Blog Post
Hollywood Ham Needs A New Role
Aug 19, 2020
The Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society’s newest member has likely had more drivers and trips around a racetrack than just about any other harness horse. Hollywood Ham faced the gate 135 times during his racing career but made hundreds more trips around all sized tracks as one of the equine stars of the popular Hands On Horses team.
That program visited many of Ontario’s racetracks where patrons were invited to enter to win the chance to sit behind one of the Standardbred racehorses for a trip around the track between races. As every track operator can attest, this was a very popular attraction, engaging fans, young and not so young, who lined up for the unique experience.
Hollywood Ham, known affectionately as ‘Woody’, and his partners in Hands On Horses converted many casual racetrack goers to devoted fans after their trip around the oval. The horses wouldn’t just give them a ride, they would allow their passengers the chance to have a photo taken with them and they stood for hours as they were given treats and pets by the delighted fans.
Stacey Reinsman, Woody’s owner and trainer, was usually the driver behind her beloved pacer as she gave rides to hundreds of folks behind him in the two seated sulky.
“He actually started giving rides with Hands on Horses while he was still racing and he quickly adapted to giving rides and I think preferred it to racing. I can clearly remember one night when I was warming him up to race and he saw a kid standing near the winner's circle (where we would always pick kids up to give them a ride) and he tried to stop the warm up because he wanted to pick the kid up to give him a ride. I think it was shortly after this that I knew he was ready to stop racing and focus on promoting the sport by giving rides and we never looked back until COVID that is,” said Stacey recently.
Bred by Chris Christoforou and Bobbi Morley, the now 12 year-old son of Mach Three is the second foal from Access Hollywood who took her life mark of 1:52.4 at Woodbine in her three-year-old season. She earned $145,000 during her career. Her son wasn’t quite as successful but he did take in over $55,000 during his racing career.
Stacey’s history with the horse goes back several years. “I met Woody when he wasn't even a full year old on a farm and shortly after made arrangements to purchase him as a yearling. He was a little bit afraid as a baby, very timid, but he trusted me and we bonded instantly. He has become much more laid back over the years and really loves kids.”
Hollywood Ham’s last career start was in October of 2015. “I stopped racing him for a variety of reasons,” explained Stacey. “He wasn't able to perform to the level of his competitors and I didn't want to put him in lower claiming races.”
From that time until a few months ago he and Stacey were still quite active with the Hands On Horses program and the horse absolutely excelled in his second career.
“Woody was so good at interacting with the public, especially kids. He would just stand there for kids to pet him in the paddock or walking along the fence beside the track and not many horses will do that while on a racetrack. Woody loves kids, his whole demeanour changes when a child is petting his face, he relaxes right into the touch of their hand. He also quickly adapted to standing and waiting on the track for the cart to be loaded, which a lot of horses struggle to feel comfortable with,” noted Stacey.
Allowing patrons the chance to ride behind our magnificent Standardbreds is easily one of the most popular fan interaction ever introduced. However, in this era of COVID with no patrons or on track promotions, Woody found himself out of a job and Stacey was faced with the difficult decision regarding his future.
“With the end of the program Woody is in need of a new career and purpose as I am no longer able to offer him the time and love he needs and deserves. He has had his career as a racehorse, his second career promoting the sport and now due to COVID he is ready for his third career as a companion and riding horse. I unfortunately am at a place in my life where I can't offer him the time and interaction he deserves.
“I actually always dreamed of living in the country and giving him a forever home, however, life didn't work out that way and I'm hoping to find someone else who can offer him a loving forever home. I also chose OSAS because of their outstanding reputation for placing horses in adoptive homes, I trust their ability to find him a home that will be the right fit for him.”
Once Woody has settled in at an OSAS foster farm, he’ll be trained to ride. He does have some experience as Stacey started sitting on his back when he was three and riding when he was four.
“He never even hesitated in the saddle, he is happy to walk along through the trails and nothing really bothers him while riding. He is a very adaptable horse and is willing to take on new experiences and learned quickly how to take me on long trail rides.
“I am hoping for him to be placed in a home where he can have a connection and bond with someone special. I am hoping he will have a pasture with another horse because he loves to make friends. And potentially hoping someone will want to drive or ride him to give him continued purpose at this stage in his life. I ultimately want him to be loved and happy for the rest of his life. He has given so much to the sport of harness racing and I want to see him lovingly rewarded for that.”
OSAS has been very generously gifted a pair of Toronto Maple Leaf tickets which you have the chance to win by purchasing a raffle ticket. Tickets are $10 each and may be purchased in person through Joanne Colville or Emma Christoforou and paid before the draw via e-transfer, cash, or credit card or email, call or text Joanne at osashorses@gmail.com or 905-339-6748. The game is on Saturday, April 13 at the Scotiabank arena. The Leafs are facing the Detroit Red Wings. The seats are in section 115, row 26, seats 13 & 14 and have a face value of $660. The draw for the winner of the tickets will take place on Facebook Live on Sunday, April 7. Special thanks to Renata and Dave Lumsden for the generous donation.
March 15th is the final day to place your order for our fundraiser featuring the delicious fudges and spice mixes from Phil's Fudge Factory. The flavours available are as follows: Chocolate Chocolate Coconut Chocolate Pecan Chocolate Mint Swirl Cinnamon Bun Cookie Monster Lemon Cheesecake Canadian Maple Pecan Peanut Butter Explosion Rolo Sour Cherry Tiger Eye For more information on the fudge, please click here to view their Spring Fudge catalogue. In addition to fudge, Phil’s is also offering an assortment of Spice Mixes, these include: Bacon & Chives Baked Crab Bake Spinach Bruschetta Buffalo Ranch Cajun Wildfire Chipotle Bacon Country Ranch Creamy Jalapeno Curried Garlic Dill Delight Everything Bagel Guacamole Herb & Garlic Honey Mustard Horseradish Bacon Island Jerk Mexican Fiesta Roasted Potato Spicy Veggie Spinach Supreme Tiramisu Tomato Basil Traditional Onion Additional information on the spice mixes may be viewed here . The spice mixtures are $5/per while the blocks of fudge are $13 each. We ask that payment accompany your order. Etransfers may be sent to: osashorses@gmail.com . Orders may also be paid in cash to Emma Christoforou at Flamboro or Mohawk. Any questions, please call or text Joanne at 905-339-6748.
The Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society’s 2024 stallion auction concluded on Saturday, February 10, at noon. We sincerely thank each and every stallion owner and farm who donated a breeding to support the official adoption agency for retired Standardbreds in the province. We’d also like to thank everyone who took the time to make bids on these 15 popular Ontario stallions. The results of this year’s auction are as follows:
A reminder that the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society’s annual stallion auction starts at noon today (Monday, February 5) and includes breedings to stallions whose books have already closed as well as many other popular Ontario studs. One of OSAS’s mainstay fundraisers every year, the 2024 edition will close on February 10 at noon. This year’s auction is hosted by Easy Auction. To be eligible to bid, please register through the link here. Please note that if a bid is placed in the last 60 seconds of the auction, that stallion’s availability will be extended another 120 seconds, or until all bidding ceases. Bids must be made in increments of $100. If you have placed a bid Easy Auction will notify you by email if a higher bid has been placed. The successful bidders will be notified, also by email, when the auction closes. A $100 non-refundable deposit is required from every successful bidder. The winning bid, minus the deposit, is due to OSAS upon the birth of the 2025 foal. The full listing of sires available is as follows: Alarm Detector All Bets Off Archangel Betterthancheddar Betting Line Big Jim Cattlewash (book full & closed) Century Farroh Control The Moment King Of The North (book full & closed) Lookslikeachpndale McWicked My MVP Sportswriter Sunshine Beach If you have any questions, please reach out to Joanne Colville at osashorses@gmail.com or call or text 905-339-6748. Our gratitude to all who contribute to the stallion auction’s success year after year. The official adoption agency for Standardbreds in the province, OSAS is approaching our 30 th year of spreading the message of the versatility of our breed and finding pacers and trotters forever loving homes upon their retirement. Photos – Control The Moment (courtesy Tara Hills Stud), My MVP (courtesy Winbak Farm)
The upcoming Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society’s annual stallion will provide breeders the opportunity to obtain breedings to stallions whose books have already closed for this year as well as many other popular Ontario stallions. The auction will begin on February 5 at noon and close on February 10 also at noon. This year’s auction is being hosted by Easy Auction. To register and to bid please click here. The full listing of sires available is as follows: Alarm Detector All Bets Off Archangel Betterthancheddar Betting Line Big Jim Cattlewash (book full & closed) Century Farroh Control The Moment King Of The North (book full & closed) Lookslikeachpndale McWicked My MVP Sportswriter Sunshine Beach OSAS wishes to thank all of the stallion owners for their generosity again this year and to all of the bidders who make this one of our most productive fundraisers year after year. Additional stallion breedings will be accepted up until date of auction. To donate or if you have any questions, please reach out to Joanne Colville at osashorses@gmail.com or call or text 905-339-6748. The official adoption agency for Standardbreds in the province, OSAS is approaching our 30 th year of spreading the message of the versatility of our breed and finding retired pacers and trotters forever loving homes upon their retirement.
OSAS’s annual stallion auction, an anchor of our fundraising efforts every year, will kick off on February 5 th and run through to February 10, 2024. We are grateful for the breedings already pledged; the full list of names will be announced shortly. Anyone wishing to donate a breeding, or with questions regarding the auction, should reach out to osashorses@gmail.com or call or text 905-339-6748. We’re pleased to announce that this year’s auction will be hosted by Easy Auction. Terms and conditions remain as in previous years.
We are very pleased to use a beautiful photo of Tymal Tempo to spread our Christmas message this season. Now known as Teddy, the five-year-old gelding was recently adopted by Marie-Eve Drouin who graciously allowed OSAS to use her photo for our 2023 holiday image. Teddy is Marie-Eve’s first Standardbred and she is thrilled with him. “I love him to pieces, he is the sweetest and most gentle horse I know,” praised Marie-Eve who began riding when she was seven and living in France. Teddy is currently in training. “I ride him Western and English, he is versatile and his strides are beautiful. I wish to show him eventually. He’s amazing in the ‘in the flat’ classes,” she noted. Bred by Tymal Farms, the son of Kadabra was raced by Julie Walker and earned just over $23,000 in his career which saw him face the gate 18 times. His last start was in April of 2022. A full brother to Haveoneforme ($361,784) and Tymal Riggs ($191,000), Teddy hails from a family of trotting royalty. His second, third and fourth dams are all O’Brien Award winners in Filly At Bigs (2002 - 2tf), Mombasa (1996 – 3tf) and Mygal Haw Lea (1996 – Broodmare of the year). This past year has been a busy one for the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society with many horses like Teddy finding their forever homes. We wish all of our supporters a joyous holiday season and extend special thanks to our fantastic foster farms, wonderful volunteers and extremely supportive board. Peace and Joy to all and sincere wishes for a healthy and happy 2024.
A live draw was held Monday (December 11) evening to announce the winning bidders of the 2023 Santa’s Second Chance Raffle which featured 21 baskets packed with incredible gifts including tickets to the Toronto Maple Leafs and a full harness. The proceeds of this popular event go to the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society which facilitates the retraining and rehoming of retired Standardbreds. The results are as follows. Basket Winner Basket 1 – Makes Scents To Me Adele Rossi Basket 2 – For Her Judy Graham Basket 3 – Lucky Lotto Crystal Legace Basket 4 – Dog Lovers Sue Brooks Basket 5 – Chocolate Lovers Shayne Simms Basket 6 – Game Night Robin MacKay Basket 7 – Show Stopper Jenna McNiven Basket 8 – Movie Night Don Pearson Basket 9 – Girls Night Monique MacLean Basket 10 – Equestrian Lovers Brian Laking Basket 11 – Self Care Linda Feth Basket 12 – Preserves Monique MacLean Basket 13 – Hockey Night Blake MacIntosh Basket 14 – On The Go Cathy Walsh Basket 15 – Little Italy Monique MacLean Basket 16 – Harness Racing Kim Marks Basket 17 – Date Night Monica Goss Basket 18 – Spreads, etc. Norah Parks Basket 19 – Bakers’ Basket Monique MacLean Basket 20 – Equine Care Kim Marks Basket 21 – OSAS Swag Fran Brethour Our sincere appreciation to everyone who took the time to purchase tickets and also to those who donated items to be raffled and congratulations to the successful purchasers. We will be in touch to get your basket items to you. A huge thank you to Emma Christoforou for organizing this wonderful fundraiser with assistance from Jean Posthuma and Joanne Colville. Emma’s goal for this year’s event was $7,500 which she far surpassed as the raffle raised in excess of $8,300. Note – full descriptions of all of the items in each basket can be accessed here.
The Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society is pleased to announce the return of the very popular Santa’s Second Chance Raffles, the proceeds of which go to support the retraining and rehoming of retired Standardbreds. The raffle features a total of 21 gift baskets full of a wide variety of items (including Leaf tickets and a full harness) sure to please even the toughest person to buy for on your list. The tickets are either $2 or $5 depending on the value. You may buy as many tickets as you like and place them in the basket(s) of your choice. Tickets are available for purchase up until midnight December 10, 2023. To pay for the tickets, please send an etransfer to: santassecondchanceraffles@gmail.com and include how many tickets you want to buy and which basket(s) you wish to place them towards – each basket is numbered – in the memo. Please provide your first and last name, as well as your phone number on the ticket if you are not part of the Facebook page which is where all of the available baskets may be viewed. ( Santa’s Second Chance Raffles on Facebook). If you are unable to pick your basket up and would like it shipped, that will be at your expense. There will be a live stream video via Facebook of the draws on Monday, December 11, 2023, time to be announced, likely early evening. Thanks to everyone who participates and supports OSAS this holiday season and kudus to everyone who contributed towards this year’s incredible offerings.
OSAS has welcomed nine new Standardbreds over the past few weeks including trotter Dia Monde who earned in excess of $446,000 during his racing life. Trained by Tom Durand throughout his career, the now 10 year-old gelding competed in several top level stakes events and was very competitive in the Ontario Sires Stakes as well. Bred by Hanover Shoe Farms, the son of Deweycheatumnhowe was a $70,000 yearling purchase at Harrisburg. He is a half-brother to millionaire Looking Hanover and his second dam is the trotting matriarch B Cor Tamara. Dia Monde will enter training before being available to adopt.
