Mario Serrani and Glenn Sikura (Racing Corner)

HBPA
Sep 19
3 min read

BY JENNIFER MORRISON

For 17 years, Mario Serrani and his close friend, Hall of Fame Builder Glenn Sikura, owner of Hill 'n' Dale Farms, have shared ownership of dozens of Thoroughbreds. They've had a modicum of success, a few winners here and there but plenty of tough luck along the way.

photo - Glenn Sikura and longtime friend Mario Serrani - courtesy Glenn Sikura

And then came CORSIA VELOCE, whose gritty win in the prestigious Natalma Stakes (G1) last weekend at Woodbine gave the friends their biggest win with a filly they bred who went unsold for $20,000 as a yearling.

“It's all a blur,” said Serrani, owner of Basic Fashion Service clothing in Vaughan. “We were nervous before the race, and we said a top three finish would be great. Between me and my wife, Glenn and his wife, we were screaming.”

Corsia Veloce (pronounced Core-see-ya Vell-awchay) remained undefeated in three races as a 2-year-old with the Natalma win, pretty much wrapped up Sovereign Award honours for Champion 2-year-old Filly and earned a free, all expenses-paid trip to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar on October 31.

It was quite a week for Serrani and Sikura who sold an Ontario bred Violence filly out of Ellen Vannin for $170,000 on Wednesday at the Keeneland September sale.

Serrani admits he had no interest in racing when Sikura approached him with an offer to buy into a couple of fillies in 2008. “We got a little group together and all took shares and soon we had shares in broodmares and yearlings as well as racehorses.”

Through the years there have been some promising runners for Serrani, Sikura and various friends who joined in. There was the talented colt Villaine's Passion, named for a horse racing-crazy friend of theirs who passed away, but the colt stepped on a nail and his career ended. Another horse had a breathing problem, yet another, too slow.

Eight years ago, Sikura’s newest mare at the time, Beth’s Bling (City Zip), gave birth to her first foal for Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms Canadian owner and his longtime friend Mario Serrani. The handsome dark bay colt by Honor Code, christened Corsi, won his first two races at two for Sikura, Serrani and partners Showay Chen and Stephen Crooks and was considered a Queen’s Plate contender early in 2020. But when disaster struck and Corsi was run into by a rank horse, his shoulder was badly injured, and he never raced well

Fittingly, Beth's Bling has given Serrani and Sikura Corsia Veloce.

“It's been a journey, a long time,” said Serrani. “With Glenn's leadership and knowledge, however, you knew something would come around.”

Trained by Hall of Famer Josie Carroll, Corsia Veloce wonher career debut over colts in a turf sprint and was entered in the Fasig Tipton July Digital sale. They bought her back for $190,000.

After the filly won the Catch a Glimpse Stakes, a prep for the Natalma, a substantial offer came in from American clients. Serrani and Sikura agreed on a deal but at the last minute, the prospective buyers backed out.

That certainly was okay for the friends who now can decide whether to head to California with their Ontario bred or stay home and race in the restricted 2-year-old races.

“Look, we aren't doing this for the money. I couldn't believe I have been in this 17 years. I could have bought two houses by now,” laughed Serrani. “And this is a business for Glenn, yes, but our business model is friendship, and it was so exciting to see family and friends enjoying Corsia Veloce's win with us.

And it was great to see Glenn achieve that level of success.”