by Garry Allison

The Horses, Rocky Mountain Turf Club

Jim Coutts has travelled a winding road in his 86 years - from the coal mining environment of early Hardieville and the sugar beet fields of the Taber area, to the winner’s circle of the “sport of kings,” with other stops along the way.

Jim, who is now retired and living in Fort Macleod, was recently honoured by the Rocky Mountain Turf Club with a special featured race for his year’s spent in horse racing and his continued support of the sport.

“We ran about nine horses when I was in the sport, and one thing I really remember was all the work,” Jim says with a laugh.
continue reading "Race named in Coutts’ honour"

One year into retirement, Ernie Evans decided to fulfill a life-long dream and get into the business of horses. That was in 1996.

Ten years later, what started with one unproven stud (Top Secret Formula, whose son went on to win nine titles by the time he was five years old) has turned into a full-fledged Thoroughbred training centre.

Known as Eagle Hill Farms Thoroughbred Training Centre, the Evans’ operation encompasses a 3/8-mile track, 31-stall barns, inside and outside training round pens, a hot walker, and a training starting gate. There are also 12 one- to four-acre paddocks, 12 40-ft. turnout pens, 90 to 120 acres of sheltered pasture, and some beautiful trails on which to ride.
continue reading "Eagle Hill Farms Thoroughbred Training Centre"

by Garry Allison, The Horses, Rocky Mountain Turf Club

Royal Woman, the mare that has dominated Paint racing at the Rocky Mountain Turf Club in Lethbridge, Alberta, since she was a two-year-old has been named the Older Horse Champion Running Paint Mare by the American Paint Racing Association.

“That makes her a four-time world champion, with the overall Paint running horse and top Paint filly awards and the older horse award last year to her credit as well,” says Max Gibb, spokesperson for the owners of the top-class mare.
continue reading "Royal Woman a Four-time Champion"

The Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame has its first four-legged inductee: the champion racehorse Secretariat.

Secretariat, the 1973 Triple Crown winner, takes his place among nine inductees for 2007.

“Big Red,” as the Thoroughbred was known, still holds the record time in the Kentucky Derby of 1 min 59.4 seconds.

Considered by many to be the greatest Thoroughbred in the modern era of racing, Secretariat raced brilliantly to secure the first Triple Crown win in 25 years.

He stood at stud at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky, from 1974 through 1989 when he succumbed to laminitis.

Secretariat sired a substantial number of major stakes winners, including the 1986 Horse of the Year, Lady’s Secret; 1988 Preakness and Belmont winner, Risen Star; and 1990 Melbourne Cup winner, Kingston Rule.

Secretariat won the Horse of the Year title in both 1972 and 1973, and even graced the front covers of Newsweek and Time magazines.

By: Allen Hadley

s the association continues to prepare for our 50th anniversary celebrations, this special date has given me a moment to think back to when I was first introduced to racing as a youngster. The following story contains a few of my own memories from over the years.

Many readers may or may not know that I originally hail from Ontario, outside a little, one stoplight town called Omemee (about 1-1/2 hours northeast of “The Big Smoke”).

Truthfully, my family from Ontario couldn’t be farther away from the racehorse world than any person on the street, but as the Hadley family (all five of us) headed west every other year to visit my mother’s side of the family in Medicine Hat (2,000 miles door to door), my horse racing education began at a relatively young age.
continue reading "Alberta Quarter Horse Racing: 50 fast years, 50 great stories"

By: Janice Sather

2007 marks the 50th anniversary of Quarter Horse racing in Alberta (1957-2007). As such, the Alberta Quarter Horse Racing Association, with the help of its members, will be marking our golden anniversary with a series of stories and special events throughout Alberta. “50 Fast Years, 50 Great Stories” will be the theme of the anniversary.
continue reading "Celebrating 50 years of Quarter Horse Racing in Alberta"

by Garry Allison, The Horses Rocky Mountain Turf Club

When it was all said and done, it was virtually a wire-to-wire finish for Janine Stianson. The Rocky Mountain Turf Club jockey was the top overall rider for the Spring Meet and the Fall Meet and, naturally, the top overall for the RMTC season.

Stianson went to the post 333 times and brought home 68 winners, placed 48 times, and finished third 52 times for a very impressive 50 per cent average in the money. For the race fan, that means if you wagered at least a show ticket on Janine every time out, you would have been in the money 50 per cent of the time.
continue reading "Woman wins Top Jockey Award for 2006"