Clinton News-Record, 1975-06-26, Page 13.....:..'....'.- "..i iiiii. `+)) a, :. _, ++) .+`\) i i�.i ) �� .� ...,- ...:i+� � •)._ 1+ ► (l• _ ,,..!.:J) �l• _ _
Tuckersmith native turns
•a +
'When Brian Smillie was 15, he'
bought his first mare with the $750
he earned by hoeing beans. 'Today,
at 26, he is the owner of Smiling
'Acres,. Huron County's only
'thoroughbred brood mare stables,
and $800,000 of horseflesh on the
hoof.
'it wasn't an easy elimb though,
And Brian still remembers' the few
times he had" to go hungry.
• His 200 -acre farm, located north of
Hensall, ,had. 12 foals this spring —
one, the first Canadian born son of
Riva Ridge, the 1972 Kentucky
Derby winner. Brian paid a $33,000
stud fee for the foal., and even if the
colt doesn't become famous, "It's
pne, hell of an investment," he said.
The money doesn't grow on trees,
however, and the funds for operating
his brood mare farm come from a
partnership that Brian has with Dr.
Paul Brady of Seaforth, in the Huron_
Racing Stables.
"One of our horses, A Musical
Formai, has won $47,000 in purses
over the last two years. She's been
the mainstay of our stables," Brian
said.
He hopes to push the filly's win-
nings to $100;000 before retiring her
as a brood "mare.
Whichever way you look at it,
horse racing is an expensive
business, and even Brian admits
.that the racing end of the game is for
wealthy people only.
"Track' fees ildtie- o r 8,000-
$9,000 a year," he said, "and that's
on top of the $18 a day that it costs to
In comparison, Brian said it cost
stable a horft at the track."
W:{
.'h
i
nto thriving bree
ii,git.able.
a dayto keep a horse on his The. farm may be situated on there
him . rim of the wheel if Kentucky is at the
farm.
By ' his own admission, an in- hub, but Mari said he would always
keep Smiling Acres; the place of his,
vestment in horse breeding is more t
secure than racing, but it is still a birth, which has been in the family s
"gambler's game". He cites the possession for six generations.
mare he lost in foaling last year, and Gettingback to Judy, who started;
the colt born with contracted ten- as an exercise boy at Woodbine't
dons, as examples.
Raceway, Brian said it was hard for;
"I must have put on about 300 women jockeys to get top mountsyso
casts on his front legs to strengthen most ended up,° racing quarter
the tendons," he said. "We let him horses. 1
out in the paddock-Qn a muddy day . Brian is totally
ofved with
had some.:
and he twisted a leg. He had to be thoroughbreds, but said
hedestroyed." . interest in standardbreds a'nd could:F
Brian claims that only two percent possibly see himself working witty
of the horses pay their way in the them eventually, , ., .
thoroughbred game. It was a tossup originally of
Fortunately, our horses have paid . whether I'd go into thoroughbred or
for themselves — so far," he said. standardbred breeding," he said,.
His 33-34 percent return in- "until I went to a brood mare sale in
vestment every year proves, he Toronto where thoroughbreds
said, '.'that you can raise as good a brought $12,000 and standards were
horse up here as you can in Ken- selling for only $4,000. That was,
tucky".
enough to make up my mind for
Lexington, Kentucky is, the heart me,.
of the horse industry and fittingly, is In the future, say 10-15 years from
the place where Brian got its start now, Brian would like to sele Smiling,
as a junior bloodstock agent for Acres become a top bree ingfar.m.
Tyson Sylpyn. He bought and sold r °' I'd like to have a -.'bands of 20
horses on•commission, and between mares worth $50,000 apiece," he -
the ages of 15 and 19, sold 93 horses. said. "That, to me, would be a top',
Lastyear, his father, J. Clarence notch operation.,' He added that he.
Smillie, decided to retire from,
would perhaps even lease a stallion
operating his dairy farm. for stud.
"I have four sisters, and if I hadn't Brian sees a bright future for "the:
come back torun the farm, Dad sport of Kings," but pointed out thatt
would have sold it/' Brian said. .,raciq�g.,tn capaida_at the momenL.has• :
He came baek-and converted the never 'been healthier.
, dairy farm info the brood mare "There are a good calibre of
stables that he runs with his wife horses," he said, but there are many
Judy, the second woman in Canada more that aren't. "We need garbage
to become a licensed jockey. tracks for the poorer quality of
horses."
Brian added that top racing comes
from top breeding, and expressed'
disappointment' in the Ontario Sired
Stake Series established a few years
ago and restricted to, foals sired by
Ontario studs. province, from participating; "the
"Almost 70 stallions popped up very horses that could upgrade the
near Toronto because of the Sire calibre -of Ontario's race horses."
Stakes -- most of them inferior
stock, he said. "The Riva Ridge foal won't be
° "Their stud fees are only $1,500,, able to run in the six $45,000 Stake
and a horse should win $150,000' races because it wasn't sired by an
before he is even considered stud Ontario stud."
III material." `
—.Brian pointed out that the Stakes It hasn't hurt him to be so. far
were created to improve the quality ,away f rom'major race tracks, but if
of thoroughbreds in Ontario, yet he was located closer to Woodbine,
blocked horses born of foreign "I'd have that much more access to
bloodlines, but raised in the trainers to come out and look over
Like great-grandfather, like great grand -daughter? The
horseshoes are pretty big to fill, but this little filly could end up V
with a track record comparable to that of Dher rectaThfoal ancestor,
Secretariat, winner of the 1973 Kentucky Der
is
pictured with her mother, Arcane and owner Brian Smillie.
my
This
foals," he said.
m be selling
directly or acf i.ng as an agent for 15
yearlings. He plans to sell 13 at
Woodbine and two of his own at the
Washington sales.
Operating Smiling Acres isn't all
centred around" making a profit,
ihough and Brian admits to
"unofficially" becoming attached to
many of his foals, especially one filly
that had to be fed by hand -when its
dam died in foaling:
sum
SIr hij Cris bleb
Photo bg Jim FiizeraId
er
he
will
r..
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He follows their performances on
the tracks and, "I get as much of a
ki ck as the owner when I see one of
the. horses bred out of our stables run
a good race."
"'Besides, everytime you see a
neve foal it's exciting. That's what
makes it worthwhile.
A nd it has surely been worthwhile
for Brian, as he has parlayed $750
into a half a million. He must be
doing something right.
,4444044000.
Judy Smiline poses with her Arabian 'filly, Sonrisn, which she will show in Toronto
Or the first bine in September. Judy', wbd is a licensed joeke r met' with a lot of
,r+ sentm nt frorr: male riders and has slnee resigned herself to running the brood'
mare stable4wlth husband, Brian. .,
0 . •
an •.
f
y.
The farm doesn't look much different from others in the Hensall area,ebut beyond
the exterior, Smiling Acres is a fast owing brood Mare stables.
the 200 acre dairy farm that operated udder his hatherinto the only thoroughbred
brood mare stables last year,