AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2022 THE RIDER /17 First Cold Wave Powers to Ontario Derby Victory


AJAX DOWNS, JULY 27, 2022 - Robert Bailey’s FIRST COLD WAVE showed why he was voted the 2021 Ajax Downs’ Horse of the Year with a gritty victory in the $51.480 Ontario Bred Derby at Ajax Downs on a hot summer af- ternoon on July 27. After breaking sharply


under regular rider Brian Bell, First Cold Wave, trained by Jason Pascoe, was quickly in an early bat- tle with rival Night Leader in the 300-yard dash for 3- year-olds. Night Leader, owned by John Wilson and trained by Scott Reid, dug in under jockey Carly Fur- longer, but First Cold Wave won by a neck in a time of 15.463 for a solid speed index of 92. Another Pas- coe trainee, Kold Kinda Star, owned by Milena Kwiecien, finished third and his stablemate Blazing Ma- gician was fourth. Bell, who broke the


(Photo below: First Cold Wave and his team, from left to right, trainer Jason Pascoe, jockey Brian Bell, and assistant Mitch Daniel. New Image Media Photo)


son of Ontario stallion Cold Hard Dash to saddle as a yearling, has ridden First Cold Wave for all six of his career wins and was im- pressed with the gelding’s determination in the final stages of the 11th edition of


the Derby. “The race went as


good as I could have ex- pected. He broke hard and I know Carly put us to run- ning a little bit and I started sweating a little. But he gave me that extra stride,


A Day of ‘Firsts’, and Longshots, at Ajax Downs


AJAX DOWNS, JULY 13, 2022 - It was a day of ‘firsts’ and plenty of long- shots at Ajax Downs, on Day 10 of the 2022 Quarter Horse racing season at Ajax Downs, July 13. The after- noon began with jockey MIGUEL NICHOLLS win- ning his first-ever race as a rider when he guided Wayne and Carol Procter’s CAR- AWAYS ANGEL LANE to victory in the first race of the day. It was also the first career start for Caraways Angel Lane, an Ontario bred for the Procters, who have been racing and breeding Quarter Horses for more than 30 years. “It was wonderful,”


said Nicholls, who came from Barbados to Canada only two years ago. “She gave me her best run. When I asked her she just kept going and going. I’m just so excited right now.” Nicholls, 31, exercised horses in his native Barba- dos and rode one race before he came to work at Wood- bine racetrack, galloping Thoroughbreds in the morn- ing. “I always wanted to be a jockey,” said Nicholls. “My weight gave me some trou- ble but in Quarter Horse rac- ing the (maximum) jockey weight is a little more, so I wanted to give it a shot.” Caraways Angel Lane,


a 12 to 1 shot, has been pre- pared for her debut by the Procters and Nicholls, and


which made the race.” Bailey,


from Oak-


wood, Ontario, is a longtime owner and breeder in Quar- ter Horse racing with part- ner Belinda Taggart. “He was a bit of a


character as a foal,” said


(Photo below: First Cold Wave and his team, from left to right, trainer Jason Pascoe, jockey Brian Bell, and assistant Mitch Daniel. New Image Media Photo)


Bailey. “But he has shown a lot of class.” Bailey and Taggart are part of the syn- dicate that stand Cold Hard Dash at stud in Port Perry. The Derby win pushed


First Cold Wave’s career earnings


to


$140,000. Wednesday was a big


day for leading trainer Pas- coe who saddled four win-


almost


ners on the eight-race card. Follow Quarter Horse


racing from Ajax Downs on social media and keep up on race dates and events at www.ajaxdowns.com.


Rockwood Trail Riders News


President’s Message: By Jackie Charlebois


aboard Caraways Angel Lane for Carol and Wayne Proc- ter at Ajax Downs on July 13. Clive Cohen photo


the daughter of Sycamore Lane won by three-quarters of a length. *One race later, first-


time Quarter Horse owner Magen Finnessy watched her grey gelding AZURES ROYALTY win race two on the afternoon as a 12 to 1 longshot under jockey Neill Husbands. Azures Royalty was making his second start for Finnessy, who purchased the Ontario bred from owner and trainer Craig Spada last month. Sean Slater trains. In race three, jockey


Rachael Isaacs won her first race of the season aboard DOWN SULLI- VAN STREET, for owner John Wilson and trainer Scott Reid.


our website at www.ajax- downs.com for news and upcoming events.


Jockey Miguel Nicholls wins his first race as a rider


pellant handy an have some decent fly protection for your steed out in the wilds. The RTR executive have been doing some hard work and planning in hopes of making our shows a bit more managed and tweaking for the upcom- ing show on Aug. 14, which by the way is the last in our 2022 series of horse shows. Remember that this is your last


been enjoying the summer season that is now fully upon us. Warm weather, beautiful blue skies and most of all deer flies, horse flies and mosquitos! Our four legged rides are suffering with the relentless buzzing and biting of those ruthless monsters. Make sure you keep your fly re-


Hello fellow riders! It is our hope that everyone has


opportunity to qualify for year end awards. So don’t miss the show! We have officially heard that Trail Horse Trials is at 50% capacity and if you are planning on attending this annual event, you should get your entry sub- mitted. Always a fun event, it looks like this year will be a great one. We are in our 59th year as a club in 2022 (therefore join us next year as we cel- ebrate our BIG 60th Anniversary) and hopefully it will end our RTR season with a tribute to why this club was formed so many years ago. It is a changing world in the riding lifestyle and there are many opportunities for diversity and competition in our horse world.


aged to weather many changes and storms and calm seas throughout its history. It’s sad when we have watched other saddle clubs fold and


Rockwood Trail Riders has man-


the saddle and if anyone has any com- ments or concern for our executive, please pass them along to us so we can provide the best possible experience for all involved. We will be having an executive meeting this fall after THT and it’s our hope to discuss new ideas in great detail.


cease to exist. The idea of saddle clubs was to nurture our young and fledg- ling riders of all ages to enjoy the sport that horses bring and also the pleasure aspects of horses in a friendly and like minded forum. It is my hope that RTR continues to offer its membership the kinds of camaraderie that were the spearhead of it’s formation. It is my hope that other clubs can keep their eyes on the future and that RTR can be successful for another 60 years. Remember to keep your seat in


Incredibly,


Down Sullivan Street was also 12 to 1, setting up at Pick 3 payoff, from races one through three, of almost $500.00 for a 20-cent wager. Isaacs would come right back to win race four on Kit- sawinner, the first winner for trainer Paul Garrison in 2022. Follow Ajax


Downs on social media @Ajax- Downs and visit


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