Racing Corner - Erika Smilovsky and Darwin Banach
- HBPA
- Apr 21
- 3 min read
You can't help but get caught up in the excitement of the Woodbine season about to start after a chat with Sovereign Award winning apprentice jockey-turned-assistant trainer, horse owner and breeder Erika Smilovsky.
Erika and her partner/trainer Darwin Banach won 17 races from 95 starters in 2024 and are eager to begin 2025 with a barn of more than 20 horses currently in training this spring. That includes barn favourite English Conqueror, a graded stakes placed son of Banach-trainee, champion Sky Conqueror, and their first homebred, King Ronin, whose sire and dam, Town Prize and Samurai Queen were both trained by Banach.
“I'm very excited,” said Erika, who was voted Canada's Outstanding Apprentice Jockey in 2015. “We had a good year last year and everything is pointing to the positive for this new season.”
Erika and Darwin have been together for 11 years, each one having already proven themselves as top horsepeople before they met. Erika, who grew up in North York, ON, began her riding career in 2008 at Ajax Downs and quickly became a leading Quarter Horse jockey. In 2014 she won 30 races in her first full year as a Thoroughbred apprentice and was nominated for a Sovereign Award before winning the trophy next year.
Darwin grew up in Wilkie, Saskatchewan and was riding in barrel racing and pole-bending events as a child. He later rode races in Saskatoon and then turned to training when he grew to be six-feet tall. He relocated to Ontario and worked his way from farm manager to assistant trainer for champion Phil England, before he took out his own trainer's license. In 2005 he was hired as the private trainer for Bill Sorokolit's elite stable of homebreds and one year later, Darwin sent out Sorokolit's Sky Conqueror to win two Grade 2 stakes at Woodbine and be named Champion Turf Male.
In 2007, Sky Conqueror took Darwin to Churchill Downs where he won the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve.
Erika became Darwin's assistant in 2016 and together they have maintained one of the top stables at Woodbine.
In addition to preparing numerous stakes winners since then – Bushido, Hal and Artful Ballerina – it was the claim of the filly Samurai Queen in 2019 who garnered them some industry headlines.
Well known on the Woodbine backstretch as a talented but difficult horse to train, the couple claimed her for owners John Hillier and John Lofts for $15,000.
“I just saw something in her,” said Erika. “She was a ton of work, I spent hours on her back, just riding her around. I don't know how many times Darwin took her to the paddock to school her.”
They were rewarded as Samurai Queen won four races for them in 11 starts.
When it was time to retire the daughter of First Samurai, Erika and Darwin kept her and bred her to fast stakes winner Town Prize. The result was King Ronin, named by the couple's son Kolton.
“He's athletic, we're excited about his potential,” said Erika.
Sadly, not long after foaling a Souper Speedy colt last year, Samurai Queen caught the rare Potomac Horse fever and passed away. “It was such a tough loss,”
But the spring season brings about new hopes and dreams and there are plenty of those to go around in the Banach barn.
English Conqueror, a grandson of Sky Conqueror, travelled to New York in 2024 and set a course record at the Belmont-at-Aqueduct meeting for 1 3/16 miles on the turf. He is raced by Bill Sorokolit Jr. whose father passed away in 2020.
Erika and Darwin appreciate all of their owners such as Hillier, Lofts, Martin and Vicky Earle, Steve Foxcroft, Richard Kent, Vera Simpson and Mike Dube's Curraghmore Farm and the fledgling Geaux Racing, which had its first winner last season with Mister Holden.
“There is nothing else in the world we would rather do, we love our jobs and we can't wait to get going.”
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