Optimism has become a rare commodity among horsemen still based in Quebec, but trainer Dustin Jones has plenty this season
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It has little to do with a possible rebirth of harness racing in the province, and everything to do with the talent in his stable.
"I think we've got some really good ones now, as good a bunch as I've ever trained," said Jones, 48, whose past stars included Hambletonian starter Uhadadream, Shanghai Phil, Monsieur Jerome, and 1994 Canadian horse of the year Emilie Cas El.
Jones, who'll shift the bulk of his operation from his farm in Quebec to the Baycairn Training Centre in Ontario in June, is training 37 horses. They include some of the top-priced auction yearlings in North America last year. Titan Blue Chip, a Rocknroll Hanover colt, cost $210,000. Stuck Up, a Bettors Delight colt, went for $150,000. Alethia, a filly by Western Terror, cost $120,000.
"I'm fortunate to have some great owners, many of whom have been with me for years. Serge Godin, for instance, has been with me 19 years, through thick and thin," said Jones.
It's been mostly thin the last two years for a trainer accustomed to stakes success - fewer than 30 wins and around $300,000 in purses per season.
"We've had two bad years. Two years ago, we bought all Quebec-breds (just as the Quebec Sires Stakes program collapsed). That's a hell of a hole to climb out of," he said.
Even if racing does resume in Quebec this year, it'll be for purses too modest for a stable of this calibre, said Jones, resigned to another racing season on the road.
"I was gone five months last year," he said. "It's pretty tough."
(A Trot Insider Exclusive by Paul Delean)