This year’s SBOA New Owner Mentoring group officially launched at the recent Canadian Yearling Sale with the purchase of Bad Boy Matt
. The Badlands Hanover colt was acquired from the consignment of Craig Turner and Mhairi Kersel of Ingersoll, Ont.
Trainer Tony O’Sullivan, as Agent, signed the $22,000 auction ticket on the eye-catching youngster.
Brian Webster, the industry veteran who is the SBOA group’s mentor this year, is very pleased with their prospect for next year’s OSS. “We liked his pedigree,” he said, “and the fact that there’s two-year-old speed that carries right back through the three generations.”
Out of the Matts Scooter mare Mattercycle p, 2, 1:56.2, who is already the dam of three winners from four foals, Bad Boy Matt is from the first Ontario eligible crop of the Winbak stallion Badlands Hanover.
“Tony was more familiar with his offspring than me having seen a lot of them when he was in New Jersey,” Webster said. “The colt’s very correct, very alert and had a nice video that showed him reaching right out.”
Most of the group of brand-new owners were able to be on hand to share in the excitement of the purchase and to speculate on his potential.
Bad Boy Matt is now at Walnut Ridge Farm near Flamboro Downs and is being turned out to unwind and acclimatize for the next few weeks.
“Tony fluoroscopes everything so he’ll have that done and see if he has any issues to deal with,” Webster said. “If everything’s ok, he’ll probably start breaking him in early October.”
The next big step for the enthusiastic ownership group is getting a stable name figured out. The investor line-up currently is comprised of Webster himself, plus eight novice owners, each of whom have invested $4,500.
A 10th and final spot in the partnership awaits the winner of this year’s ongoing Win the Thrill contest. SBOA has donated an ownership share as Grand Prize for the popular multi-track competition. The ultimate winner will be decided at the Grassroots Finals, October 1 at Mohawk.
The SBOA inaugurated the New Owner Mentoring Program in 2005 and has had a high percentage success rate. Top money winning performer in the program thus far has been Grin For Money, to date a winner of over $300,000.
Full details on how the mentorship program works are available here.
(SBOA)