Racing Corner

Welcome to the Racing Corner where we meet Ontario's Thoroughbred owners and trainers as well as the dedicated horsepeople on the backstretch. We will meet the stars of our sport, the horses, and preview some of the bigger races. We will add some fun facts about racing and even toss in a handicapping tip or two! 

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Julie Lewis and Arya's Quest

Owning a racehorse is a family affair for Julie Lewis, who recently dropped by the Woodbine backstretch with her husband and daughter to visit Arya's Quest, the 4-year-old filly she owns with Josie DePaulo.

“We come up to visit her when we can and decorate her stall,” said Julie,whose parents Rich and Mary Rizzo raced horses at Woodbine with trainer Glenn Magnusson in the 1970s and 80's and later with Nick and Martha Gonzalez at Fort Erie.

Julie's parents stepped away from owning horses in 2020 but two years later, Julie wanted to get back into it. “Nick recommended Mike and Josie DePaulo to me and I ended up meeting them on Instagram. We were looking for a family-type stable and they are really friendly people.”

The husband and wife team of Mike and Josie, son Joseph and Josie's sister Michelle have a successful barn at Woodbine. When they purchased a filly by Souper Speedy from the 2022 CTHS yearling sale for $12,000, they asked Julie if she wanted to be partners.

Julie and her family, who live in Buffalo, NY, named the filly Arya's Quest, a nod to the popular show Game of Thrones.

The filly showed plenty of promise when she began her career as a 3-year-old last summer at Woodbine finishing third in her second race.

Unfortunately, Arya's Quest suffered a cut in her stall soon after that race and when it became infected, she needed emergency treatment. “We thought we were going to lose her,” said Julie. “But she had amazing 24/7 care. Joseph bandaged her, gave her antibiotics and walked her.”

Arya's Quest was ready for a race last November and with Jason Hoyte riding, the filly charged to an exciting victory. “I was screaming at the TV,” said Julie, who couldn't make the trip to Woodbine that day. “And I had tears in my eyes.”

Following a winter break, Arya's Quest is getting ready for her 2025.

Julie recommends racehorse ownership to anyone who loves horses and the track. “Do your research and network with people at the track. Find the best trainer for you. For us, this is a family thing and Arya is part of our family.”

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Cheering Section

Best of luck to Ontario horses and their horsepeople who are entered in stakes races in other locales this weekend.

DANCIN IN DA'NILE, an Ontario bred 6-year-old gelding, has post 10 for the $300,000 Muniz Memorial Classic Stakes at 1 18 miles on turf at Fair Grounds in Louisiana on March 22.

Dancin in Da'nile is owned by Ralph Murray, John Menary, Michael Balaz and trainer Gail Cox. The Muniz is race 10 on the Louisiana Derby card.

Josie Carroll will start the DiScola Boys' HE'S NOT JOKING in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks worth $777,000 on Mar. 22 at Turfway Park in Kentucky. He's Not Joking, who won the Grade 3 Grey Stakes at Woodbine last November, drew post 12 for the 1 1/8 mile race on Tapeta. One of Woodbine's leading riders, Rafael Hernandez will ride. The Jeff Ruby is race 12 and offers Kentucky Derby points to the top five eligible finishers.

Also at Turfway, Josie Carroll will start MEGALODON in the $250,000 Rushaway Stakes (race 8) for Pin Oak Stud LLC. Megalodon comes off his maiden win at Turfway on Feb. 22 with Hernandez riding. The 3-year-old son of Medaglia d'Oro has post 7 for the Rushway.

Handicapping Tip of the Week

Look out for the speed!

When handicapping a horse race, one of the first things to do is to size up how a race may be run. If you see that almost every horse in a race is an off-the-pace type of runner, you can expect a slow, early pace. That will make a victory easier for a horse who can get to the early lead. Conversely, if there are several horses who have their best results when they are front runners, you might want to seek out a stretch runner.

Sometimes it might be easy to spot the probable front runner or other times, it might be harder to pick out the dominant speed horse. Horses who have shown early speed in sprint races and are now racing at a longer distance are likely to be a front runner. And, horses who have a clear lead in short races while setting fast pace fractions ultimately are the best front runners in sprints.

And don't forget to take note of how fast a horse runs the first two and four furlongs in his races. For instance, a horse who tends to be on the lead through early pace fractions of, say, 21.40 (first two furlongs) and 44.40 will surely be quicker from the start than a horse who regularly sets fractions of 22.40 and 45.40.

The most important point is beware of a horse who gets the lead to himself. Good luck!