Breeder still sky-high after Molson win
June 4, 2006,by Frank Salive, for Western Fair Raceway
The jubilation won’t be subsiding anytime soon for breeder Jack McNiven from last Friday night’s extraordinary edition of the Molson Pace at Western Fair Raceway.
“This was my first Molson Pace win as a breeder and I’m still sky-high and smiling about it” McNiven reflects. “This is very,very,extra special to win London’s top race right here near home as the biggest single race win in my career” he said from home base at his Killean Acres standardbred nursery at Ingersoll,ON.
After five year old gelding Our Lucky Killean used a memorable stretch rush orchestrated by Jack Moiseyev to nail pacemaker Dr No at the wire, the Western Fair trackside winner’s ceremony was a scene of overjoyed pandemonium.
“There was my brother Don, simply my right arm here at the farm all these years punching at the air, giving high fives, and jumping up and down” Jack recalls. “I tried to restrain myself to hugs,backslaps and handshakes but it was very difficult to not get caught up in the moment.”
Foaling a Molson Pace Champ
Jack McNiven still has all the detailed records from the time Molson Pace winner Our Lucky Killean was foaled.
“He was right on schedule, 11 months to the day after we bred our farm mare Our Emblem. Our Lucky Killean was born at 11:45 p.m. on March 19,2001 and he stood up on his own for the first time about 55 minutes later, which is about average” McNiven says. “I still have the fax I sent over to Seelster Farms to give thanks and report everything had gone extremely well since we’d bred her to Camluck.”
His own detailed records also include his comments to himself. Because, he says, Our Emblem was a pretty but not a big mare and did not appear to be ‘heavy in foal’ to the trained eye, he’d feared the first foal would be on the smallish side.
“It was a relief to see him only a very little bit below average size…my notes on him said at birth say he was rugged with a smooth body and very good hind legs.”
Farm Perspective
By his own recollection the Molson Pace win is a top highlight in the history of the Killean Acres operation.
“Elegant Killean was a real standout filly that won some big stakes and the Ontario Sires Stakes, and Run To the Bank finished 3rd in the North America Cup” McNiven recalls from the numerous standouts produced over the years. “This, however, is the biggest single purse race win I think we’ve ever had” he says. “How truly sweet since this is the year that Run The Table and myself are being inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.” That ceremony is set for August 24th.
“I also want to slightly amend the information I provided to the Hall for it’s inductees press release” McNiven says. “The bio they released said we’d been on the Canadian standardbred breeding scene for over 40 years. Now I’ve had time to go back through the records, and actually this win at Western Fair in the Molson Pace is our biggest win since we brought our first foal into the world 52 years ago.”
Now at 73 years old, he’s vowing to slow down his own personal workload.
“Honestly, I’ve hit the wall with having 23 broodmares and still staying up all night for all the foals. I promise, this is the last year I’m doing this, I’ve got to slow down even though I love them all dearly” he says.
Anyone that knows Jack McNiven, while appreciating his statement, really won’t believe he’s slowing down until they actually see it.
Tattoo Says it All
It simply must’ve been in the stars that Our Lucky Killean would come up a winner in the Molson Pace.
“The tattoo registration which we of course have no control over gave him the number XM-649…the same as the country’s lotto 649” he observes. “Well in this year he sure is a big lottery win for us and his owner Mac Nichol” McNiven added.
REPORTERS NOTEBOOK
THE 2006 MOLSON PACE
The undercard on the Molson Pace program featured driving mastery with first over wins by a pair of past champions, Ron Waples and Dave Wall. Waples, the 1973 and 1974 winner of the event, scored with Rebar Man. Wall, a 4-time Molson Pace winner, guided Twin City Turbo to a well earned victory.
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The Molson Pace card featured a pair of track record performances prior to Our Lucky Killean tying the all-age track standard of 1:53. Nine year old gelding Will Sikes became one of the two fastest trotters in London’s 45 year history by tying the track record held by Nobananas in 1:57.2. In the Mares Invitational Pace, Sentbytheangels turned in a stunning 1:53.2 effort to obliterate the mares track record set last month by Vegas Girl at 1:54.4.
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London based driver Don McElroy guested on the pre-race show and reported he needs a third surgery on his shattered left wrist. The former 3-time winner of the Molson Pace has been out of action since a racing accident at Grand River Raceway on May 23,2005.
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This was the 34th renewal of the Molson Pace. In the race’s history is John Campbell who won the 4th edition as both trainer and driver of Derbys Gent. When Campbell won it the purse was $ 15,000 and that win produced a Western Fair track record of 2:00 at the time.
BIG FINAL MONTH
The month of June at Western Fair is filled with the City of London Series, sponsored by local TV station A-Channel.
There are also four nights of Ontario Sires Stakes action in the month ahead.
Through June 30, Western Fair has three live programs per week with Monday afternoon post time at 4 p.m. in addition to Wednesday and Friday evenings at 7:35 p.m.