by Matthew Lomon 

For the 10th time in the past 12 years, Ontario standardbred juggernaut Winbak Farm claimed top breeder honors in the Ontario Sires Stakes program.

The renowned North American breeding operation saw its 2024 class of OSS competitors pace the field with $1,250,658 banked across a combined 216 starts.

“We take great pride in it,” said Winbak Canada farm manager Pat Woods. “We have a lot of Ontario-breds, and we try to raise them the right way to make racehorses that show up on the racetrack.

“Achieving the top honor is something we’re definitely very proud of.”

Some 239 breeding outfits sent out at least one starter during the five-month OSS series, which officially closed the book on its 50th anniversary campaign with Gold Super Finals night on Oct. 12 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Although none of the eight big-money bouts went to a Winbak alum, the powerhouse Ontario nursery was still well-represented on the podium.

Wickedpace (2-year-old pacing filly), Sterling Choice (2-year-old pacing colt), and Best Night Ever (3-year-old pacing colt) each finished second in their respective events, while 2-year-old trotter Rising Interest rounded things out with a third in race 5.

Trained by Paul Cameron, Wickedpace produced the highest earnings total ever recorded by a Winbak-bred horse in OSS competition ($230,000; 5 2-3-0 line).

“They all came out of their seasons on a high note,” said Woods. “I think a lot of them will probably end up being turned out and prepped for either their 3-year-old season or as a seasoned racehorse like Best Night Ever.”

For the Newtonville, ON native, the stellar showing from this year’s crop inspires even greater confidence in Winbak’s already well-established offering.

“For us, it gives us a lot of optimism for next year that we’ll have a strong group of horses representing Winbak Farm,” he said. “It’s great when our yearlings do well at the racetrack because it means horse people will come back to look at our other offspring at the London sale, or Harrisburg, or Lexington.”

Woods was able to observe this first-hand at the recent London Classic Yearling Sale (Oct. 15-16 at The Western Fair District), which saw a total of 246 yearlings sell for just over $7 million ($7,015,000).

“When speaking to the buyers, there was a lot of optimism about the Ontario-sired program, about the quality yearlings that were being sold pedigree-wise and stallion-wise,” said Woods. “It was encouraging to hear from a breeder’s point of view.”

That elite Winbak pedigree was on full display throughout the OSS program.

On the pacing side, two of the farm’s Ontario standing sires, McWicked (second) and Betterthancheddar (fourth), ranked inside the top five in total earnings.

The former’s offspring netted $714,299 from 130 starts, while the latter’s reeled in $648,222 between 78 starts.

In the trotting discipline, Archangel’s youngsters generated the fourth-highest earnings total of $420,170.

My MVP ($75,469) and Trixton ($37,815) followed in 12th and 13th, respectively.

“When you stand nice stallions like we’re lucky to have, success seems to come along with it,” said Woods. “We strongly support the stallions that we have at the farm, and that translates onto the racetrack with desirable results.”

Winbak’s ability to thrive in a highly-competitive Ontario market speaks volumes about the Inglewood-based outfit’s unwavering commitment to its craft.

Despite all vying for the same pieces of the pie, Woods views the healthy competition as a bonus for both the industry and horse people, alike.

“We’re all friends and colleagues,” he said. “We wish them as much success as we have, but we all still try for the same stallions. We make bids and pitches and try to land top stallions to improve our programs and our breeding farms.

“I think that competition also translates into some of the top owners — knowing that they’ll have success by standing their stallions here in Ontario.”

And going by the recent performance of Winbak’s Ontario standing sires, it’s easy to see why.

Another integral, and perhaps overlooked aspect of the farm’s continued dominance is its penchant for producing racehorses that make waves across multiple marquee jurisdictions.

“Our top horses do very well in the Ontario Sires Stakes program, but they also did it on the Grand Circuit level,” said Woods. “I think the biggest thing for us is that we are putting out a product that can compete on any level, against any jurisdiction, and that’s important.

“We certainly take pride in that as well.”

In addition to Ontario, Winbak currently stands sires in Delaware, Indiana, New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland (flagship location).

Reaching the top is no small feat, but a desire to stay there year after year drives the folks at Winbak to routinely up their game.

And for Woods, a lifelong horseman who’s remained an integral part of Winbak’s Canadian operation since 2018, it’s all about the team.

“Our biggest thing is it’s not just one person that takes credit for everything that happens here at Winbak, it’s a whole team that works together to ensure our horses are raised properly, fed properly, prepped properly so that the people who buy from us get quality individuals that they can turn into successful racehorses,” said Woods. “It’s our team that works together to make Winbak’s product happen.”