Happy Mother’s Day, Atlanta girl

Broodmare Atlantic sets milestone for Mohawks.

by Melissa Keith

Two or more winners by a given sire on a single card at Woodbine Mohawk Park are not unusual. Standardbred Canada data for 2023 shows there were 1,231 active stallions (144 Canadian, 1,088 American) and 19,935 active broodmares (3,262 Canadian, 16,072 American). Statistically, each popular bull has a much greater chance of having multiple winners on any given date.

Mares usually have one chance per breeding season, and sometimes not even that. So when Atlanta Girl’s sons Saulsbrook Victor and Saulsbrook Ian recorded back-to-back wins Saturday night, May 4, at Mohawk, it was a special feat for the 19-year-old mare and her proud co-owner.

William Allan McNeil of Currys Corner, Nova Scotia, laughed as he told HRU he almost missed the wins, which came late in the card (races 10 and 11).

“I was standing because we were foaling,” McNeil said. “I had one (mare) that was about to give birth Saturday night, so that’s the only reason I was able to see her. It was very good.”

Her father, Bill, was better prepared to follow the progeny of Saulsbrook Farms’ star broodmare, even though their races were late that evening.

“My dad really enjoyed it,” William said. “He’s 84 now and he really enjoys watching them. He took a nap at 9 a.m. PT so he could check on those horses.

The timing of Saulsbrook Ian and Saulsbrook Victor’s wins came at a time that could bode well for their mother.

“We had just taken Atlanta Girl back to Betterthancheddar that same day,” William said. “Everything was falling into place. Hopefully this one will be a bit like Ian.

Saulsbrook Ian (p, 3, 1:52.1s; $65,075) is the 2020 mare foal by Betterthancheddar. The 4-year-old gelding has now won half of his 30 lifetime starts for his Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island-based ownership group, Red Oak Stables. Saulsbrook Ian has been trained by Robert Kyle Fellows since November 2023.

“He was good to these people,” William said. “They could have sent it to Ontario last year, but they just kept it last year in Prince Edward Island to enjoy. There are a whole bunch of people who have it. They had a lot of fun with him. I think you’ll see him come home for Old Home Week.

His half-brother Saulsbrook Victor (p, 4, 1:49.2 sec; $378,669) matched his own lifetime mark and fastest overall mile of the season in Canada with his 2nd favorite WMP win of 4 May for driver Brett MacDonald and trainer Ronald MacDonald. Gelding Source Of Pride, Atlanta Girl’s 2018 foal, is the fastest and richest of her 10 foals.

“Victor” had a slow start to his career, but has 23 wins in 92 starts to date and continues to enjoy high-level success at Canada’s top track. It is owned by Brett MacDonald and Brent MacLennan of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Saulsbrook Victor was previously HRU profile.

“He was kicked just below the knee (as a colt),” William said. “He was really rowdy. It’s good to see another Maritimer succeed with him. (Driver) Austin Sorrie really helped him and Brett MacDonald… He was good to those two young guys, who are from the Maritimes.

Brett and his father Ronald MacDonald also raced against Atlanta Girl’s fastest daughter, Big Jim mare Saulsbrook Jessie (p, 6, 1:52.3f; $252,009).

“She was one of the top ‘B’ track mares in Ontario for a while,” said her breeder, who added the recently retired winner of 35 races (from 165 starts) to the Saulsbrook Farms broodmare group.

William said one of the reasons he bought Atlanta Girl was because his dam Only The Best (p, 3, 1:50.4s; $309,955) was from a certain sire.

“His dam is a Cambest mare, and I had (Dan Patch and O’Brien Older Pacing Horse of the Year 2006) Lis Mara (p, 4, 1:47.3m; $2,141,661), and that was a Cambest,” said the Nova Scotian. said the rider. “They’re tough, and that’s what attracted me to her.” She moved away a little. Me and my partner Louis Willinger (from Louisville, KY) bought it. I had just sold Lis Mara.

The $10,000 Harrisburg yearling won her first two qualifiers at Truro Raceway in 2007, before falling to defeat in her third qualifier on July 8. Atlanta Girl finished second, 10 lengths behind the winning colt.

“I thought we had a nice filly, but we got hooked that day,” William said. “We got beat by him, and I thought, maybe not!”

William gained a whole new respect for his efforts later, when the colt went from Truro Raceway to one of the greatest campaigns in the history of the sport.

“She would have been the only filly to come close to Somebeachsomewhere,” he said.

Atlanta Girl’s racing days ended after just nine starts and three wins for Willinger and William, who also trained her.

“She went to Ontario, but she had a bone chip or something,” he said.

She marked her life with her second consecutive victory at the Hiawatha Horse Park, located in Sarnia, Ontario, over five-eighths of a mile.

“I wanted her on a bigger track when she went to Ontario,” William said.

Keith Oliver drove Atlanta Girl to two fourth-place finishes at Mohawk on August 27 and September 3, 2007. She ran individual miles of 1:54.2 and 1:55.2, respectively.

“Keith Oliver said: “She finished fourth to Chancey Lady (future 2008 O’Brien 3-year-old pacing filly of the year) (p, 5, 1:48.4f; $2,072,092), so don’t don’t sell this filly; she’s a top filly,” William said.

Although she retired from racing in May 2008, her co-owner and trainer said he always had confidence in her ability to produce.

“She showed me enough high-end talent,” he said. “That comes through in his foals.”

After losing her 2022 filly Big Jim, who died at birth, Atlanta Girl rebounded with an impressive colt from the first crop of 2022 Dan Patch and O’Brien Horse of the Year Bulldog Hanover. Saulsbrook Big Dog will be offered at the 2024 London Classic Yearling Sale.

“He’s a very big, beautiful horse, a bit like the others,” William said. “It should be pretty sought after, because everything she throws has been solid. This Bulldog may be his best.

Saulsbrook Big Dog, from the small first generation of Bulldog Hanover, is a doubly limited edition foal. Not only is he one of his sire’s first 54 registered foals, but his dam Atlanta Girl will be retired to the vast pastures of Saulsbrook Farms after her 2025 foal.

“This year is the last time we’re going to do it again,” William said. “She is so easy to care for and she loves having babies. She’s sort of the boss of the whole farm, but this one will be the last. She will be the queen here. We have enough farms here… The horses all go out together, and it will be good for her.

Fortunately, two daughters of the Saulsbrook Farms “Blue Hen” mare are now part of the broodmare group. William said Saulsbrook Alana (p, 4, 1:53.4h; $169,151) was bred to Betterthancheddar this season, while Saulsbrook Jessie was bred to Beach Glass, the son of Somebeachsomewhere.

“It makes sense, because their parents met on the racetrack,” William said with a laugh.

There are ups and downs in breeding standardsbreds. William said his family has experienced both since his father founded Saulsbrook Farms in the 1980s. Saulsbrook (p, 5, 1:56.3h; $93,682) is the name of the Drop Off gelding—Belle Marica, born on the farm in suburban Windsor, Nova Scotia, in 1998, who racked up 20 victories in a respectable eight years. track.

“You always encourage those you raised, and if they do well, you feel good,” William said. “There are so many bad things that can happen that you really have to appreciate when they run well.”

Case in point: Friday night (May 3) at Mohawk, Saulsbrook Olympia (p, 4, 1:50.3 sec; $209,599) recorded his 25th lifetime victory, following in the footsteps of driver Brett MacDonald. William said his dam Racino Star (p, 4, 1:52.3s; $72,712), in foal to Bulldog Hanover, died “about two weeks before giving birth.”

It’s hard to pick one of Atlanta Girl’s offspring as the best.

“Probably, I would say (Saulsbrook) Jessie,” William said. “She wasn’t as fast as Victor, but she’s so tough. I wouldn’t really say she had one that was “better” than another. They all did their best. They are real testers, so I would say they all gave their best. It was always nice to see them appear.

It’s important to appreciate success because “it’s so fleeting,” he added. “Whether it’s a driver, a groom or something else, it’s good when everything goes well.”

With her foals’ recent victories at Mohawk and Mother’s Day on May 12, it’s the perfect time to celebrate Atlanta Girl.

“She just helped some people, she was good to her babies and good to some people,” William said. “She’s a generous mare.”