30/ JULY 2010 THE RIDER


Q.R.O.O.I: P.O. Box 31090, Westney Heights RPO, Ajax, ON L1T 3V2


Telephone: (905) 426-7050 • Fax: (905) 426-7093 Email: qrooi@hotmail.com


388 Kingston Road East, Ajax, ON L1Z 1W4 www.qrooi.com


PRESIDENT


Bob Broadstock 18101 Cedardale Road, Nestleton, Ontario L0B 1L0 (905) 986-0044


email: bob_broadstock@hotmail.com


VICE-PRESIDENT


Erik Lehtinen RR #2,


Uxbridge, ON L9P 1R2


(905) 852-5245


Greg Watson 785 Hwy 7A,


Bethany, ON L0A 1A0


Doug Cheetham 32 Talbot St.,


Brampton, ON L6X 2P5 (905) 796-9640


Rene Hunderup


P.O. Box 310, Station Main, King City, ON L7B 1A6


Steve Hunter


231485 County Road 24, Grand Valley, Ontario L6X 2P5 (519) 928-5209


Off to the (Quarter Horse) Races


Story and Photos By Mallory Hendry


Tuesday June 15 marked the first time Ajax Downs had their Quarter Horse racing simulcast.


According to Nick Coukos, 60 tracks and over 200 outlets across North America were able to bet on the horses running at what used to be known as Picov Downs for the first time in the province.


olds and had a $12, 500 purse. The number six horse, Cold Mountain Man, took home first place.


But as big of a day as it was for Quarter Horse racing in Ontario gener- ally, it’s an even bigger – and more per- sonal – landmark for Norm and Lynda Picov.


Norm’s father, Alexander Picov, opened what was then known as Picov Downs in 1969. His vision was to build a state of the art Quarter Horse race-


Brian Farell


C2130 - Hwy #7, RR #1, Sunderland, ON L0C 1H0 (705) 357-3214


“We picked Tuesday because it’s a light day on simulcasting,” Bob Broad- stock, president of Quarter Horse racing in Ontario, says. “We don’t have to compete, so it’s a good place to start. We’re excited to see what attention we get. It’s a great opportunity to showcase our product on the world stage.” Kim Ho, a rider for 11 years and jockey of seven mounts at the track that day, thinks the idea is great. It gets Quarter Horse racing out to more peo- ple than the ones who come to the track to see it live on the weekends. “It helps promote our kind of rac- ing in Ontario,” she says.


The first race was for three year


track in Ontario. With the help of the Ontario Gaming Commission, his dream has come to be. Simulcasting from Ajax Downs has only cemented Quarter Horse racing’s status in horse racing generally.


“I’m ecstatic,” Norm says. “I think we have one of the best Quarter Horse products in North America.” Picov and his wife Lynda have a lot to be happy about. They’ve worked hard for this level of status. As Lynda points out, this is a fourth generational achievement and homage to Norm’s father who started it all.


Continued on Page 31


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