APRIL 2023 THE RIDER /23


Q.R.O.O.I.: 50 Alexander Crossing’s, Ajax, ON L0S 1T6 Telephone: (905) 426-7050 • Fax: (905) 426-7093 Email: qrooiheadoffice@gmail.com


www.qrooi.com


PRESIDENT Bob Broadstock 18101 Cedardale Road, Nestleton, Ontario L0B 1L0 (905) 986-0044 email: bob_broadstock@hotmail.com


VICE-PRESIDENT Chantelle Bourgeois 416-985-7046 Chantelle.Bourgeois@t4g.com


James Bogar JBogar@cameronsteel.com


Scott Reid sr_training@hotmail.com


Amanda McCormack amccormack.valmor@gmail.com


Quarter Racing Owners of Ontario Inc. News


Sean Slater cusl8r@live.com


Ralph Pearson - 905-243-4501 ralphpearson@bellnet.ca


Quarter Racing Owners of Ontario Group Benefits Program - NEW !!!!!!!!!!


All Eligible Quarter Racing Owners of Ontario Members As a member of Quarter Racing Owners of


Ontario, you are eligible to participate in our group benefits program with Desjardins, Policy 563210. This communication is intended to outline the im- portance of enrolling in the group benefits plan. Please see the attached PDF file to learn more or contact Monique at Head Office for any questions. To


read the https://bit.ly/42HRvOB


Accredit an Ontario Broodmare Breeders are reminded to submit Applications


to Accredit an Ontario Broodmare for their mares that are being bred or foaling in 2023. Applications on file in the breeding and foaling years will expe- dite the process for having the foal accredited as Ontario Bred. Please submit to Ontario Racing at qhpro-


gram@ontarioracing.com, fax 416-477-5499 or by mail to Ontario Racing, PO Box 160, Campbel- lville, ON L0P 1B0. For further information, contact:


Kathie Wilkinson QH Program Coordinator, Ontario Racing qhprogram@ontarioracing.com PH: 416-477-5529 Anyone doing Embro Transfer procedures


and wishes the resulting foal to be accredited as Ontario Bred, it is recommended to contact Kathie Wilkinson who would be glad to guide you through the required paperwork.


News Release on Last Free Racing Series Course - Respiratory Our last free course of the racing winter series


is coming up on March 20 and we have 73 regis- tered for Racehorse Respiratory Health (sponsored by COSA) so far.


https://thehorseportal.ca/2023/03/racehorse-respi- ratory-health-is-the-last-course-in-winter-online-


PDF visit -


learning-series/


Had to Be Ivory Named Ajax Downs 2022 Horse of the Year By Jennifer Morrison


AJAX, FEBRUARY 19, 2023 - Carol and Jaime Robertson’s Ontario homebred HAD TO BE IVORY was named the 2022 Quarter Horse of the Year at the Quarter Racing Owners of Ontario and Ajax Downs awards banquet at the Ajax Conven- tion Centre on Saturday, February 18. This was the first in-person awards ceremony for the Quarter Horse community since 2019. A moment of silence was observed before the


event in honour of Norman Picov who passed away at the age of 87 earlier in the day. Mr. Picov was responsible for the building of Ajax Downs and furthering the growth of the Ontario Quarter Horse industry, following in the steps of his father Alex who founded Picov Downs in 1969. Had to be Ivory, a son of Ivory James, was


winning his second Horse of the Year title, having been voted by the 2019 overall champion by the QROOI board of directors. In 2022, the Ontario- bred 7-year-old, owned and bred by Carol and Jaime Robertson of Hillsburgh, ON, won all six of his starts including the Alex Picov Memorial Championship, Picov Maturity, and Ontario Bred Maturity. Trained by Bryn Robertson, the big bay gelding also won the Distance Series which in- cluded a track-record setting score at 440-yards of 21.41 earning him a whopping 112 speed index. The Robertson family dedicated Had to Be


Ivory’s Horse of the Year title to his dam Had to Be Fandango, who passed away the day before the awards. Had to Be Ivory is expected to race again in 2023. Divisional awards were presented to horses


and horsepeople that accrued the most QROOI Awards Program points based on top four placings in various levels of races throughout the racing sea- son.


For the fourth consecutive year, JASON PAS-


COE of Pontypool, was the High Point Trainer of the Year with an impressive 528 points. Pascoe led


all trainers with 44 wins and purse earnings of over $697,000. Pascoe’s main client, MILENA KWIECIEN of Burlington, was the High Point Owner with 288 points, and led all owners with 17 victories. Kwiecien raced the top 3-year-old filly, EYE LIVE FOR CANDY, co-champion 2-year-old filly VALIANT CHICK INSNOW, and Sprint Se- ries winner CARNEROS. TONY ‘TP’ PHILLIPS won a tight race for


leading jockey with 262 points (25 wins), edging RAMIRO CASTILLO and BRIAN BELL who tied for runner-up riders with 247 points. It was Phillips’ second jockey title. CHRISTINE TAVARES won her sixth High


Point Breeder award in the last nine years with 10 winners and 152 points. John Wilson and Scott Reid’s NIGHT


LEADER was the year’s top 3-year-old male as the Ontario bred gelding had 35 points from four wins in six races including the Ontario Sired Derby. A full list of winners is below. The 2023 Quarter Horse season at Ajax


Downs is scheduled to begin on Wednesday May 10. Visit www.ajaxdowns.com for the complete schedule and all news. You can also follow Ajax Downs on social media @AjaxDowns on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.


QROOI / AJAX DOWNS AWARDS 2022 - CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OUR QROOI 2022 WINNERS!!!!


Horse of the Year - Had to Be Ivory 2-year-old filly - First Prize Charlotte/Valliant Chick Insnow (tie) 2-year-old colt or gelding - Shades of Cold 3-year-old colt or gelding - Night Leader 3-year-old filly - Eye Live for Candy Aged Male - Had to Be Ivory Aged Mare - Fly Belle Cartel Distance series Champion - Had to Be Ivory Sprint series Champion - Carneros High Point Jockey - Tony Phillips High Point Trainer- Jason Pascoe High Point Owner -Milena Kwiecien High Point Owner/Trainer - Bryn Roberston


High Point Breeder - Christine Tavares


Cold Hard Dash Tops Most Recent Leading Sire List by Percentage of Winners


TORONTO, January 10 – Ontario stallion Cold Hard Dash gave Belinda Taggart one last holiday gift as the calendar flipped to 2023, by topping the American Quarter Horse Association’s most recent Leading Sire by Percentage of Winners list. The December edition of the American Quar-


ter Horse Racing Journal provided updated sire lists as of October 28, 2022, and Cold Hard Dash led the way with six racing age foals and six win- ners.


“I was flipping through and thought wow


when I came across that list,” said Taggart. “That was then followed up by the major owners in the U.S. calling me and saying, ‘Hey guess what? Your stallion is number one.’” Cold Hard Dash is by hall of fame sire First


Down Dash, and his dam This Snow Is Cold earned over $520,000 on the racetrack. So, a strong pedigree and support from the CHD Partnership have allowed him to produce strong racehorses. “Our group of people have some awesome


mares,” said Taggart. “I know from my other stal- lion that the best thing to do is to breed him to the best mares possible to get him started.” One of his leading offspring in 2022 was First


Cold Wave, who backed up a stellar freshman cam- paign with a sophomore season where he earned over $44,000. He posted a record of 2-3-1 from eight starts and won the Ontario Bred Derby at Ajax Downs. Taggart has already fielded calls from breed-


ers looking to send their mares to Cold Hard Dash in 2023, and was hosting prospective breeders for visits this past weekend. “It’s starting to look up, and hopefully we can


increase the Quarter Horse population in Ontario,” said Taggart. “We’re so glad we have him, and I’m astonished he’s made the top of that list, and I just hope he can do it again.”


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