More than 200 people packed today’s inaugural Open House & Horse Sale hosted by The Stable at Tomiko Training Centre near Puslinch, Ont.
Thousands more tuned into a three-hour broadcast of the event via Facebook Live, complete with commentators and interviews. Forty-three of The Stable’s yearlings were showcased in seven sets, driven by some of North America’s top harness racing reinsmen.
The first set of yearlings showcased at The Open House round the first turn at Tomiko Training Centre.
Those in attendance — including several novice Standardbred racehorse owners — were able to meet the horses, chat with industry professionals, and purchase shares.
The Stable is a racehorse ownership venture launched in 2015 by Anthony and Amy MacDonald.
The Guelph couple own and train several Standardbred racehorses near Mohawk Racetrack. Anthony is also a prominent racehorse driver and a well-known harness racing industry advocate.
The MacDonalds built this 'fractional ownership' stable as a bridge — a way to welcome non-horse-people to racehorse ownership with a very modest investment (as low as $100), low-risk, and completely accessible and transparent operations.
There are currently 61 horses and 171 active racehorse owners in The Stable.ca.
“The turnout for today’s Open House was incredible,” said Anthony MacDonald. “Amy and I had the opportunity to speak with most of our guests, and the energy and enthusiasm of the crowd throughout the day was a real confirmation of the value of this fractional ownership model.
A packed crowd at the Open House.
“This is a really effective way to engage people in harness racing and promote ownership of Standardbred racehorses. That was abundantly clear, based on the people we had the privilege to meet with today,” said MacDonald.
“Among our guests were three twenty-something guys from the GTA — exactly the demographic harness racing is hungry for. They heard my interview this week on The Fan 590, emailed me, came to look at the horses this afternoon, and bought a share of a horse. None of them have ever owned a horse before, and have only been to the races a handful of times. But when they heard the interview, they instantly understood the fun to be had if they all owned a share of a racehorse together. That’s a perfect illustration of the power of this model.”
A catalogue of today’s horses is available on The Stable.ca website which details all horses for which shares are available for purchase.
Video of today’s live broadcast will be available tomorrow on The Stable’s Facebook Page.
The Open House was streamed via Facebook Live and included TV commentators, interviews, and aerial views of the action via a drone camera.
Images from today’s event are available here.
Guests at today’s free event were asked to bring a non-perishable food item, resulting in more than 200 pounds of food for the Guelph Food Bank.
The Stable would like to thank the many people who supported today’s event including: Mike Jobb and Tea Habjan of Tomiko Training Centre for their gracious provision of complimentary breakfast for Open House guests; TV commentators Bill O’Donnell and Fred MacDonald, and interviewer Mark McKelvie; the crew at Cujo Productions; all of the drivers who steered our 43 yearlings; Shawn MacDonald for grooming the track between sets; and the entire staff at The Stable for their daily commitment and hard work.
Staff of The Stable, including owners Anthony MacDonald (back row, center) and Amy MacDonald (front row, center).
For more information about The Stable, contact Anthony at [email protected] or (519) 400-4263.
(with files from The Stable)
What a great turnout and
What a great turnout and tremendous effort once again put out by Anthony and Amy.
They truly make every owner feel special whether you own 1% or substantially more. Having Billy O, Fred MacDonald and Mark Mckelvie on the mikes was great as was the free food, drink and hospitality. It was awesome to see so many owners and prospective owners brave the cold to watch the horses jog. The Stable has a lot of momentum and it's all down to hard work and their customer service approach.
I attended and thought it was
I attended and thought it was fantastic - a great mix of people completely new to the industry and those who have some/lots/considerable experience.
Mr. Decker - Anthony went out and had Sylvain Filion, Jody J, James MacDonald, Billy D Jr., Paul MacKenzie and Dan O'Brien sitting behind horses. I could see interest and intrigue in those new to the game. They liked standing by the fence and seeing how fast they were going (wait till they see them going in 7 months time).
I say well done to all - and I would love to see more of these type events. I saw someone who had purchased a share then went into the barn and took a selfie with their horse - how great is that?
In reply to I attended and thought it was by john jackson
My point, Mr Jackson, is what
My point, Mr Jackson, is what are the elite of the sport doing to promote racing in Ontario? It's great they supported The Stable's open house. What are they doing to promote the on-track product? Participating in a drivers challenge in Ohio does nothing for Ontario racing. The named trainers and drivers are taking their 5% and running, and not giving back to the sport that provides them a good living.
Congratulations to Anthony
Congratulations to Anthony and Amy for their ongoing efforts. I am glad that so many people showed up to support their idea. I applaud their enthusiasm and positive attitude and also love their winning smiles; that speaks volumes. It is always easy to sit back and complain but it takes a lot more energy to do something. Please keep up your good work as it will succeed.
There are, and have been,
There are, and have been, topics that Anthony and I have different opinions on, but I have to give him and his wife credit for doing things, and being an advocate of keeping Ontario racing alive. The sport definitely needs more people with some of his ambition. Let's see some of the big named drivers and trainers get involved to save the sport. Stay home and promote racing here and forget those driver challenges out of country... they do nothing for racing in your own backyard.