by Kelly Spencer

Guelph, ON — TheStable.ca is anticipating a record turn-out for its annual Spring Open House on Sunday (May 13) at Tomiko Training Centre (near Puslinch, Ontario).

The event is free to attend and all ages are welcome. An RSVP is requested as 400 people are expected to attend. Lunch will be available onsite.

The event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and guests are invited to drop-in at their leisure. Fifty-four of The Stable’s 2-year-old horses will train in nine sets on the racetrack. The races will be captured by drone camera and streamed on The Stable’s website.

The broadcast begins at 10 a.m. on TheStable.ca and will include interviews, feature stories about the horses, driver interviews and commentary from show hosts Fred MacDonald and Hall of Famer Bill O’Donnell.

“With my father and Bill O’Donnell on the mics, we expect the broadcast to last about two months,” joked Anthony MacDonald, who owns and operates TheStable.ca with his wife Amy.

“They did a fantastic job in our first Open House broadcast, and I think everyone is in for a treat with their comedic strolls down memory lane between (and sometimes during) the actual training action.”

Throughout the day, guests can meet the horses, plus clients and staff of The Stable. Shares are available for some of the horses, and purchases can be made on-site. Clients can purchase as little as one share, which currently run as low as $95 (plus tax). A fixed monthly fee of $23.85 (plus tax) per share covers the horse’s daily care and training.

Prizes for guests and current members of The Stable include five one-percent shares in a horse in The Stable.

A new highly coveted prize comes from award-winning equine photographer Dave Landry, who will be inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in August. Landry is also a member of The Stable. He will capture an image of the winning horse owner with their horse and The Stable will have the portrait reproduced as a 16×20 print on canvas.

The Open House will also include a fundraising component for the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society and Racing Under Saddle Ontario.

“TheStable.ca is committed to supporting our racing community and this year we’re partnering with TFB & Associates Importers Ltd. in Markham, Ontario, to bring premium Fever-Tree drinks to everyone attending the Open House and to raise money for both of these important charitable organizations,” said MacDonald.

There are currently 103 horses and 426 active racehorse owners from 10 countries in The Stable. Trainers Anthony and Amy MacDonald launched the award-winning venture in 2015 as a fractional ownership stable — a model which welcomes newcomers to horse ownership with a very modest and low-risk investment, and completely accessible and transparent operations.

A catalogue will be available on The Stable.ca website on May 11 detailing all horses for which shares are available for purchase at the Open House. The catalogue will include a schedule of when each horse will be showcased on the broadcast.

For more information, contact Anthony at anthony@thestable.ca or 519.400.4263.