Guy Polillo immigrated to Canada from Italy in 1955 with a dream in the back of his mind. Fifty-four years
later, that dream has become a reality.
Standardbred breeding and racing was always in Polillo’s blood, and when he arrived in Canada at the age of 14, he had two major in goals in his life. His first was to accomplish the North American dream of becoming a millionaire, and he did that through his development of his company Classic Home Improvements that designed, built and sold houses.
His second dream was to advance his love of the standardbred breeding industry by bringing to Canada a stallion from Italy that could alter the genetics of the standardbred breed in Ontario. Polillo has always idolized French breeder Jean Pierre Dubois, as Dubois brought North American maternal bloodlines to France and matched those mares with French stallions. The result: Dubois has been Europe’s leading breeder, owner, trainer and driver for decades.
Now Polillo’s dream has become a reality with his purchase of the stallion Cornaro Dasolo, a 10-year-old horse that raced in Italy through 2008. Cornaro Dasolo just recently landed in Canada and will be available to North American breeders within the next few weeks.
It all started on a chance meeting in the Clubhouse at the Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky last September. “I was invited to a luncheon, by Dan Fisher of Trot Magazine, at the Red Mile dining room. Seated beside me was a group of breeders from Italy and among them was an Italian friend of mine, Marco Foli, who I hadn’t seen in years!
"Quickly, over a glass of Italian vino, I explained how I wanted to import the Jean Pierre Dubois theory of genetics into Ontario. Marco said that he had an instant solution and that would be the purchase of the Italian star Cornaro Dasolo.” A handshake deal took place and now the dream has become a reality with his arrival at Doyle Bloodstock in Dundas, Ontario.
“For 45 years, I have been a breeder of standardbreds in Canada. I moved in the last 20 years to trotters exclusively. I sell at public auctions and will again at the 2009 Canadian Open & Yearling Sale,” commented Polillo. “It is my fervent belief that we should be combining European bloodlines with our North American broodmares, just as Jean Pierre Dubois did. Lots of people think that I am ‘crackers,’ in particular Harry Rutherford and Charalambos Christoforou, but it’s a personal dream and my deep gut belief.”
Polillo has issued a challenge to all breeders. “Take a page from the book of success of the greatest breeder and horseman in the world (Jean Pierre Dubois) and move your breed forward by changing the bloodlines. In my opinion, we can improve the breed and develop genetic diversity by breeding to an outcross like Cornaro Dasolo.”
Polillo has issued the challenge by offering a low introductory price of $2,000 for his Ontario Sires Stakes-eligible stallion Cornaro Dasolo. His dream has come true and he invites all breeders to take the plunge and create a new genetic base. “We have the greatest and most lucrative sires stakes program in the world,” says Polillo. “Ontario is the jurisdiction into which I have been putting all my money and I believe my dream will come to fruition. Time will tell if I am as smart as Jean Pierre Dubois.”