BY: Steve Buffery Paul Seymour may hail from coal country – Cape Breton, Nova Scotia - but to Woodbine trainer Mike Mattine, he’s worth his weight in gold. The same can be said for Mattine’s other key groom, Hardeo Bhupaul. “I’m lucky to have two good workers like that,” said Mattine on a pleasant spring morning at the Woodbine backstretch. “They’re really good workers, they’re really dedicated to their job and you won’t find much better grooms than they are.” Seymour and Bhu

By Steve Buffery - Photo Mike Burns Fresh blood is a good thing in any business, but there’s also something to be said for tradition and longevity. Especially in thoroughbred horse racing. John Mattine is an example of a family that lives and breathes horse racing - a clan that, over the years, has helped keep the sport alive in Ontario, through good times and bad. A trainer at Woodbine since 2009, John hails from a family who started in the business in the 1960’s when his gr

From an internment camp in the B.C. interior, to a stakes winner at Woodbine, Rick Okihiro has lived an incredible life By Steve Buffery To a great many hockey families in the Mississauga area, Rick Okihiro is the friendly guy who operates the pro shop at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre, formerly known as the Hershey Centre. Ask any hockey mom or dad: Who is one of the best skate sharpeners in all of the GTHA? And the answer, quite frequently, is: “Rick Okihiro.” Okihiro

Debra Rombis takes a visitor on a quick tour of her barn in the Woodbine Backstretch, pointing out her various horses by their gender and age. “I’m running a senior’s home here,” Rombis said, with a laugh, alluding to the fact that there are a few older horses in her stable. There are a few older horses, but many of them, including a couple of mares - eight-year-old Chromeplated Heart and seven-year-old Thatsitthatsall – are still doing quite well. In fact, Chromeplated Heart

By Steve Buffery Miss Vyvyanne is a mare on a tear. And that has her trainer, Gail Cox, extremely excited. Cox is thrilled about Miss Vyvyanne’s outstanding performances of late, and is also pumped about the 2026 Woodbine season getting underway on Sat., April 18. Miss Vyvyanne, the daughter of Rainbow Heir-Caribean Beat, heads to home to Woodbine after recording four straight victories, including a dominating 1 ¼ length triumph in the $75,000 (US) Golden Beach Handicap at Gu

Rebecca Gullett - A New Dawn By Steve Buffery If there was anyone destined to become involved in The Sport of Kings, it was veteran Woodbine trainer Steve Owens. You might say it was in the stars. “I was born over a betting shop in England,” Owens said recently, while chatting inside his office in barn 15 at the Woodbine backstretch. “My grandmother used to put me on the kitchen table with a pen, and I’d pick the winners (in horse races). I was very lucky.” A self-described “

By Steve Buffery Exercise rider Romon Dominguez pulls up beside barn No. 30 in the Woodbine backstretch one recent morning - dapper in a white cowboy hat, blue shirt and jeans - climbs out of his truck and immediately starts lugging equipment out of the back. Asked how he’s feeling, Dominguez replied. “Good, I’ve already galloped 10 horses this morning.” Which, in itself, is no big deal. Ramon is one of the top exercise riders at Woodbine and is a busy man. But what’s truly

By: Steve Buffery Barb Minshall is known for her fantastic success on the track, not in the swimming pool. But when asked what her goals might be this season, the Woodbine training legend replied: “To keep my head above water.” Which is probably the goal of a great many thoroughbred trainers these days. “I’d like to break even,” the winner of 18 races and $1,139.421 in earnings in 2025 at Woodbine said from her Ocala, Florida home. “But it’s tough. I’ve got a large staff that

What inspired you to capture that particular moment during the breeze? Raceday Ristretto Photography is a new venture of mine, so I had come out to Palm Meadows hoping to take some shots for my portfolio. I was excited to see trainer Riley Mott’s horses Argos, Grade 1 winner at Woodbine, and Coburg paired to breeze on the turf that morning. I briefly worked for Mott as a hot-walker last winter, then taking videos for owners this fall. I stuck around hoping to catch them at th

CHAUFFEUR TO THE (EQUINE) STARS IVAN VANDERBURGH BY JENNIFER MORRISON He's one of the most recognizable faces in Ontario racing and a friend to all horses and horsepeople. Ivan Vanderburgh, who began shipping horses some 70 years ago, is retiring at the end of 2025 and the HBPA and the Ontario horseracing community want to thank him. From Woodbine to Kentucky and Florida and across Canada, Ivan shipped horsepeople's most precious cargo from track to farm and back. If anyone

Celebrating the 2-Year-Olds Coronation Futurity and Princess Elizabeth This Weekend By Jennifer Morrison Fanfreluche, the 1969 Princess Elizabeth winner, produced Coronation Futurity winners L'Enjoleur and Medaille d'Or. (Keeneland Library image) Two of the most important stakes races for Canadian bred 2-year-olds take place at Woodbine on Saturday, November 29 and for bettors, both race present handicapping puzzles. The Coronation, first run in 1902 at Old Woodbine,

Sultana rallied in time to win the $150,000 Maple Leaf Stakes for Lou Donato, Lanni Bloostock and new owners Teddy Manziaris and Paul Borrelli. Michael Burns photo BY JENNIFER MORRISON Lou Donato has owned hundreds of horses and watched thousands of races and each one is exciting. But there seems to be even more of a spark to Lou when he talks about his latest winner, Sultana, who won the Maple Leaf Stakes (G3) at Woodbine on November 8 in only her fifth career race. That is

BY JENNIFER MORRISON When the flashy chestnut filly Zabarta flew past her rivals in the South Ocean Stakes, rallying from a dozen lengths behind the leaders to seven lengths in front, it marked the first stakes win for Tara Horse Farm of Joseph and Alena Knizat, their son Thomas and wife Theresa. Zabarta won the Oct. 19 South Ocean Stakes by seven lengths. Michael Burns photo “I was ecstatic,” said Thomas, who does the day-to-day work at the farm in Niagara-on-the-Lake

Mike Burns Photo A sure-cure for Breeders' Cup withdrawal is a super card of racing at Woodbine on November 8, featuring three graded stakes races. Two of Ontario's oldest stakes races are races 7 and 10, the Grade 3 Maple Leaf and Autumn Stakes and both are being run for the 119 th time. Between those two route races is the seven-furlong Bessarabian Stakes, which has only been around since 1985. At least one of these stakes races, the Autumn, could play a role in what horse

Back row from left to right: Todd Phillips, David Bell, Slade Jones, Ian Black, Robin Platts, Janet Black, Roger Attfield, Sarah Sullivan, Barb Przedrzymirska Middle section all seated: Rachel Halden, Steven Bahen, Mark Dunn, Mac Benson, Jono Jones, Richard Dos Ramos, Mike Keogh Lower level at right: Debbie Platts, Lou Keogh, Catherine Day Phillips, Val Topp Photo by Dylan Dunn by JENNIFER MORRISON It is said a picture is worth a thousand words but in the case of a rece

RACING CORNER Selections for the 42nd Breeders' Cup World Championships BY JENNIFER MORRISON The two biggest days in racing, the Breeders' Cup World Championships, get underway Friday, October 31 and Saturday, November 1 at Del Mar Racetrack in San Diego. There are 14 Cup races with five of them on Halloween and the Grade 1 Juvenile Turf Sprint kicks off those events at 5:45 p.m. Eastern . The European contingent is a strong group (I have picked five of them on top) and tr

KIM MILLER and KEVIN BRYAN (Photos: Kim Miller and Professor Reload Kevin, Blythe and Kim with Can't Tie Me Down) BY JENNIFER MORRISON October has been a very good month for Kim Miller and husband Kevin Bryan of Tottenham. In a span of 19 days, the first two racehorses the couple purchased broke their maidens. Someday Girl won at Fort Erie on October 7 and Professor Reload won at Woodbine on Oct. 26. Both 3-year-olds are trained by Pat Dixon. Kim and Kevin were at Woodbine fo

RACING CORNER TREVESS IS FORT ERIE'S HORSE OF THE YEAR BY JENNIFER MORRISON Mike burns photo The HBPA of Ontario recently celebrated the equine and humans from the 2025 Fort Erie racetrack season which concluded on October 21. There were awards handed out in 19 categories during a ceremony at the track. The 2025 Horse of the Year was TREVESS, who had an undefeated season at Fort Erie for owner Deborah Fletcher and trainer John Simms. The 8-year-old Florida bred ma

RACING CORNER BY JENNIFER MORRISON Saturday's Grade 3 Ontario Derby is the runner-match between King's Plate winner MANSETTI and Prince of Wales winner RUNAWAY AGAIN. Mike Burns photo - Prince Of Wales Stakes The pair of Canadian bred 3-year-olds threw it down in a super stretch battle in the Prince of Wales on Sept. 9 and have been freshening up for the 1 1/8 mile Ontario Derby, which celebrates its 54th running on Saturday. The Ontario Derby was actually previously

BY JENNIFER MORRISON It's not every day an Ontario horseperson is featured on the home page of Equibase.com , the U.S. based source for all horse racing statistics. On Wednesday, October 15 visitors to the site were greeted with this note: Good Morning and Happy Wednesday! The trainer with the most wins across North America yesterday was Joseph Humber, with 4 wins at Fort Erie Race Track! Humber won races 1,2,3 & 7 yesterday at Fort Erie Christopher Husbands, who also had