I had two brothers who did. From the time I was in junior high school and had my first job, I was going my own way. I often wonder where I would have been, would I have stayed with the horses? I may have been John Campbell, he said with a chuckle. You never know. But despite the occasional what if, Donovan doesn t long for a different outcome. I really don t have any regrets, in life you just have to move on. And move on is what he did. Although his career track changed, Donovan held fast to his love of racing and became an owner instead. He purchased his first horse with friends in 1980 and became involved in the Standardbred Owners Association of New England, serving as the Vice President for several years. Then his time was absorbed by his business endeavours and he pulled away from horse ownership in 1986. But he July/August 2010 The Harness Edge
FEEDING RACEHORSES 101 It s All About Consistency And Quality There is nothing more frustrating in the racing game than being unable to get good quality hay on a consistent basis. Now, we have the answer. Our NEW Equiline Fibre Nuggets Horse Ration is possibly the best product we have ever brought to market. It s a complete feed with an exacting balance of vitamins and minerals for the horse. This is a true alternative to poor or inconsistent quality hay. It s corn free with a low glycemic index and apple favoured to stimulate appetite. Poor hay is worse than no hay. Equiline Fibre Nuggets eliminates the worry of inconsistency and at the end of the day it will make more financial sense too. For more information contact your SHUR-GAIN Dealer or call Sharron Jackson at 1-800-265-8507 ext 3118 or go online at www.shurgain.com
As you begin your search for the best yearlings, be sure to visit Hunterton. The quality of the yearlings we sell, and their future success as racehorses, has made Hunterton the favorite destination of buyers looking for the very best. A few of our superstar sale graduates racing in 2010 include: New Image Media SPORTSWRITER p,3,1:48.3-10 ($1,566,460) 2009 s Two-Year-Old Pacing Colt of the Year and winner of the 2010 $1.5-million North America Cup. Michael Lisa/Lisa Photo ROCK N ROLL HEAVEN p,3,1:47.3-10 ($1,244,726) Multiple stakes winner at two, and winner of 6 of 10 starts this year at three, including the Berry s Creek Final, NJSS Championship and Meadowlands Pace Elim (second in the Final). 2010 s fastest 3-year-old. Mike Lizzi Photo LOOKINFORADVENTURE p,2,1:52-10 ($130,250) 2010 s co-fastest 2-year-old and the richest 2-year-old colt. Now undefeated in 3 career starts, including the $200,000 NJSS Final.
Over 150 yearlings, featuring: KADABRA filly from PEACEFUL WAY 4,1:51.4 ($2,746,240) KADABRA full sister to BELLA DOLCE 3,1:54.2 ($730,384) ROCKNROLL HANOVER colt from CATHEDRA DOT COM p,3,1:51 ($1,520,487) ROCKNROLL HANOVER full brother to LOOKINFORADVENTURE p,2,1:52-10 ($130,250) DONATO HANOVER colt from MARITA S VICTORY 3,1:54 ($666,731) DONATO HANOVER colt from SOUTHWIND SERENA 3,1:55.2 ($385,088) DONATO HANOVER filly from CASUAL BREEZE 1:53.1 ($1,314,075) BETTOR S DELIGHT sister to BADLANDS NITRO p,3,1:50f ($1,597,638) BETTOR S DELIGHT sister to ROCK N ROLL HEAVEN p,3,1:47.3-10 ($1,244,726) ART MAJOR sister to SHEER DESIRE p,3,1:49.2 ($517,921) ART MAJOR colt from DIGGA DIGGA p,4,1:50 ($461,370) CHOCOLATIER brother to GERRI S JOY 3,1:54 ($641,905) CHOCOLATIER colt from WORKING GAL 3,1:57.1f ($384,650) TELL ALL colt from ANIMATED ART p,4,1:49.3 ($560,346) TOM RIDGE brother to ALLY-GAL RIDGE 3,1:54.3f- 10 ($159,241) ANDOVER HALL colt from SOUTHWIND MAYWOOD 2,1:57.1 ($297,251) For the complete list of our yearlings, please visit our website at www.huntertonfarm.com. We hope you ll find time between now and the sales to visit Hunterton and view our outstanding group of yearlings in their paddocks. Please contact us to let us know when you ll be coming. Steve & Cindy Stewart P.O. Box 716, Paris, KY 40362 (859) 987-3983 Fax (859) 987-0679 Cindy Stewart Photo
DONOVAN S DREAMS FULFILLED stayed connected through industry magazines and continued to fill his bookshelf each year with the annual edition of the USTA s ubiquitous black Sires & Dams book. Pedigrees had been an interest since he got his first Sires & Dams at age 18 and memorized each stallion s line back six generations. His friends, the Haskells, were close with Dick Case, the sales manager of the Old Glory sale, and conversations with him nurtured the young Donovan s interest in bloodlines. Early on he showed a knack for breeding, helping the Haskells select stallions for their Speedy Count broodmare Speedy Bonnie. He selected Rodney Farms Nevele Diamond for her first foal, Peppermint Snip, a New York Sires Stakes winner trained by Clint Galbraith. Then he suggested booking the mare to Ontario s Horton Hanover to produce the colt Horton, who was trained by Galbraith to Ontario Sires Stakes championships at two and three. He won at the Meadowlands in 1:58.4 to become the fastest Canadian-sired trotter of all time at that time in 1980. Consequently, Horton was sold to Europe where he produced Shan Rags, who equaled the 1:53.4 record for the fastest European-sired trotter at the time. With this early career breeding success, it shouldn t have been a surprise that it was breeding that drew Donovan back into the sport as an active participant after a decade in the moth balls. He had kept just one horse during that time, a Nevele Diamond daughter of Speedy Bonnie named Tripkit. She never really raced, but by the time Donovan decided to breed her to New York s Copter Lobell in 1994, she was a 13 year-old maiden mare. Age didn t seem to affect her as her first foal was Bannockburn, a winner of $300,000. The second, also by Copter Lobell, was Dallas Dhu, a winner of nearly $200,000. Her third foal, Shan Riches, suffered from EPM, but produced Loch Katrine, a daughter of Andover Hall who became a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champion earning almost $215,000. As the family line continues, Shan Riches fourth foal, a filly by Conway Hall and now a yearling named Stirling Applause, was the very first foal born at Bill greets the Credit Winner colt Stirling Beebop from Loving Jazz, a full sister to Monte Hall 1:53.2 ($914,285). Stirling Brook Farm last year and will be offered at the Lexington sale this fall. The success with Bannockburn was what really drove Donovan back into racing, and particularly breeding. I really liked the breeding and without having a lot of top bloodlines on the mare side, I thought I had some pretty good success, he explained. I believe absolutely that there is a niche and the trick is finding the niche. With each stallion and mare there is a bloodline that s going to work exceptionally well. I often look for the same stallion or mare within four or five generations of a successful horse and try to breed back to that. Donovan keeps a list on his computer of stallions he thinks potentially fit with July/August 2010 The Harness Edge
DONOVAN S DREAMS FULFILLED each of his mares. Then he and farm manager Tim Hayes, who trained horses at one time for the owner, review the list and discuss the attributes of the stallion and mare to make the final mating decision. The pair have selected top-notch stallions for their broodmare band, evidenced by leading trainers like Greg Peck, Ron Gurfein and Trond Smedshammer purchasing yearlings from the Stirling Brook consignment last year, as well as stallions that need to be proven. We re in New York and we support the New York program, said Donovan. There are stallions right now who might not be perceived to be the calibre of Credit Winner or Conway Hall, but they deserve an opportunity and they re only going to be able to prove themselves with the right mares. Donovan subscribed to a similar philosophy in selecting Hayes as his farm manager. Even though he had limited experience on the breeding end of the EASILY the best group we have ever sold! Yearlings by the following sires: Allamerican Ingot Allamerican Native Art s Card Trick Blissfull Hall Cambest Cantab Hall Chip Chip Hooray Conway Hall CR Excalibur Dream Away Don Boss Vita Garth Vader I Am A Fool Like A Prayer Lis Mara Malabar Millenium Metropolitan Mcardle Malabar Man Modern Art Quik Pulse Mindale Real Desire Revenue S Riverboat King Sand Vic Sharky Spur SJ s Caviar Southfork Straight Up Lindy Tejano Totally Western Tom Ridge Yankee Cruiser Eligible to NY, PA, ONT, NJ, KY, MD and DE programs. We have yearlings for everyone! OCTOBER 4, 12 NOON POCONO DOWNS, IN THE PADDOCK I believe absolutely that there is a niche and the trick is finding the niche. With each stallion and mare there is a bloodline that s going to work exceptionally well. business, the owner knew Hayes as a hard worker from his days training and claiming horses for him at the Meadows in Pennsylvania. Hayes had already decided to take his family off the backstretch and was back in New York when Donovan tapped him and his wife Melanie, who also plays a significant role at the farm, to lead his new operation. Hayes, who had previously trained horses for Hanover Shoe Farms Russell Williams, was able to gain some foaling experience at the Pennsylvania nursery, including foaling Armbro Amoretto ($1,604,459), and rode along for a day with farm manager Dr. Bridgette Jablonsky to sharpen his skills. As Donovan describes, the best attribute of Hayes is his attention to detail and thoroughness with the horses. He sees every horse every day and he can spot a problem well in advance, the owner explained. A very pleasant surprise to me has been the camaraderie between the people at the different farms, admitted Donovan. Any questions that either Tim or I have had, any assistance that we ve asked for, people have been amazing. Now embarking on the largest equine venture of his career and equipped with 30 years of experience, a trusted staff and loads of passion, Donovan is preparing to sell his first class of yearlings born at the new farm this fall. He will continue to improve his broodmare band by keeping some race fillies and purchasing broodmare prospects as he moves down the road toward better quality and producing successful racehorses. I ve been very blessed in my life in general and with the horses. Sometimes I don t think I have any luck with the horses, but then I look around here. July/August 2010 The Harness Edge