Canadian Horse Racing Hall Of Fame Announces 2010 Inductees

The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame today (Tuesday) announced its 2010 inductees, which includes six horses and four people

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The standardbred class of 2010 is headlined by racehorse Mister Big, the second richest pacer of all time. He is joined by the outstanding broodmare Classic Wish along with trainer Robert McIntosh, builder R. Peter Heffering and A Worthy Lad in the Veterans category.

The thoroughbred inductees include Belmont Stakes winner Victory Gallop, along with Lady Angela, one of the most influential dams in breeding history, and multiple stakes winner Victorian Era in the Veterans category. They join Builder Mel Lawson and West Coast trainer/jockey Frank Barroby.

Mister Big, a son of Grinfromeartoear, has been one of the most consistent and successful performers in the sport. With career earnings of over $4 million, he is the second richest pacer of all time. This multiple Dan Patch and Nova Award winner won all the major races in his division as a five-year-old and paced 18 miles in 1:49 or lower. From 85 career starts, he has 34 wins, 20 seconds and 11 thirds. He is owned by Joseph Muscara of Huntingdon Valley, PA, and is standing his first season as a stallion at Tara Hills Stud Farm in Port Perry, Ont.

Classic Wish, a daughter of Armbro Emerson, won over $436,000 during her racing career and has excelled as a broodmare. From 11 foals, she has produced two millionaires including Bettors Delight, a winner of over $2 million and No Pan Intended, a winner of $1.6 million. Her average earnings per foal are in excess of $608,000. Bred by David Lemon of Komoka, Ont., Classic Wish is now owned by Winbak Farm of Chesapeake City, MD.

Robert McIntosh, of Windsor, Ont., is a four-time O’Brien Award winner as Canada’s Trainer of the Year and is the leading trainer in the Breeders Crown with 15 championship trophies to his credit. He has trained over 3,562 winners and horses to earnings in excess of $78 million. Among the lengthy list of champions that McIntosh has trained over the years are North American Horse of the Year winners Staying Together and Artsplace.

R. Peter Heffering, of Port Perry, Ont., has a tremendous list of accomplishments in the standardbred industry. He has found his way to the winner’s circle for many of the sport’s premier stakes events and he’s campaigned many notable horses including Precious Bunny, a winner of over $2 million and a member of the Hall of Fame. In 1996, Heffering and his son, David, opened Tara Hills Stud Farm in Port Perry, Ont., and it has risen to become one of the most successful stallion stations in Canada. Heffering has bred such top level horses as Bunny Lake, a winner of over $3 million and Precious Delight, a winner of over $1.3 million. Heffering has also served on numerous organizations in the standardbred industry, such as the Board of Directors of Standardbred Canada, Woodbine Entertainment Group and the Hambletonian Society.

The Worthy Bowl trotter A Worthy Lad was undefeated in his racing career of 30 starts and earned over $446,000 while dominating Ontario Sires Stakes events. He also sired winners of $2.5 million from 43 foals. A Worthy Lad was bred by Dr. Joseph Johnston of Oldcastle, Ont., and Ross Johnston of Sombra, Ont., and was owned during his racing career by Dr. Johnston before being shipped overseas to Sweden where he was sold.

Victory Gallop was bred by Toronto’s Ivan Dalos of Tall Oaks Farm and foaled at Joanne Clayton’s Darrowby Farm in Loretto, Ont. The bay colt by Cryptoclearance--Victorious Lil, by Vice Regent, never raced in Canada. He was sold for $25,000 at the fall yearling sales in Kentucky. Winner of two minor stakes races at two and a second-place finish in the Laurel Futurity, the colt blossomed after being acquired by Prestonwood Farm. Trained by Elliott Walden, Victory Gallop won the Rebel Stakes and the Arkansas Derby before second place finishes in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. Victory Gallop then thwarted Real Quiet’s bid to become the first winner of the Triple Crown in 20 years with a nose victory at Belmont. The colt was a stakes winner for owners Jack, Art and Jr. Preston in 1999 and won an Eclipse Award as the Champion Older Male Horse.

Lady Angela’s effect on the breeding history throughout the world was firmly established when the daughter of Hyperion foaled a colt by Nearco. His name was Nearctic, the sire of Northern Dancer, whose offspring would dominate breeding and make E.P. Taylor and Windfields Farm the leading global breeders of stakes winners. Northern Dancer’s prolific sons include Danzig, Nijinsky II, Storm Bird, Sadler’s Wells and Vice Regent.

Victorian Era dominated stakes racing in Ontario in the 1960s for owner Allen Case and HOF trainer Louis Cavalaris, Jr. The son of Victoria Park won 18 stakes races, was Horse of the Year, a three-time champion, and unfortunately ineligible to run in the 1965 Queen’s Plate when an eligibility payment was not made when he was two.

Mel Lawson, 87, of Hamilton, Ont., and Jim Dandy Stables were involved in the breeding and racing of quality horses for almost 50 years. His Sovereign Award winners were Eternal Search, who won the award three times, Let’s Go Blue and Ginger Gold. His horses have won 46 stakes races.

Frank Barroby, 66, dominated racing on the prairie racing circuit as a jockey, winning titles in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C., and was second in Canada in 1965. Three times he was the leading trainer at Hastings Park in Vancouver. He is the first B.C.-based trainer to be elected to Canada’s HOF. Barroby was elected to the BC Thoroughbred Hall of Fame in 2009.

These six horses and four people will be honoured at the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Thursday, August 19, 2010 at the Mississauga Convention Centre.