SBSW leads formal inductees into Canadian Hall of Fame

August 28, 2009

The incomparable Somebeachsomewhere headlined a group of eight inductees into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame as part of the induction ceremony that took place Thursday night at the Mississaga Convention Centre in Mississauga, Ont. The other two standardbred inductees were driver/trainer Keith Clark and the outstanding broodmare Rich N Elegant.

The thoroughbred class of 2009 saw Gustav Schickedanz, one of North America�s leading breeders the past 10 years, Canadian thoroughbred Triple Crown winner Peteski and three champion fillies�Alywow, La Voyageuse and Maryfield all inducted. The eight inductees were elected by the Sandardbred and Thoroughbred 20-person election committees.

North America�s Horse of the Year in 2008 and Canada�s champion for 2007 and 2008, Somebeachsomewhere renewed a lot of people�s passion for the industry with his awesome performances on the racetrack and the great story of how his owners, The Schooner Stable from Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, came together to purchase and race a horse of world champion stature. In rewriting the record book, the son of Mach Three captured almost every award possible during his two-year reign at tracks in North America.

Trainer Brent MacGrath, on behalf of the connections, "With great pride I'm here tonight. I felt both humbled and honoured to be connected to such a horse. It's a bittersweet induction as three days after the NA cup win my dad passed. I remember a sense of excitement seeing horses of yesteryear, and my involvement with the industry-that's thanks to him.

"Paul (driver Paul MacDonell) and Beach--what a team. Your successes have been many. You're a great friend and a great driver.

"To the owners. This group of people never wavered from keeping the horse first. Josh and Rhonda. What a ride. It's a time we will all treasure. Thanks to Hanover Shoe Farms for getting Beach the best group of mares in history.

"I'm often asked for a defining moment in Beach's career. I now realize it was everything. He was the whole show as Paul put it.

"To the fans. Beach was the horse of a lifetime and the support was tremendous."

Trainer-driver Keith Clark, 56, of DeWinton, Alta., is one of the most recognizable names in Western Canadian harness racing. Clark has driven 5,598 winners and horses to in excess of $27.8 million while training 3,292 winners and horses with earnings of over $20 million. He was honored with the O�Brien Award of Horsemanship in 2004 and in 2008 won more than 100 races for the 29th time in the past 30 years. Clark�s most memorable horse was the Abercrombie pacing colt As Promised, a winner of 71 races and over $669,000 who was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2006.

Clark noted that he "can't say how much of an honour and thrill this is. I have to thank the voting committee. Racing has given me a lot of thrills and exciting moments. I wouldn't be here without so many great owners, help and great horses. My mom Helen bet two bucks on me every time I went to the gate. Ron's Girl, Thatll Be Me, As Promised. Thanks to my family and my girlfriend Shawna who keeps me grounded. Congrats to the other inductees and it's an honor to be here with you."

Rich N Elegant is the female Standardbred horse elected to the Hall of Fame. In 1990, Rich N Elegant started her career as a top ranked broodmare. Bred by Armstrong Bros. of Inglewood, Ont., she earned $96,244 and took a lifetime mark of 1:56.4 during her racing career. She was then purchased by Hanover Shoe Farms and retired to the breeding shed. To date, Rich N Elegant has produced winners of over $8.3 million. She has foaled 12 horses including 8 starters with average earnings per starter of $1,038,759. Three of her offspring have earned over a million dollars, with the top money earner, Rocknroll Hanover, a past O�Brien Award winner, at $3,069,093.

Speaking of behalf of Hanover Shoe Farms, President Jim Simpson said "it's only fitting that Rich N Elegant was foaled in Ontario but is producing horses racing across North America, building a bridge between our two countries." (SC)

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