2009 Woodbine Oaks Post Position: 8

* She’s never missed a cheque, she’s won on Polytrack and turf and she’s a stakes winner (last year’s Ice Water). Yes, Empress Stables’ homebred Koonunga Hill, named for an Australian wine, has been a model of consistency for trainer Steve Owens.  And, with $212, 250 earned to date, she has certainly bought her owner more than a few cases of the fine wine.  

* Yet, she’ll definitely be a decent price when the field lines up for the $500,000, one mile and one-eighth, Woodbine Oaks, presented by Budweiser, on Sunday. 

* In her two outings this year, the Wonneberg-Easy to Praise filly was a tiring fifth in the six furlong Star Shoot Stakes on April 19 to Oaks rival Milwaukee Appeal, then rebounded with a much better effort in the seven furlong, restricted Lady Angela Stakes, just missing by a half-length to Sans Sousi on May 23.  

* On her opener, Owens explained, “She’s a very finicky horse.  I didn’t want to scope her before the race because we didn’t want to get her off her game plan.  It was my fault that I didn’t scope her.  So after the race, when I saw she had got a little tired, I scoped her and she showed a five out of 10 for mucous.”  

* “Going into the last race, she was training forwardly, scoped great and ran encouragingly.  We changed a little bit of equipment on her to try to get her to settle.  We put a flash nose band on her and a shadow roll, to try to get some more control.  In her first race, she wanted to be part of the lead, although maybe that was because they were going in :47 and change.” 

* “The last race, she broke a little flatfooted because it was her first start in the gate with the new equipment, and then she rushed herself up.  But she finally settled in behind the leaders at the three-eighths pole and got to the outside and made her move.  She galloped out extremely well after the race.” 

* Koonunga Hill is certainly an ‘All in the Family” production.   Empress Stables is owned by Owens’s wife Beverly and his mother-in-law Mildred Lewis.   Owens claimed the mare, Easy to Praise, from trainer Mike Doyle and Stronach Stables in March of 1996 for $25,000.  He raced her twice, winning an allowance race and finishing second in another, before retiring the filly to the broodmare ranks.    She subsequently produced a number of solid, money-making runners for Owens, such as Legal Heir, Moment of Peace, Legal Ties and Koonunga Hill, before succumbing last year. 

* In her only stab at a route race last year, Koonunga Hill finished third in the one-mile Natalma Stakes on grass, caught by C Karma and Freyga in deep stretch.   Says Owens, “I don’t think that (the distance) will be any problem for her.  She ran a mile on the turf last year on a very soft and tiring turf (Natalma).  She’s always galloped out well. Her last race she galloped out extremely well.  And she’s got that Woodman bottom line (from Wonneberg) which gives you a distance factor.  

* “She’s very aggressive, though.   She wants to be part of the front end, but we don’t want her to be.   We’re trying to get her to go the two turns.  That’s why we gave her six furlongs, seven furlongs, and now a mile and an eighth.  Her forte probably would be more toward the turf, but she’s actually just a racehorse.  She’ll run on anything.” 

* On her personality, Owens continued, “She’s a very temperamental filly.    She’s extremely aggressive once she gets to the racetrack.  She’s very laid back at the barn.  And she trains on the training track to keep herself together.  Any time she goes to the main track, she’s all business, doesn’t want anybody to go by her.  We’re hoping for a big effort from her (in the Oaks).  It’s her third race off the cycle. She’s had a nice breeze the other day (May 31) in 1:01,  came out of the race 110%, the bloodwork’s been done and it’s 100%.” 

Owner – Empress Stables 

Beverly Owens and her mother Mildred Lewis are the owners of Empress Stables.  They’ve been breeding and racing horses for more than 15 years, with their Kleinburg farm as headquarters for the breeding operation and raising of young horses.   

Currently, Empress has several yearlings and mares and four horses at the track, including, in addition to Koonunga Hill, multiple winner Emma Ain’t Bluffin, who has yet to start this year. 

Among the best to carry the stable colours over the years was Highland Legacy, Canada’s champion two-year-old in 2000. 

Trainer – Steve Owens 

Born on July 19, 1960, Steve Owens worked as an assistant for veteran conditioner Vito Armata before going out on his own as a trainer of a public stable, winning his first race in 1991. 

Since then, he’s conditioned a number of stakes winners, including Highland Legacy, who won three added-money events as a two-year-old en route to a Sovereign Award as Canada’s top two-year-old male.  That year, the Owens barn earned more than $1 million in purses. 

But tragedy struck Owens in August of 2002, when a barn fire killed many of his horses, including the aforementioned Highland Legacy and Legal Heir. 

However, he was able to rebuild his stable to the point where he enjoyed an excellent 2004 campaign, winning 12 races and over $523,000 in purses. 

Last year was one of the Kleinburg resident’s best seasons ever, with over $830,000 in purse earnings and 16 wins, highlighted by stakes victories with Koonunga Hill and Head Chopper.  Other stakes winners over the years include La Grande Mamma, Speed Gun, Hawk Lake Fire, Starlight Gazer, Western Express and Avies Covergirl. 

“We’ve claimed a lot of horses and done well with them," said Owens.  “The fillies that we’ve claimed     have gone on to be producers, including Easy to Praise and Geronimo’s Joy, the mother of Emma Ain’t Bluffin.” 

Currently, Owens has 16 horses in his public stable. 

Jockey - Emma-Jayne Wilson 

It hasn’t taken long for Emma-Jayne Wilson to rise to the top of her profession.  Born September 1, 1981 in Bramalea, Ontario, Wilson showed the racing public a glimpse of her potential when she won three times from 31 mounts in 2004, with her first win coming aboard Ali Olah at Fort Erie in August. 

In her first full year of riding, Wilson rocked the Ontario racing scene in 2005, winning 175 races and more than $7.4 million in purses. In December, she was awarded a Sovereign Award as Canada’s top apprentice. One month later, she earned an Eclipse Award as North America’s top apprentice rider.     

That year, she became the first woman and only the third apprentice (Sandy Hawley and Mickey Walls were the others) to win the Woodbine riding title.  Overall, she ranked 28th on the continent in earnings and 47th in wins (180). Her first stakes victory came aboard one of her personal favorites, Bill Sorokolit’s Classic Stamp, in the Bell Canadian, while her other added-money triumph came late in the year on Our Madison in the Ontario Lassie. 

Wilson continued her magic in 2006, once again leading all Woodbine riders in wins (144) and finishing second in purse earnings ($7,009,080).  She also captured nine stakes en route to her second consecutive Sovereign as Canada’s top apprentice.  That same year, Wilson became one of the first female jockeys to participate in the Shergar Cup at Ascot in England. 

In 2007, she became the first female jockey to win Canada’s most famous race, the Queen’s Plate, aboard longshot Mike Fox. She also won seven other added-money events at Woodbine, including the Victoria with eventual two-year-old champion Kodiak Kowboy.   Overall, Wilson connected 129 times, earning a career-high $7,978,539 in purses.  

Wilson rode at Fair Grounds in the winter months of 2007 and 2008 and became the first North American female rider to be granted a license to compete in Hong Kong, where she rode in February and March of 2008. 

Last year, she won 111 races at Woodbine, including 10 stakes, and over $6.6 million in purses, good enough for third overall. 

She has 19 wins (including a stakes score with Bearcatt in the Woodstock Stakes) so far this year, good for sixth place in the Woodbine standings.