Orianna Scheck of Calgary, Alberta was the photographer behind the lens for the Heart of Harness Racing Calendar’s October photo of Wish He Was, taken on September 18, 2018 at Rocky Ridge Farms near Kathryn, Alta.

Orianna has been a regular contributor for the Heart of Harness Racing Calendar, and past Zoom Contests.

An active participant in many facets of horse racing since 2003, including owning and grooming, Orianna is a Facebook manager and works for several clients, including Century Downs Racetrack and Casino, the Alberta Standardbred Horse Association, the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society and Highfield Stock Farm to name a few. Her duties include Facebook postings, promotions, stories and articles, photography and videos along with many special horse related events. “I’m very passionate about the horse industry and I’m so lucky to be doing what I love!” she commented.

Orianna with Star Of Winter

Although she has been taking photos for many years, she’s really honed her skills recently. “I love it and my photography is now a big part of my job. My camera is with me all the time and I shoot photos almost every day along with taking photos for many major race events, yearling sales and awards dinners. In addition, I’ve been shooting a fair number of promotional videos which is really exciting for me. I love video and hope to continue to improve my skills.” A testament to Orianna’s talent is the 2018 Christmas Horsemen’s video she produced for Century Downs that had over 68,000 views.

Wish He Was, or “Wuzzy’ as he’s affectionately known, is the first foal of Mystery Chase out of Orianna’s mare, Wish I Was, who incidentally is back in foal to Mystery Chase. “I raced Wish I Was for years and she was a very tough mare,” explained Orianna. She had a serious paddock accident at the age of three which she overcame and went on to have a nice little racing career. She comes from the Life Sign family and all her nine siblings raced. Her dam is I Wish I Knew.“

Wish He Was and Wish I Was

When she submitted the photo last year, she described the playful colt as "the new David Beckham...just a little faster, a little more flashy and a whole lot more handsome."

Fast forward to this year and Orianna gave us an update on Wish He Was. “Wuzzy is doing excellent! I brought him to the new Century Mile racetrack with me in early September. We’ve started to break him with a lot of line driving to give him a good foundation. I don’t want to rush him so he has a good experience with each new step. He just recently went out on the track with the jogger for the first time. He also just got his first pair of shoes on and behaved unbelievably great. I’m very proud of him. So far so good! And he still has his balls (soccer balls she purchased at IKEA) with him. They go everywhere he goes!”

Wish He Was in the jogger for the first time

Along with her broodmare and yearling, Orianna owns three-year-old Star of Winter, who she’s looking forward to racing at the new Century Mile. “I’m also studying for my trainer’s licence with hopes of passing it very soon and in time before Winter races. That has always been my goal to have my name down as trainer for her and for Wuzzy (Wish He Was).”