Yawen Wu's First King's Plate

HBPA
Aug 8
2 min read

by JENNIFER MORRISON

It's a good bet that Yawen Wu never thought the foal she helped bring into the world on April 9, 2022 would grow up to be a stakes winner. Oh, owners and breeders always hope, that is the Thoroughbred dream.

Wu may think she is in a dream right now.

Her flashy chestnut gelding Sedburys Ghost heads to next week's King's Plate as one of the favourites, The son of Plate winner Shaman Ghost became the first stakes winner for Wu when he won the Plate Trial Stakes on July 20.

Trained by Barbara Minshall, who also seeks her first Plate win, Sedburys Ghost is the fourth foal to race for the mare Hurricane Mimi, a daughter of Sligo Bay (Ire) who was bred and raced by Wu's husband James Mann.

The couple, who are both engineers and own Mann Engineering in North York, began to dabble in horses in 2007 on the advice of Bernard McCormack, whose own farm is nearby as is the last small part of famed Windfields Farm.

“We've always loved horses,” said Wu. The couple bought land on an island on Lake Scugog and built an arena and barn. They launched a riding school but also bought three broodmares in Kentucky including Bayou Mist, the dam of Hurricane Mimi.

'Mimi' won over $171,000 on the track with trainer Ross Armata Jr. and retired to the couple's Spirit Run Farm.

But by the time Mimi was racing, Wu and Mann had to step away from breeding horses while they ran their business and raised four children. Fortunately, Wu kept Hurricane Mimi and when Sedburys Ghost was born, she was getting back into breeding.

“He was different than the other foals; he was focused. I kept asking him, 'why so serious?'”

Sedburys Ghost was entered in the 2023 CTHS Ontario yearling sale but a tiny hairline fracture was detected in a leg and he went unsold at $29,000.

Sedburys Ghost was born at Spirit Run Farm which is also the location of Wu and Mann's soon-to-be home/castle.

Sedburys Ghost grew up on Spirit Run, which also has a castle in the works on the property, the largest private residence in Camada. He came to hand quickly as a 2-year-old for Minshall and had two wins heading in to the Trial, which he won handily under Ryan Munger.

On August 16, Sedburys Ghost will try and duplicate what his sire, his great grandsire (Awesome Again) and great-great-great grandsire (Northern Dancer) did.

“I have never been to the Plate. I have never had the chance to go. We are all very excited.”