Photo by New Image Media
When the gavel fell on the sale topper at the Fall Extravaganza at Flamboro on Oct. 23rd, the Grin For Money Stable’s heady adventure ended with a bang.
And it marked just one more time the best-known product of the SBOA’s New Owner Mentoring Program had exceeded expectations.
“We were kind of thinking that he might bring right around a hundred,” one of the Grin For Money Stable’s partners, Betty Ross of Wingham, ON, said afterwards.
But the marketplace dictated a $155,000 price tag and Brad Grant as the new owner.
For Grin For Money, the day proved nothing more than a sightseeing expedition as he traveled right back to his regular stall in the John Kopas Barn at Mohawk Raceway. The former $20,000 yearling purchase from Winbak Farms has spent three racing seasons there, making bank for his bunch of neophyte owners to the tune of over $322,000.
“Brad called me about three weeks before the sale,” Kopas explained, “asking what the horse would bring and I told him upwards of a hundred. He asked me if I would train him if he bought him, and I said, ‘Absolutely.'”
Sale day was to bring mixed emotions for the Stable members.
Grin for Money had taken them on the ride of a lifetime, leaving them with cherished memories, new friends from diverse backgrounds, and more than a little ahead financially. But stipulations of the SBOA agreement call for a horse to be sold following his 4-year-old season, unless all involved want to continue the venture.
“We felt good that he’s going to stay in the same barn with John and that his groom Pat (Harding) gets to keep him. We’re going to miss him though,” sighed Ross.
Ross won’t want for horses in her life though, as she and her husband Jim, a retired farmer, have entered the breeding side of the business and also currently have three horses in training.
Another Grin For Money Stable partner, Leslie Evans of Elora, ON, shares Betty Ross’s enthusiasm about their incredible journey.
“John Kopas did a fantastic job as trainer, from telling us what to look for when picking out a yearling at a sale, to getting him to the races, and managing his racing career for three seasons. And we were welcome to visit Grin at the stable anytime.
“Tom Broadhurst was a perfect Mentor, Evans added. “He was our leader for every step of the process. He even made sure all of us received win pictures and videos of every race Grin won.
“Standardbreds are the most amazing horses in the world,” says Evans who daytimes as a Product Developer for Maple Leaf Foods. “Grin For Money was the horse of a lifetime. We all loved him and will never forget him.”
For Kopas, introducing newcomers to the nuances of the business has been gratifying. “They were a great group of people, and training one like him made it all the more enjoyable.”
“The SBOA Mentoring Program is fantastic,” says Ross. “And it’s working. Everyone in the group now has parts of other horses. Some bought yearlings this fall. It’s been wonderful.”
Find out more about the SBOA’s New Owner Mentoring Program.
