This Maverick Is Not The Top Gun

May 1, 2023

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    Maverick and Roxie enjoy some pasture time.

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    Maverick frolics in the field just after arriving at Anna’s farm.

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    Maverick sports his tack and a beautifully braided forelock as he’s quickly learning to ride.

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    Maverick and his new best friend Roxie relaxing together.

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Recently adopted pacer Hello Mr P is now known as Maverick at his new home, but unlike his namesake from the famous movie franchise, he’s not the top gun. No, that title belongs to his new best friend, Roxie, who Maverick outweighs by several hundred pounds as Roxie is a miniature horse.


Anna-Mari Muller now owns both horses. The long-time equestrienne adopted Roxie in 2018. “She’s a spoiled pet and companion who loves attention and scratches but due to her rough past we don’t do cart driving,” explained Anna who has been riding most of her life primarily in eventing and jumper. She also competed nationally in pony club PPG and dabbled in barrel racing, western pleasure and trail riding.


Anna recently started fostering horses for the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society which she was familiar with thanks to her friendship with Emma Christoforou whose mother, Joanne Colville, has helmed the agency for more than 15 years. Anna’s first foster horse for OSAS was Solid Queen who found her forever home earlier this month after learning how to ride from Anna. 


“Queenie” was still at Anna’s when her next foster horse arrived, Hello Mr P aka Maverick. The five-year-old State Treasurer gelding was just two months away from the racetrack where he faced the gate a total of 55 times, winning just over $55,000. His life mark of 1:54f came at Pompano Park as a three-year-old.


When Maverick first arrived, he was put in the paddock beside the one which housed Roxie and Solid Queen to give him a slow introduction. Anna knew the latter mare was going to be leaving soon so: “I kept Maverick and Roxie within sight of each other while I still had Queenie. When Queenie went to her new home I introduced Roxie and Maverick in the same paddock. Roxie asserted her dominance with a few mini mare squeals and then they immediately hit it off as best friends,” she explained.


“The following day they were grooming each other, napping together, happily sharing hay and playing together. They are pastured together outside 24/7 but if the weather is bad they come inside and have facing stalls to keep each other company.”


Like his namesake, Maverick is very handsome and he attracted a lot of attention when Anna posted photos of him on the OSAS Facebook page especially the picture of him with his unlikely new best friend. In that photo Maverick is laying on the ground and Roxie is standing and they look close to the same height.


It wasn’t long after Maverick arrived at her farm that Anna began teaching him the fundamentals of his second career and she quickly made the decision to adopt him herself for a number of reasons including his instant friendship with Roxie. 


“He has a very sweet, docile personality with sharp, handsome looks. He’d only been ridden once before and I have already ridden him on my trails and around my property and he was very well behaved,” said Anna who is aspiring to become a fire fighter. “I am fully trained with all of my qualifications and currently do patient transfer.”


OSAS warmly welcomes Anna and her assorted equines into its foster farm family. Established in 1996, OSAS is the official adoption agency for Standardbred horses in Ontario. One of OSAS’s mandates is to promote the versatility of the breed and their easy going nature which the relationship between Maverick and Roxie certainly exemplifies.


Photos – courtesy of Anna-Mari Muller


Video: The love between Maverick and Roxie is evident in this sweet clip.

OSAS Turns 30

June 9, 2026
The Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society is proud to be celebrating our 30 th anniversary in 2026. Over those three decades we have fostered second careers and found forever homes for hundreds of pacers and trotters. A main component of OSAS’s mandate is to showcase the versatility of the Standardbred horse, a goal which has been reached with so many graduates enjoying second careers as riding horses. Some disciplines include trail or distance riding, dressage, pleasure, etc. One of our graduates, Masseno, is currently a member of the Canadian Cowgirls Precision Drill team. To celebrate this milestone, we have launched our “30 Years, 30 Stories” campaign which will feature horses and people who have contributed to OSAS’s success and will be released throughout the year. These can be read and viewed on our website osas.ca and on our Facebook page. We have also commissioned a limited series of t-shirts featuring the incredibly talented Beau Jangles, one of the best Ontario-bred pacers of all time. These will be available for sale throughout the year at various racetracks and online. To everyone who has supported OSAS, our horses and our volunteers, a very sincere thank you. We look forward to finding forever homes for our wonderful breed for many years to come. Donations at osas.ca are always appreciated.

Spotlight On James Arthur

June 9, 2026
The star of the most recent OSAS Pathways by Matthew Loman is James Arthur who will be heading to his forever home this week. To read the full story please click OSAS Pathways: James Arthur - Woodbine Mohawk Park

Positive Finish For Bettor Notbitter

May 8, 2026
“I would like to thank driver Phil Hudon, Mohawk’s starting gate crew and track maintenance team, OSAS’ financial support, the veterinarians, blacksmiths, caregivers, and, in particular, Joanne Colville, for not giving up on Bettor Notbitter. He deserved the effort,” notes Dr. Julie Ballinger. Her comments are part of the latest installment of OSAS pathways written by Matthew Loman and featuring iron horse Bettor Notbitter who is now enjoying a wonderful retirement after a journeyman career with a scary conclusion. To read the full story please click below. OSAS Pathways: Bettor Notbitter - Woodbine Mohawk Park

Wheels Enjoying Life

April 27, 2026
Wheels On Fire, a prolific race horse who hails from pacing royalty, is the latest horse profiled in OSAS Pathways by WEG’s Matthew Loman. A winner of over $1 million during his racing career, Wheels is enjoying his training for his second career as a riding horse. The full story may be read: OSAS Pathways: Wheels On Fire - Woodbine Mohawk Park

KJ Owen Enjoying Retirement

March 23, 2026
After a 10 year racing career which saw him face the gate close to 300 times, KJ Owen is now learning the ropes as a riding horse. His lessons are going well, although he did take his trainer, Bert Mollica, for an unexpected ride in the early going. Matthew Loman profiles the 12 year-old gelding in the latest OSAS Pathways which may be read here.

Nutzz N Boltzz And Reven Up Featured

March 12, 2026
“Having ridden and owned a variety of horses over the last 35 years, the Standardbreds are the most honest ones out there. They are so loyal, smart, safe and sound, they don’t have many bad or off days it seems. So, for that I will forever be grateful,” notes Fran Brethour when speaking of her OSAS graduates Nutzz N Boltzz and Reven Up. Fran praises her Standardbreds in the latest OSAS Pathways feature by Matthew Loman which may be read through the link below. https://woodbine.com/mohawk/mohawk-insider/osas-pathways-nutzz-n-boltzz-reven-up/ 

KJ Owen Joins OSAS

March 6, 2026
OSAS is pleased to welcome the iron tough KJ Owen to their roster. A 12 year-old gelding by Roll With Joe, KJ Owen faced the gate an incredible 297 time over his 10 year career. He recorded his 50 th lifetime win in April of last year at Flamboro with Austin Sorrie at the controls. Upon his retirement in January of this year he sported a summary of 52-41-38 for $311,000 banked. The first foal of Winsmith Jess, KJ Owen raced primarily in the US at various racetracks. His first Canadian start was in January of 2025 at Mohawk. He has two brothers with earnings over $200,000 – KJ Hunter and KJ Leo both of whom are still racing at Monticello Raceway. Owen is now at Susan and Bert Mollica’s foster farm where he will be trained for his second career.

Second Career For Steel Reserve

February 28, 2026
“I’ve never seen a horse with the emotions he’s shown. When he first arrived, my husband and I were both like, ‘We don’t know what to do.’ We had never seen a horse cry before but there were literal tears in his eyes,” said Susan Mollica of OSAS graduate Steel Reserve. Bert Mollica used a different training technique with the warhorse whose second career will be somewhat unique. His story is profiled in the latest installment of OSAS Pathways by Matthew Loman and may be read here.

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.
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