30/ APRIL 2020 THE RIDER Ontario Racing’s


Mare Purchase Program now capped; 123 through new TIP programs


Notice To Industry


TORONTO, February 4 – Ontario Racing (OR) today announced the Mare Purchase Program (MPP), de- signed to bolster the province’s breed- ing and racing industry through its Thoroughbred Horse Improvement Program (TIP), has concluded for the year.


Through the conclusion of the


OBS Winter Mixed sale in Ocala on January 29, a total of 24 in-foal brood- mares were purchased at various pub- lic auctions with 16 expected to be bred back to a registered Ontario sire during the 2020-21 breeding season and eligible for the MPP program offer.


The Mare Purchase Program of-


fered eligible applicants 50 percent of the purchase price of an in-foal brood- mare, up to a maximum of $15,000 (CDN), at various recognized public auctions, plus another $2,500 (CDN) as an Ontario Sire ‘breed back’ incen- tive.


Last month, the Mare Recruit-


ment Program, which offered $5,000 (CDN) to horsepeople to bring an in- foal mare to Ontario to foal, also with


an Ontario Sire breed back incentive worth $2,500 (CDN), had 99 brood- mares with 60 pledged to be bred back to a registered Ontario sire, submitted. The paperwork for 23 broodmares (21 bred back to an Ontario sire) came through immediately after the time the program was fully subscribed. Ontario Racing will disburse for those submis- sions.


Through the two programs, a


total of 123 in-foal broodmares have been added to the province’s brood- mare band, with 76 pledged back to a registered Ontario sire. “The success of the Mare Pur-


chase Program and Mare Recruitment Program has gone beyond our expec- tations,” said David Anderson, long- time breeder-owner and Ontario Racing (OR) board member. “The ob- jectives of Ontario Racing’s Thor- oughbred Horse


Improvement


committee were crafted to accommo- date all sectors of the racing and breeding community. We want the broodmares to stay in Ontario perma- nently, offer a significant incentive to breed back to a registered Ontario sire, to produce an Ontario-bred, to be sold at the local yearling sale, while even-


tually racing at Woodbine or Fort Erie. We’re clearly off to a great start.” Live foal crop numbers have de-


clined over the last three years in On- tario.


In 2017, 878 foals were


registered, while 826 were recorded in 2018, according to The Jockey Club. Speculative 2019 Ontario foal crop numbers are showing a continued drop in the overall registered foal figures. “Seeing this decline in the On-


tario registered foal numbers, our TIP committee needed to look at material solutions to address these challenges,” said John Hayes, Independent Chair of Ontario Racing. “Those discussions spurred the development and the pro- motion of the Mare Purchase and Mare Recruitment programs. These initiatives signaled to the racing com- munity that we were trying to invest and grow this business.” Further details of the Mare Pur-


chase Program and Mare Recruitment Programs including criteria, as well as other notable Ontario Racing and TIP plans,


are available at


ontarioracing.com/Industry/Thor- oughbred-Improvement-Program.


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QROOI’s Horse Purchase Program And First Line Syndicate


By Jennifer Morrison The Quarter Racing


Owners of Ontario, Inc. want to bring new faces into the exciting sport of Quarter Horse racing and for 2020 there are several new and af- fordable opportunities to buy your own racing Quar- ter Horse or a share in one. The QROOI’s First


Line Racing Syndicate, in its third year, has already been very successful intro- ducing new people to Quar- ter Horse ownership. The syndicate is made up of 20 shares in one horse at $2,500 per share which in- cludes all bills. First Line’s 2019 runner, Eye Am the Eagle won four of nine starts in 2019 and is a five- time winner for the group since they bought him in 2018.


Bob Broadstock, pres-


ident of the QROOI, buys and trains the horses for First Line and is expanding the syndicate this week as he is in Oklahoma City to purchase another horse at the Heritage Place Winter Mixed sale which runs Jan. 16 to 18. “First Line is getting a


second horse this week,” said Broadstock. “I am looking to sell more shares for 2020, ideally to boost it up to 30 shares.”


Broadstock says he


will have a draw for a free share at the Can-Am Equine Expo in April at


the


Markham Fairgrounds and will keep the syndicate open until racing at Ajax begins on May 10. Eye Am the Eagle, the


second horse owned by the syndicate, was swarmed by his numerous, loving own- ers each time he won last year. Owners also had spe- cial events with Broadstock including plenty of meet- and-greets at the farm he owns with wife Marie. “They never stop en-


joying it,’ said Broadstock. “And because of the success of Eagle and how consistent a guy he is, we hope to at- tract more people.” Check out Eye Am the


Eagle’s victory on Oct. 21, 2019 to see the happy crowd in the winner’s circle, w w w. y o u t u b e . c om/ watch?v=Eb-Qjpea6s4


Horse Purchase Program Broadstock and the QROOI board have also launched the Horse Purchase Program for 2020 in an effort to boost the horse population at Ajax Downs. The HPP allows for prospective buyers to lease a horse purchased by Broad- stock at this week’s Heritage sale or take a $5,000 inter-


est-free loan from the QROOI towards buying a horse at the sale. “Right now we have


20 individually signed con- tracts for a loan and/or leased horse,” he said. “We have now closed the lease part of it since we are get- ting to close to the sale but we are keeping the loan part open. I will be able to ap- prove loans right at the sale this weekend.” Broadstock said of the


20 contracts he already has, about half a dozen of them are from first-time horse buyers. “The loan was some-


thing the QROOI came up with through a committee. People have shown a lot of interest in it and have more confidence in buying a horse for Ajax Downs, not- ing our new stakes schedule for 2020.” Among the new stakes


for this year is the $50,000 Princess Derby, an open race for 3-year-old fillies. The lease portion of


the HPP requires the horse owner to pay back 20 per- cent of the horse’s earnings until they pay back the pur- chase price of the horse or they can buy the horse out- right at any time.


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