Southern Ontario Standardbred breeding nurseries High Stakes Farm, Mac Lilley Farms and Seelster Farms all have special open houses taking place for the general public today (Sunday, May 14). Also, the popular fractional ownership endeavour ‘The Stable’ is holding its Spring Showcase. All of the efforts are taking place to make this Mother’s Day a memorable one.

The farms will showcase their mares, foals, stallions and facilities, and – in collaboration with the Standardbred Breeders of Ontario Association and Standardbred Canada’s ‘I Love Canadian Harness Racing’ Fan Club – will educate visitors about Standardbred breeding and harness racing. This marks the sixth consecutive year that the SBOA and SC have partnered to host this event.

The open houses provide a great opportunity for people who don’t normally have a chance to visit a horse farm to connect with the horses and the people in the Standardbred industry. This event is free to the general public.

Seelster Farms, located in Lucan, will be opening its facility to the public from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. The open house at Seelster is an officially recognized fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society, with voluntary donations being graciously accepted on their behalf.

High Stakes Farm, located in Moffat, will be opening its gates from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. The open house at High Stakes is an officially recognized fundraiser for the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society.

Mac Lilley Farms, located in Dutton, will host its event from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. In addition to showcasing its mares and foals, the Hands On Horses Team from the Ontario Harness Horse Association will be providing rides in jog carts around the racetrack. The Glencoe 4-H horse club members will be passing out cupcakes and drinks to the guests.

Mac Lilley Farms will also promote the 250th anniversary of horse racing in Canada with a ‘commemorative mile’ and information display.

The Stable’s (thestable.ca) Spring Showcase will take place at Tomiko Training Centre in Campbellville. It will feature The Stable’s two-year-olds in training. The event will kick off at 10:30 a.m. and you can watch as 50 youngsters of The Stable and other trainers, show what they've got as potential racehorses. To watch the Spring Showcase via a live stream, click here.

The Stable will have pony rides for the kids, rides on a jog cart with actual horses for the aspiring drivers in the crowd, and a BBQ for everyone. The first 30 moms will get a special gift and there will be plenty of door prizes.

The addresses for each of the participating farms are as follows:

High Stakes Farm
9685 First Line Nassagaweya
Moffat, Ont. L0P 1J0
(5 minutes from Mohawk Racetrack & 15 minutes from downtown Milton)

Mac Lilley Farms
28322 Chalmers Line
Dutton, Ont. NOL IJO
Phone # 519-762-3423

Seelster Farms
33618 Roman Line, R.R. # 3
Lucan, Ont. N0M 2J0
(15 minutes from London)

Thestable.ca
Tomiko Training Centre
210 Campbellville Rd.
Campbellville, ON L0P 1B0
(10 minutes from Mohawk)