Eugene Melnyk, one of North America’s most accomplished thoroughbred owners, officially announced his retirement from the sport of horse racing on Wednesday, June 11.

One of Melnyk’s final acts to close out his impressive 20 year career in the sport of horse racing will see his racing and breeding stock dispersed at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Sale taking place on July 14, 2014.

“As a young boy who grew up watching and admiring the horses at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, it still remains very overwhelming to know how privileged and fortunate I have been to be part of such a wonderful and close knit community of people who share my passion for horses and the sport of horse racing. None of my horse racing achievements would have been possible without my staff at Winding Oaks Farm and Melnyk Racing Stables, who all know how deeply grateful I am for their dedication and commitment to our horses,” said Eugene Melnyk. “While I will always remain a part of horse racing, I feel I have accomplished all that I set out to and now is a good time to step back from the sport. I came into this sport 20 years ago with plenty of dreams and I leave with a lifetime of memories.”

Melnyk’s commitment to thoroughbred horse racing took a major step forward following his purchase back in 2001 of the former Mockingbird Farm in Ocala, Florida. Melnyk renamed the legendary property Winding Oaks Farm and spent years to carefully restore the 1,000 acre estate back to its original glory as a world‐class thoroughbred training and breeding facility. Winding Oaks Farm became the new home to Melnyk Racing Stables which then allowed Melnyk to channel significant investments and resources into the sport.

One of the first major milestones for Melnyk Racing Stables was a 1998 victory by Archers Bay to capture the Queen’s Plate. Melnyk’s stable of horses would go on to capture an impressive total of 62 graded stakes win. His success on Canadian racetracks includes two‐time Canadian Champion Older Horse Marchfield; Roxy Gap, who won Champion Female Sprinter and Champion Older Female in Canada in 2012; Leigh Court, the Champion Canadian Three‐Year‐Old Filly of 2013; and Sealy Hill, who was most recently inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in August 2013. Melnyk holds the distinction of being the first owner to win the Triple Tiara, the Canadian Triple Crown for fillies. Melnyk has also won all three legs of the male Canadian Triple Crown with Archers Bay and Lodge Hill.

In the United States, Melnyk’s celebrated wins include the Breeders’ Cup Sprint with Speightstown, who also earned a legendary Eclipse Award as Champion Sprinter in 2004; Stakes victor Flower Alley; Tweedside, heroine of the CCA Oaks; and other grade one winners Sealy Hill, Bishop Court Hill, Harmony Lodge, Host, Marley Vale and Pool Land. Other North American wins by Melnyk include the Prince of Wales Stakes, the Travers Stakes, the Jim Dandy Stakes and the Dwyer Stakes. Internationally, his horses have won two Barbados Gold Cups and participated in the prestigious Dubai World Cup.

Melnyk’s success on the racetrack paved the way for him to become one of the top breeders in North America. Most recently, Speightstown finished a close second on the Leading Sires list in 2013 and Flower Alley sired Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, I’ll Have Another, the Champion Three-Year-Old Colt of 2012.

Melnyk was honoured with a Sovereign Award as Canada’s outstanding breeder in 2009, as well as earning two Sovereign Awards as Outstanding Owner. In all, he and Melnyk Racing Stables garnered no less than 13 Sovereign Awards, Canada’s highest honours in thoroughbred racing. Melnyk was also voted National Owner of the Year by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association in 2005.

Among his many philanthropic contributions to the sport, Melnyk is most proud of his role as the founding donor of Anna House at Belmont Park. Named after Melnyk’s first daughter, Anna House opened in January 2003 as the first child care facility of its kind at a North American racetrack. Anna House is open 365 days of the year and provides backstretch families with access to a high quality, state-of-the-art child care center focused on enhancing the emotional, social and educational development of their children.

(Melnyk Racing Stables/Winding Oaks Farm)