The two Ontario breeding farms are selling some of their Ontario-sired yearlings in Lexington partly in the hope that it helps grow business for their stallions.

by Matthew Lomon

Ontario-sired horses routinely appear and perform on the biggest stages in North American harness racing, so it only makes sense to have them on full display at the major U.S. sales.

That was the shared sentiment from Seelster Farms reproduction manager Ann Straatman and Winbak Canada farm manager Pat Woods ahead of the 2024 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale (Sept. 30 – Oct. 4).

In their respective positions, Straatman and Woods represent two of Ontario racing’s biggest and most successful standardbred breeding operations.

As such, the pair is well-schooled on how important it is to feature a selection of premier Ontario-sired horses in their yearling sale catalogs.

“I think we’ve seen a direct correlation in racing, where Ontario-sired horses have arrived on the world stage and have shown to be competitive and dominant,” said Straatman. “I truly believe there is a place for Ontario-sired horses in the entire North American market, not just Ontario.

“There are some exceptional individuals out there that deserve the spotlight.”

Woods specifically pointed to the stoutness of the Ontario Sires Stakes program as a key indicator of the province’s breeding prowess.

“I might be a little biased, but I definitely think if it’s not the best, it’s one of the best sire stakes programs out there,” Woods said. “And I think we prove on a regular basis that Ontario-bred horses contend well at the Grand Circuit level.”

“Any horseman can buy an Ontario horse and compete. I think that’s the biggest strength that we have up here.”

Woods singled out Nijinsky (11 9-1-0, $1.097 million banked in 2024), and Chantilly, who remained a perfect seven-for-seven to begin her career with a She’s A Great Lady score on Sept. 21, as prime examples of Ontario-sired superstars dominating on the Big Wheel.

While not all horses are Grand Circuit caliber, Woods said the Ontario program is far more than a fallback option.

“It is a great place to race your horses and make good money,” he said.

Of the 946 yearlings included in this year’s Lexington Sale catalog, 80 are Ontario-sired.

Winbak’s consignment accounts for 28 of the Ontario-sired crop, and Seelster’s for three.

Despite the latter’s modest quantity, there is an overwhelming buzz surrounding the quality of the Lucan, ON, farm’s trio of first crop Bulldog Hanover yearlings.

Known as the fastest standardbred of all time, the unanimous 2022 Dan Patch Horse of the Year and 2023 Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee’s first progeny has been the driving force behind Seelster’s first Lexington appearance in quite some time.

So, why now?

As Straatman put it, the premier sale is a superb opportunity for buyers from all around the world, including Ontario, to lay eyes on top-shelf yearlings.

“There are a lot of Ontario buyers at the Lexington sale, so it may very well be that they’re making a trip only to bring home an Ontario-sired yearling,” said Straatman.

“Our entire industry is small in the grand scheme of things. I consider North America to be very closely knit in that most of the Ontario buyers, trainers, and owners do travel to the Lexington Sale, and it was our intention to focus on these yearlings, to bring more of a worldwide recognition to them.”

Bikini Seelster is one Bulldog Hanover youngster that Straatman is particularly bullish on leading into the sale.

She believes that featuring the bay filly — whose brother Boxer Seelster is performing quite well on the Grand Circuit — in Lexington will afford the Seelster yearling greater exposure than usual.

“There’s only nine Bulldog Hanovers consigned in the Lexington sale, eight colts and one filly [Bikini Seelster], and I think she would bring some appeal to buyers that normally wouldn’t have the opportunity to have a look at what Seelster has to offer,” she said.

Visibility is an important aspect of selling at major U.S. sales for Woods and Winbak, as well.

Over one-third of the Inglewood, ON, facility’s Lexington catalog is composed of Ontario-sired yearlings.

“Lots of the Ontario buyers that go down there, they’ll look at everything,” Woods said. “Ultimately, if they can find a nice Ontario-bred horse to bring back and race, they will, but they’ll also look at other sires as well.

“We give them a chance to see everything we have, and it also helps with our breeding programs as well.”

As Woods alluded to, having a strong presence at top U.S. sales has also opened the door for additional networking opportunities between breeders.

“Down there, the other farms will come around and look to see what a McWicked looks like or a Betterthancheddar to decide if they like them, then they’ll breed some of their mares to it,” he said.

“Lots of times, we have other farms come over and talk to us about the stallions that we stand here in Ontario and want to get involved in the program up here, because they understand the quality that we’re showcasing.”

Landing impressive stallions has long been part of the Winbak tradition according to Woods.

Recent acquisitions include a pair of accomplished racehorses in Beach Glass and Lawless Shadow, who together will look to fill the large void left by the most effective and reliable sire in the history of the sport.

“Unfortunately, Bettors Delight won’t be breeding in Ontario anymore, only the southern hemisphere, as he’s down there to retire and live out his days,” Woods said.

“There’s a bit of a hole left for him that some of these other stallions will be able to step up and take on some more mares, or hopefully even some better mares, because Bettors Delight used to get an outstanding book.”

Woods directly praised Ontario-sired mares, crediting them for continually producing leading stallions.

“We’re seeing quality horses come out of Ontario-sired mares as well,” he said. “It really emphasizes the overall strength of our breeding program.”

For Straatman and Seelster, that signature Ontario imprint is evident at yearling sales both at home and stateside.

Whether at the Western Fair District’s thriving London Classic Yearling Sale, where the farm plans to sell most of its renowned Bulldog Hanover assortment, or some 460 miles southwest in Lexington, Straatman knows that the prominent players don’t miss a beat.

“This is an opportunity for Seelster, owning eight and selling 10 Bulldog Hanover yearlings from his first crop that we wanted to get as many eyes on them as we could,” Straatman said.

“There’s plenty of Ontario buyers going to all the major sales and those are astute buyers that are looking at as many horses as they can in order to create the best stable for themselves next year.”

As for the trio of Seelster yearlings heading to Lexington, Straatman is confident they will stand out amongst an already deep sales roster.

“We’re excited about these three,” she said. “They’re impeccable individuals, and just so lucky that we were able to get them into the Lexington sale. I think people will be impressed with what they see.

“It’s an outstanding catalog that we’re really pleased to be part of.”

Woods said he is hopeful that Give Me A Shot, a Cattlewash pacing filly out of one of the farm’s most reliable mares in Doctor Terror, will return the same enthusiasm for Winbak’s Lexington consignment.

“She was a mare that I had up here in Ontario,” he said. “She’s since moved down to the U.S. farm, just because we wanted her to go to a U.S. stallion. But she was always a favorite of ours up here at the farm. She was a little grumpy, but she was always predictable, and I always liked her because she was a nice racehorse.”

Riding in the wave of Ontario-sired horses, Woods is keen on another successful stint in Lexington for Winbak.

“We always have a strong response down at the sales,” said Woods. “We have a lot of people that come over to look at our crops. We get a lot of compliments on how good our yearlings look. And that all goes to Jim Ladwig and the people that work for us. They take pride in making our yearlings look great and I think it shows on the racetrack.

“We have lots of winners every year across the different programs, and we’re just going to keep trying to make good racehorses.”