Ontario-Sired Performers On Fire

OSAS • September 20, 2019

September 20, 2019 - One of the more under reported stories this racing season is the incredible success of colts and fillies by Ontario sires.

Forbidden Trade, a son of Ontario stalwart and perennial leading sire Kadabra, captured the most prestigious trotting race on the calendar, the Hambletonian, last month.

The highest earning horse to date this year in North America (according to USTA stats) is Bettors Wish with $1.1 million banked to date. His sire, Bettors Delight, stands at the Ontario branch of Winbak Farms. Bettors Wish was a close second in Canada’s richest harness racing, the North America Cup and is yet to finish worse than second this year with nine wins and four seconds in 13 attempts.

One of the most anticipated weeks of racing is Jug week culminating with the Little Brown Jug which was contested yesterday. The Bettors Delight son Fast N Furious won a division of the first heat and finished a strong second in the final. Another Bettors Delight offspring, Ideation Hanover, was second in the Jug distaff companion event, the Jugette.

The richest performer to date in the OSS this year is the three-year-old pacing colt Century Farroh who has tucked more than $369,000 in OSS loot under his harness this year for trainer Dr. Ian Moore and owners Ratchford Stables of Nova Scotia.
The talented colt has over $600,000 banked this year thanks to wins against open competition in the Simcoe Stakes, Somebeachsomwhere and North America Cup consolation. Farroh is sired by the late, great Mach Three who stood alongside Kadabra at Tara Hills Stud in Port Perry.

Tomorrow night at Mohawk finds a stakes laden card anchored by the richest race for rookie pacing colts in Canada, the $750,000 Metro. Four of the 10 starters are Ontario-sired (see below). Among them is the Bettors Delight colt Tall Dark Stranger who is the only Metro finalist with an unbeaten record coming into the contest.

Owned by Ontario’s Marvin Katz along with partners Crawford Farms Racing, Caviart Farms and Howard Taylor, Tall Dark Stranger has won all five races he’s competed in including two Ontario Sires Stakes Gold events. Bred by James Avritt of Kentucky, the handsome colt sold as a yearling for $350,000 last year. Ontario race fans will recognize his dam, the top mare Precocious Beauty, who was campaigned by Gregg McNair.

Also on tap tomorrow night is the $540,000 Shes A Great Lady finale for rookie pacing fillies with five of the finalists sired by Ontario stallions. What’s also interesting to note is that of the non Ontario-sired starters in the Shes A Great Lady (named in honour of one of the top performers in the OSS more than two decades ago) final, two are by Somebeachsomewhere and two are by his son Captaintreacherous. Somebeach, a son of Mach Three, is of course one of the most talented graduates ever of the OSS program.


On the Metro Side threre are three sons of the Beach and two by Captaintreacherous. The Ontario-sired performers in each final are as follows:


$540,000 Shes A Great Lady Final

Off The Press (Sportswriter)

Saulsbrook Raven (Big Jim)

Alicorn (Bettors Delight)

Peaky Sneaky (Bettors Delight)

Betalady (Bettors Delight)


$750,000 Metro Final

Ys Mathis (Sportswriter)

Tall Dark Stranger (Bettors Delight)

One For Julius (Hes Watching)

Beach Blanket Book (Sportswriter)

OSAS Auction Closed

February 22, 2026
The Ontario Stallion Adoption Society’s 2026 Stallion Auction has now closed. Breedings to 16 sires from Ontario and PEI were offered over the past four days. OSAS extends sincere appreciation to everyone who contributed to the success of this year’s auction including the stallion owners, the stud farms and everyone who placed a bid. Congratulations to the successful bidders and the best of luck. To view the full list of stallions and buyers please click here.

OSAS Stallion Auction Closes Friday At Noon

February 19, 2026
Please be advised that the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society’s 2026 Stallion auction will close Friday, February 20 th at noon. It is important to note that the end time can be extended to a maximum of 30 minutes on each of the 16 stallion breedings available if there is continued bidding. You are notified by email and/or text (if you select that option) if you are the winning bidder and if someone has outbid you. This year OSAS is using 32 Auctions as their auction platform site. Here is the explanation of how the extended bidding works: How does Extended Bidding work? If an item receives a bid during the final three (3) minutes of the auction, the item end time will be extended to allow for 3 additional minutes of bidding. This process repeats until no new bids are received during the final 3 minutes of the item bidding window or the auction has been extended for a maximum of 30 minutes beyond the original end time. When an auction is extended, you'll see Extended Bidding messages displayed throughout the auction with a link for easily viewing all of the extended items. For further information on this feature, and an example, please click here. Here is the link to the actual auction site.

OSAS Stallion Auction Starts Today

February 17, 2026
The 2026 Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society’s Stallion Auction begins today at noon. This year we offer 16 top stallions from Ontario and PEI including one stallion, King Of The North, whose book is already closed this year. Use the link below to enter the site and see what stallions are available. Follow the easy steps to register which allows you to bid on any of the stallions. We encourage you to register early. Good luck to all and thanks to everyone for their support of this popular fundraiser again this year. The auction closes on Friday, February 20 starting at noon. Enter the auction site here

2026 OSAS Stallion Auction

February 10, 2026
The Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society is pleased to announce the dates for their 2026 stallion auction. The annual fundraiser will kick off at noon on Tuesday, February 17 and close Friday, February 20 with a staggered close starting at noon. This may be your last opportunity to obtain breedings to popular sires whose books have already closed or are close to closing for the season. Bids will be in Canadian funds. The sires available to date are as follows (in alphabetical order): All Bets Off Betterthancheddar Betting Line Big Jim Century Farroh Control The Moment Dancin Lou Its Academic King Of The North Lawless Shadow Lookslikeachipndale Malicious (PEI) McWicked Shanghai Phil Sportswriter (PEI) OSAS thanks every stallion owner for their generosity and support again this year. Additional sires will be accepted up until February 13. To donate, or if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Joanne Colville at osashorses@gmail.com or call or text 905-339-6748. Established in 1996, OSAS is the official adoption agency for Standardbred horses in the province, responsible for spreading the message of the versatility of the breed and finding forever loving homes for retired pacers and trotters.

Spotlight On Sweet Deisel

January 30, 2026
After earning more than $350,000 during his racing career, Sweet Deisel is set to embark on the second chapter of his career, as a riding horse. He’ll be leaving Susan and Bert Mollica’s foster farm along side another OSAS trainee, Stetson Seelster, at the end of this month. His story is featured in WEG’ OSAS Pathways this week and may be read https://woodbine.com/mohawk/mohawk-news/osas-pathways-sweet-deisel/

Amrock Major Passes

January 29, 2026
Amrock Major has passed. He was 38. A warrior on the racetrack, the son of River Rouge faced the gate more than 203 times during his career which started as a four-year-old in 1992 and ended during his 10 th year in 1998. Bred by Dennis and Gerald Rock of London, Ontario, the tough performer raced at B tracks and fairs throughout Ontario during the 1990s. His last start was in October of 1998 at the now defunct Elmira Raceway with trainer Gerry Gaynor driving. Gaynor trained Amrock Major for the last four years of his career. Prior to that he was conditioned by Ron Brintnell. A son of Graylin Jean, Major is a half-brother to Amrock Wise Guy who earned a quarter of a million dollars during his racing career four decades ago. Amrock Major came into OSAS after his retirement from racing and he was adopted within a few months. Several years later his owner was facing health issues and Major returned to OSAS. He spent his last years at the farm of Pam Brooker who provided him a wonderful life.

Spotlight On Stetson

January 8, 2026
Stetson Seelster, who celebrated his third birthday a few days ago, is the latest OSAS horse featured in WEG’s ongoing series by writer Matthew Loman. Stetson is currently training for a career as a riding horse under the watchful eye of Bert and Susan Mollica. The story of Stetson, who is closely related to Canada’s 2024 Horse of the Year Chantilly, may be read through the link below. https://woodbine.com/mohawk/mohawk-insider/osas-pathways-stetson-seelster/ 

Santa’s Second Chance Raffle Winners

December 15, 2025
The Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society congratulates the winners of our annual Santa’s Second Chance Raffle. We are very grateful for everyone who supported this event again this year by donating prizes and purchasing tickets. This year’s draw raised more than $7,500. The winners were drawn live on Facebook Sunday (December 14) evening by Emma Christoforou, who organizes the popular fundraiser every year with the assistance of her mother, OSAS’s Joanne Colville, and dedicated long time volunteer Jean Posthuma. A total of 24 baskets were offered this with varying values and included a myriad of wonderful items including Toronto Maple Leaf tickets, a full harness, various horse supplies, cosmetics, lottery tickets, games night and much more. The following is a list of this year’s baskets and their lucky winner. Emma will reach out to the winners to organize pick up and/or delivery. Thanks again to everyone for their participation in any way - our horses appreciate your support. #1 – Dog Lovers - Mary Lou Nerbonne #2 – Date Night – Laura Toscani #3 – Mast Harness – Brady Lagace #4 – Beauty Basket – Mary Lou Nerbonne #5 – Custom Equine Designs – Sherri Whitworth #6 – On The Go – Julie Bergsma #7 – Hopples & Hangers - Kyle Bryant #8 – Coffee Lovers – Jessica Street #9 – Chocolate Lover – Rena Soundy #10 – Lottery Lover - Julianne Watson #11 – Horse Lovers – Haley Angell #12 – Girls Night Out - Marie-Soleil Fontaine #13 – Preserves – Eileen Van Der Deen #14 – Game Night – Monique MacLean #15 – Family Night – Rena Soundy #16 – Wine & Cheese – Tracey Kempffer #17 – Newborn – Kim Huson #18 – Self Care – Natasha Steacy #19 – Car Care – Barry Treen #20 – Leaf tickets – Susan Mollica #21 – Home – Tracey Kempffer #22 – Equine Omega Alpha – Tessa Passero #23 – LZR Wheels (2025) – Ashleigh Hensley #24 – OSAS Swag – Ronota Baglole Bonus draw for a gift card – Tracey Kempffer

Foamy Featured

December 12, 2025
The heartwarming and heartbreaking story of the trotting mare Foamy, who was adopted from OSAS as a Christmas gift, is spotlighted in today’s OSAS Pathways feature written by WEG’s Matthew Loman. Julie Kangas, who now lovingly cares for Foamy, was instrumental in ensuring her friend and neighbour had one last horse. The full story is available here.

Christmas Shop & Support OSAS

December 1, 2025
Once again the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society is pleased to present the Christmas Second Chance Raffle named to reflect our mission to give retired Standardbreds a second chance and forever home. To participate please view the baskets being offered this year at the Facebook page Santa's Second Chance Raffles. Select the ones you wish to bid on and purchase however many tickets you want for it. Ticket prices are $2 or $5 depending upon the basket. Here’s how it works. Raffle tickets can be purchased from November 29th 2025 through to midnight on December 13th 2025. Tickets may be paid through e-transfer to santassecondchanceraffles@gmail.com . In the message please indicate how many tickets you are purchasing and for what baskets. You may also pay in cash in person to Emma Christoforou, Joanne Colville or Jean Posthuma. If you wish to pay by credit card please message Emma to set up a convenient time to do so. If you are unable to pick your basket up and would like it shipped, shipping will be at the basket winners’ expense. The winners will be announced on a live stream on Sunday, December 14, 2025, time to be determined. We encourage you to invite as many people as possible to the Facebook page and the raffle. If you have any questions please contact Joanne at 905-339-6748 or email: osashorses@gmail.com . Thanks to everyone who supports this fundraiser, everyone who contributed to a basket and volunteers behind the scenes, it is all very much appreciated. This year there are 24 gift baskets to choose from as follows. To see full descriptions of each basket please go to the Santa’s Second Chance Raffles group on Facebook by clicking here. 2025 Santa’s Second Chance Baskets #1 – Dog Lovers -Grooming Session, various toys & treats. #2 – Date Night – Restaurant Gift Cards #3 – Mast Harness #4 – Beauty Basket #5 – Custom Equine Designs #6 – On The Go #7 – Hopples & Hangers #8 – Coffee Lovers #9 – Chocolate Lover #10 – Lottery Lover - $125 worth of tickets. #11 – Horse Lovers #12 – Girls Night Out #13 – Preserves #14 – Game Night #15 – Family Night #16 – Wine & Cheese collection #17 - Newborn #18 – Self Care #19 – Car Care #20 – Hockey Night – Leaf tickets #21 - Home #22 – Equine Omega Alpha #23 – LZR Wheels (2025) #24 – OSAS Swag Thanks to everyone for their support, good luck and happy shopping.
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