It's a little hard to fathom that the Alberta Sires Stakes Super Finals are just 10 days away (Saturday, Oct. 17). In advance of the lucrative Alberta Sires Stakes showdowns, Horse Racing Alberta's marketing arm has assembled yet another quality video piece, this time focusing on the up and coming trainers and drivers in the province, many of which have started to leave their mark on the industry.
The Alberta Sires Stakes Super Finals will be contested at Century Downs Racetrack And Casino in Balzac, just outside Calgary. A total of $240,000 in sires stakes purses will be on the line during the October 17 card. Individual $50,000 finals for two and three-year-olds of both sexes will be contested, as will $10,000 consolations for each of the classes.
Horsepeople young, old, and somewhere in between, will all be looking to reign supreme throughout the program.
If you ask the youngsters, well, they're all-in and hungry.
"The state of horse racing in Alberta for the younger generation is good," said trainer Chris Lancaster, who has seen his stable blossom in the last few years. "We're going to be firing on all cylinders, hopefully, in the next couple of years.
"The industry looks promising, so I'm excited and optimistic about it," said trainer Marissa Kleinsasser, whose background in the game runs deep, like many participants. "I've only ever been in horse racing. I wouldn't want to do anything else. I don't know what the future holds, but I hope it's something good."
"The highs are unlike anything I have felt in the 'real world.' You get pumped," said trainer/driver Nathan Sobey. "The lows, they can get bad. But once it's (horse racing) in your blood, you're not getting out."
Trainer/driver Dave Kelly concurs.
"Once you get that bug of having horses, it doesn't ever leave you."