from Standardbred Canada

Mississauga, ON — Horseman Anthony MacDonald is taking his message and plan to boost harness racing horse ownership to a university campus next week.

MacDonald, the co-founder of thestable.ca will be at Michigan State University’s Anthony Hall on Monday (Dec. 5) from 7-8 p.m. He will talk about his unique single-share fractional ownership and flat-fee training program that makes racehorse ownership affordable for just about anyone.

Once a harness racing powerhouse, all that remains in Michigan’s landscape is Northville Downs and a handful of county fair tracks.

“Michigan serves as a worrying glimpse into the future of horse racing if we continue to neglect our gamblers and not capitalize on investors that are simply waiting for horse racing to ask them to join,” MacDonald said.

Thestable.ca — which after only a year in business, has more than 160 owners, many new to the racing game — is proof that these investors exist and are waiting to repopulate the horse racing industry.

Touching on the wide demographic of the average owner in his group, MacDonald will speak about a new era in horse racing being ushered in by fractional ownership and what it can mean for horse racing in both flourishing and failing jurisdictions.

“I’m excited to speak directly to the very types of people we are looking to attract to horse racing,” MacDonald said. “Horse racing is far from dead. Even in a place where they have all but turned off the lights, there is still a path forward, still a way to build a stronger industry than my generation has ever seen.”

Open house, horse sale and video broadcast

Whatever your budget, there’s plenty of opportunity to ensure you have a share of a yearling under the tree for Christmas morning.

That’s the message of the season at thestable.ca, which will host a public open house and horse sale and video broadcast of the event on Saturday (Dec. 10) at Tomiko Training Centre (near Puslinch, Ontario) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The event is free but an RSVP is required and a non-perishable food item for the Guelph Food Bank is appreciated. All ages are welcome. Complimentary hot drinks and snacks will be available.

There are currently 62 horses and 153 active racehorse owners in thestable.ca.

During the open house and horse sale event, guests are invited to meet the horses and chat with the MacDonalds, and meet other racehorse owners in thestable.ca and industry professionals.

A video broadcast, featuring a drone camera over the racetrack, kicks off at 10:45 a.m., when 40 yearlings will train on the racetrack in sets of six. Some of North America’s top drivers will steer the young colts and fillies, while pro TV commentators preview the horses’ pedigrees and conduct interviews.

The broadcast will be streamed via Facebook Live on thestable.ca Facebook page from 10:45 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The stable.ca is inviting other trainers to participate in the event, at no cost.

“It’s an opportunity for trainers to showcase a horse or two of their own that they’re selling shares of,” said Anthony MacDonald. “They’ll have a different audience than usual, and the chance to network with people who are looking to get into the game.”

Interested trainers must contact MacDonald no later than Dec. 7 to participate.

A catalogue will be available on thestable.ca website on Dec. 9/16, detailing all horses for which shares are available for purchase. The catalogue will include a schedule of when each horse will be showcased on the broadcast.

Complete event details and the RSVP form are available here.

— Kelly Spencer