HBPA Ontario President - Sue Leslie / West Point Thoroughbreds’ Ownership Advisor - Jason Blewitt / Woodbine’s Senior Manager Communications - Mark McKelvie

Ann and Larry are joined by  HBPA Ontario President, Sue Leslie, who talks about the role that the HBPA plays in the Thoroughbred horse racing industry  and also discusses the  2023 Thoroughbred Racing Season’s at both Woodbine and Fort Erie and some of the challenges the Ontario Thoroughbred industry was forced to face over the year. She also talks about the future of Thoroughbred horse racing in the province and talks also on how she became so passionate about Thoroughbred racing in the first place. Sue also discusses the first year of the Horsemen’s contract, which was the first of the two-year contract signed. West Point Thoroughbreds’ Ownership Advisor, Jason Blewitt, who discusses some of the West Point horses that had successful racing seasons and mentions some with races coming up to keep an eye on. Jason also discusses the path he took before ending up at West Point and how he became so involved in the Thoroughbred industry. Woodbine’s Senior Manager Communications, Mark McKelvie, who discusses the soon to be completed Woodbine Thoroughbred race meet and some of the racing highlights. He also discusses the challenges caused by ‘Mother Nature’ which the Thoroughbred equestrians were forced to deal with during the summer months and also talks about one of the finest Standardbred racing performances that took place at Woodbine Mohawk Park this year. In our feature, ‘In Case You Missed It’ A Look at The Way It Was in Horse Racing News, Larry talks about the recent decision by NYRA to move the Belmont Stakes to Saratoga and why the move has forced a change in distance for the classic event. Larry also provides his ‘Ponies Picks of the Day’ selections for several North American Racetracks today. 

 

Key Points: 

Sue talks about the role the HBPA plays in the Ontario Thoroughbred industry and talks about the 2023 season’s at Woodbine and Fort Erie and some of the challenges that arose. She also talks about how the wagering handle was at both racetracks and the result of the first year of the Horsemen’s contract between the HBPA and Woodbine. Sue also discusses the effect that sports betting has had on horse racing so far and where she sees the Ontario horse racing industry going in the future. Sue also relates the story behind how she became so passionate for Thoroughbred racing, which eventually led to her role with the HBPA as President.Jason discusses his position as Ownership Advisor for West Point Thoroughbreds and talks about how their horse ownership partnerships work. He also mentions some of the success stories that West Point had on the racetrack this year and talks about the future of a couple of West Point horses that have shown great potential and hopefully great things in 2024. Jason also talks about how he became part of the horse racing industry and the path that eventually led him to West Point Thoroughbreds. Mark discusses some of the highlights of the current Thoroughbred racing season, including the King’s Plate. He also talks about some of the issues caused by nature that caused interruptions in the Thoroughbred racing cards at Woodbine, which were the biproduct of extreme heat and the smoke from the forest fires and why these issues will continue to be addressed in the upcoming years. Mark also talks about Woodbine Mohawk Park and in particular the Mohawk Million and why the win by TCI was such an impressive performance and mentions why the Boxing Day card has a special significance in the harness racing industry. Mark also talks about the upcoming O’Brien Awards for harness racing and the Sovereign Awards for the Thoroughbreds and who he sees potential ‘Horse of the Year Honours’ going to on both racing sets.