The latest issue of Down The Stretch came off the presses yesterday and it’s almost a revelation for me that this is the 16th issue we’ve put out since last March. I remember the grief, frustration and the generally imposing learning curve I encountered a year ago when I decided to start the paper. There are still the inevitable landmines and potholes to be encountered, but we do have a significant momentum these days and each issue seems to be a little smoother.
I get teased by the lovely people who help me with Down The Stretch, about how I declare each issue to be “our best issue yet!” and to be fair, this is a fine issue #16, but not our very best ( I think the December issue – the Top 50 Horse Racing stories of 2008 was our best), but this is still 24 pages to be proud of.
We have three separate stories concerning horse slaughter- a miserable page about Magic Flute, an 11 year-old son of Canadian Triple Crown champion Peteski. Incredibly, Magic Flute was slaughtered for food last October, in spite of the best efforts of some fine people who seem to be spending every waking minute of their lives rescuing thoroughbred horses from the food chain.
We do have a more uplifting story about Ellie Ross, who finds and saves the lives of horses whose fates have turned downward and another page in our paper concerns itself with how the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society finds better homes for harness horses past their racing lives.
Got two pages this issue on the O’Brien Awards which were held in Mississauga last month. The O’Briens are for the best horses and people in harness racing and after Somebeachsomewhere left with his bling, there were bits and pieces left over for the rest of the industry.
For many horsepeople, the sport is a year-round business. Chantal Sutherland, featured prominently on the Animal Planet series ‘Jockeys’ is riding in California and winning regularly at Santa Anita. We’ve got that in a two page spread on Canadian content around the world. In that feature, we also refer to wins by jockeys Patrick Husbands, Gerry Oguin and Eurico Rosa da Silva.
I’m fond of this month’s timely Perry and Mooch cartoon and our Oddities and Entities page is once again, full of stuff you won’t find anywhere else.
Ok, this has been a major plug on my Down The Stretch blog for my paper, Down The Stretch. You can find the paper at several locations at Woodbine Racetrack and in many of the Toronto area Champions off-track betting theatres or you can call me and I’ll send you a copy for free. (416-413-3940 – before 10 am)
As we’re pleased to point out, Down The Stretch is Canada’s most entertaining and informative horse racing newspaper.
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