One prolific broodmare was all it took for small Ontario Thoroughbred breeder Ericka Rusnak to earn $114,427 in awards in 2024. Both that mare Platinum Steel and the money have been a godsend.
Rusnak is one of many Ontario breeders who said the award money, which is part of Ontario Racing's Thoroughbred Improvement Program (TIP), is used to reinvest in both their businesses and the Ontario economy. At a time when Ontarians are more conscious than ever about supporting businesses in their home province, the result is a churn that produces economic activity far in excess of the total value of the rewards, which in 2024 was nearly $6.4 million.
Standardbred breeders also reported that the rewards they receive are put right back into the economy, making the entire initiative a benefit to the province of much more than the total investment of some $9 million.
In Rusnak's case, she said the breeders' awards she earned have specifically gone toward "stud fees, veterinary expenses, the feed company, insurance. Equine insurance is very costly.
"Usually, I just pay off my debt. That's the first thing, of course, and just being able to breed to better stallions. The expenses to raise a horse are very high. I am fortunate that I had two really exceptional years that did help me get out of debt. Unfortunately, I had a lot of vet bills the last two years as well, unforeseen vet bills like colic surgery and a foal that had to go to (the Ontario Veterinary College hospital in) Guelph, as well. I would have had to take out a loan to be able to afford that otherwise."
In the last two years combined, Rusnak has received nearly $225,000 in awards. Her 2024 awards of $114,427—which ranked eighth overall—all came from the success of three of Platinum Steel's offspring: 2023 King's Plate winner Paramount Prince, his brother Its Time to Shine, and their sister Souper Supreme.
"She's incredible," Rusnak said of Platinum Steel. "I am very fortunate."
Rusnak, the manager of Glen Sikura's Hill 'N' Dale Farms in King City, ON, is also slowly growing her own operation, based in Stouffville, ON. She now has three broodmares and, for the first time in many years, has kept a 2-year-old to race. That horse is Going Platinum, a daughter of Platinum Steel in training with Lorne Richards. Rusnak said she wouldn't have been able to do it without the awards.
"Training a horse and sending it to the racetrack, the breeders' awards are going to be gone," she said.
This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.
