Zabarta's Vintage Win for the Knizat Family

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 in the heart of win country. “She had that great late run. It was pretty special what she did.”

The exciting 2-year-old filly, trained by Bill Tharrenos, was, fittingly, bred by the Knizat's friend Cyril Simek of Pelham, ON, who has helped them learn the horse business. Simek owns the mare Zazinga, by Head Chopper, and he bred her to Abarta, the Knizat's Into Mischief stallion. Zabarta was the result and after two starts to begin her career in which she was still figuring out the game, she won back-to-back races by lopsided margins including the $100,000 South Ocean.

It has been a little less than 10 years since the Knizat's stepped into the world of Thoroughbred racing and breeding. They came to Canada from Slovakia in 1998 and a few years later, bought a vineyard in Niagara-on-the-Lake. They sell grapes and ice wine juice from their vineyard.

When a nearby property came up for sale, a “nice old horse facility”, the family bought it. It turns out the 100 acres was owned by one of Canada's most successful breeders in the 1980s, Dr. Morgan Brosnan. Dr. Brosnan bred horses that races internationally. One of those was the Kentucky bred Last Feather who was a Group 3 winner as a 2-year-old and third in the Group 1 Epsom Oaks in 1982 for Dr. Brosnan and his wife Marina. Dr. Brosnan passed away in 2011, but Marina still lives on the property she sold to the

When Tara Horse's Zabarta win in October 2025, the family celebrated

When horses began arriving at Tara Horse Farm, Thomas had to be a quick study since the extent of his horse knowledge was riding a horse once as a child. “I started handling the horses right away and I had no idea what I was doing,” he laughed.

Knizat brought graded stakes winner Hyper to Ontario to stand at Tara Horse Farm and the son of Victory Gallop has sired a number of winners. In fact, in a rarity, two sons of Hyper that Knizat raced in 2024 dead-heated to win in a maiden race in July.

And Knizat is excited about the prospects of Hyper having a couple of entrants in the Ashbridge's Bay Stakes at Woodbine on Nov. 16, his own filly Aussie Hyper and Juicy Hanna, who was claimed from him for $25,000. Another of his stallions, the Kitten's Joy stakes winner Tweet Kitten, is off to a good start to his stud career.

Thomas Knizat does the day-to-day work at Tara Horse Farm.

The newest face at Tara Horse Farm is the well bred Speightstown stallion Inflation Nation (GB), a stakes placed horse who did well on dirt, turf and synthetic. Inflation Nation's dam is from the outstanding broodmare Ball Chairman (Secretariat), dam of successful stallions Perfect Soul (Ire) and Not Impossible (Ire).

“You have to give him the best shot,” said Thomas, who emphasizes that Speightstown is a superb sire of sires. “We have bought a couple of mares for him.”

The Knizat's will have to wait a couple of years for the Inflation Nation offspring to get to the races,but they are excited about the prospects of Zabarta, who is expected to compete on Nov. 22 in the Shady Well Stakes.

“I'm still learning all the time about the business,” said Thomas. “I will probably be doing this the rest of my life.

And he invites mare owners in Ontario to check out his stallions down in wine country.

“If you want to enjoy a glass of wine while your mare is being bred, come on down.”