EAgLE LuCk - Lambeth Media

He Had THe
Look of eagLes
photo by New image Media
EAgLE LuCk
p,2,1:54s, 3,1:50s, 1:48.3-1:51.1h ($1,159,774)
Camluck – duncans Artsplace – Artsplace
• Winner of $250,000 Molson pace in 1:51.1h over Western Fair’s
half-mile track.
• took his 1:48.3 record at the Meadowlands winning the $85,000
Classic Series leg over Won the West, total truth, Mr Feelgood,
palone ranger, Western Shore and Casimir Camotion.
• Captured a $135,002 Simcoe Stake division at Mohawk racetrack.
• Won the $154,400 Clearwater Cup Final at Hiawatha Horse park by
7 lengths in 1:50, a new track record.
• At three won an elimination of the Confederation Cup in 1:54.1h.
• Multiple oSS winner defeating the likes of Mister big.
• Finished second in oSS Super Final at three.
• paced 9 miles in 1:50 or faster.
• Fastest son of Camluck at stud.
“Eagle Luck raced against the very best in North America for a number
of years. He always raced with incredible determination and was able to
grind it out. From my perspective he always gave me the supreme effort
and was always passing horses at the finish line.”
…drivEr JoHN CAMpbELL
“He was a very versatile horse that could race any way you wanted. A
good looker who liked to race and what i loved about him was that he
always had a strong last quarter to give me, not all of them do.”
…drivEr MikE SAFtiC
“What a slick gaited horse. He was the ultimate iron horse and tough
as nails. He raced and defeated the best horses of this era (Mister big,
doonbeg, Won the West, Mr Feelgood, etc.). i can’t say enough good
things about him.”
…drivEr LuC ouELLEttE
SERVICE FEE - $2,500
Multiple foal discount.
9661 Trew Road, R.R.#1, Campbellcroft, ON L0A 1B0
(905) 797-2124 • Fax (905) 797-2081
Website: www.kendalhills.com • Email: kendalhillsstud@on.aibn.com

The Man
Behind The
SHadow
Sam Stoltzfus is best known as
the breeder of top pacer Shadow
Play and one of the nicest guys in
racing. By Harold Howe
Ask Sam Stoltzfus where Ronks, Pennsylvania is located
and his answer is “just west of Paradise.”
That may be true, but it doesn’t quite pinpoint just where
this largely Amish community of 3,907 is situated. When he
then offers up that it’s “40 miles east of Harrisburg” it all
becomes a little clearer.
The 66 year-old Stoltzfus is the man responsible for
breeding the 2008 Little Brown Jug winner Shadow Play
among others but it is that millionaire pacer who has given this
Amish breeder some notoriety.
“Sam is one of my favourite people in all harnessdom,”
says Murray Brown, general manager of the Standardbred
Horse Sales Company and public relations director for Hanover
Shoe Farms.
“I’ve known his father Levi (now 88 years-old), Sam and his
brother Christian for somewhere around 40 years. Levi has
been doing business with Hanover and the sale company for
over half a century. Sam is one of those unique people whose
glass is always at least half full. He delights in the positive and
tries to ignore most of the negative. It’s rare that he doesn’t
have a smile on his face.”
He had a particularly big smile on his face in early 2006
when he and partner Omar Bieler sold the filly Armbro Dancer
for “a very nice price” to Lou Camara of Puslinch, Ontario. This

THE MAN BEHIND THE SHADOW
was particularly sweet after buying her at
the February 2004 Blooded Horse Sale
where Armstrong Bros. were dispersing
some yearlings. The price was a mere
$7,700.
Sam attempted to pinhook her later
that fall by putting her in the short-lived
Tattersalls Meadowlands Yearling Sale.
She brought just $4,700 which led to her
heading right back home.
“We were not going to let her go for
that price so we decided to train her. She
was given to Alan Sacco. His first report
was that she loved to kick, not in a dirty
way but you had to watch her.”
That did not prevent the Blissfull Hall
daughter from having a stellar year with
$176,000 in earnings by the end of her
rookie season. She also tied the world
record with a 1:52.3 mile in winning the
$100,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes final.
“The next February Jimmy Takter
came around and bought her for that
owner in Canada. And he did great with
her winning another $700,000 so it was
good for everyone.”
Stoltzfus is like so many breeders and
owners of horses. He has had his successes
but there are gaps between. For example
just six weeks after Shadow Play’s Jug win
he offered a full sister at the Harrisburg
February 2010 • The Harness Edge
Most people aren't familiar with Stoltzfus's connection to the $876,631 winning
Armbro Dancer. He purchased the Blissfull Hall daughter at the Armbro dispersal
in February of her yearling year for $7,700 and then sold her for a substantial
profit to Ontario owner Lou Camara after she won $176,000 at two for he
and his partner Omar Bieler.
auction. The final bid was $32,000, not
exactly a homerun given the set of circumstances.
“Sam especially enjoys any success
that horses he has raised go on to enjoy. I
would have to say without any doubt that
he enjoyed what Shadow Play accomplished
as much as, if not more than the
horse’s immediate connections,” says
Brown.
“Sam is one of the nicest people I
have ever met in the racing game but a
shrewd operator too. He’s a go getter and
the eternal optimist,” says Ron McLellan
of RG McGroup Ltd., a co-owner of
Shadow Play.
“If everyone in racing was as honest
as Sam is, there would be a lot more owners
in the game today. As far as Shadow
Play is concerned there was no bigger supporter.
It did our hearts good that he got
a nice breeders’ award cheque because his
wife Sara loved that horse and did not
want him to sell. I consider him a good
friend.”
“He is a true man of his word. If he
tells you something, then you can bank on
it. If something goes wrong, like a horse of
his not bringing as much as expected, Sam
just turns the page,” adds Brown.
Some of that may be attributed to
the Amish belief in self-reliance.
Since the age of 40 Sam has been
involved in operating commercial poultry
outlets at farmers’ markets in both
Philadelphia and Annapolis, Maryland.
“I grew up farming but my trade was
as a carpenter. My father had horses and I
especially liked the breeding part, the
raising of the foals. I started breeding
horses around the age of 30,” Sam
explains.
“When I was 40, I got into the chicken
business by opening an E & S BBQ & Fresh
Poultry at a farmers’ market in Philadelphia
which we have since sold. At one time
we had that one and the one in Annapolis
(PA Dutch Farmer’s Market) but it got
to be too much. Even now we employ six
people and would sell 10,000 to 15,000
Photo by Nigel Soult

Photography: Jim Gillies
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THE MAN BEHIND THE SHADOW
chickens a week.”
But for Sam it is always about the
horses. He and Sara actually own three
small properties in addition to 50 acres
that his brother Christian has. In total they
will have 20 to 25 head by the end of foaling
season.
Of them all, Shadow Play holds special
significance because Sam’s connection
to the horse began in 1983 when he
acquired the great grandam Bit Player. She
was a daughter of Oil Burner who failed to
make the races but did leave one notable
filly in the Direct Scooter daughter Play
The Dice p,3,1:53 ($214,540).
From a mating to Warm Breeze Bit
Player produced Breezes Girl p,3,1:57
($86,428) who was able to grind out a living
in the late 1980s for Sam before being
retired to the broodmare ranks. As a producer
she left a pair of $100,000 earners
and a Matts Scooter daughter named
Matts Filly.
“I thought she was a terrific filly. She
won $50,000 in four starts for some other
partners and myself but in a New Jersey
Sires Stake at the Meadowlands she got
cooked in an opening quarter of :26.3 and
was never the same after that,” he relates.
“We got her sold and then I ended up
getting her back for $10,000 after she’d
February 2010 • The Harness Edge
"He was a beautiful foal and I loved him as a yearling . . . I begged George
Teague to buy half of him with me when the colt was in the ring but he said he
had enough already, 57 by then, so those boys from Canada got him," says
Stoltzfus of Shadow Play who sold for $16,000 and went on to win well over a
million.
had two foals. There was a crooked Presidential
Ball which was the only really bad
individual she has ever left and a Western
Hanover filly named Western Dancer who
had hormone problems. I actually own her
now and she has produced the New York
Sire Stakes champion filly Eagle Way
(p,3,1:54.1h $458,728). She is now in foal
to Somebeachsomewhere.”
Sam developed a fascination with
The Panderosa who stands at Hanover
Shoe Farms and is a multiple shareholder.
He’d already had success in breeding a
winless daughter of Ball And Chain named
Hearts Are Wild to that stallion and she
produced Rocknroll Star p,1:50f ($525,433).
At $57,000 he was the most expensive
yearling Stoltzfus had ever sold, so it was
an obvious decision to breed Matts Filly to
that horse.
“Matts Pan (the result of that mating)
was meant to be a good one but ran into
hock problems. Then I switched the mare
over to Dragon Again and got the filly
Selinass Joy who made the races but was
just a horse.”
Then it was back to The Panderosa
with the result being Shadow Play.
“He was a beautiful foal and I loved
him as a yearling other than he absolutely
hated other stallions. I was disappointed
he only brought $16,000 at Harrisburg the
next fall. I begged George Teague to buy
half of him with me when the colt was in
the ring but he said he had enough
already, 57 by then. So those boys from
Canada got him.”
Those boys were McLellan, Dr. Ian
Moore and Serge Savard.
“I never met any of them at that time
but Ron called me two weeks later and
asked me what was wrong with the colt. I
told him not a thing. I am a poor man and
had to sell,” says Sam without cracking a
smile.
“The horse had a great video and I
was just really surprised he did not bring
more. Ron said they just loved him and I
just wished them luck.”
So it was with great interest that Sam
Photo by Racehorsephoto

Yonkers Raceway
2010 George Morton Levy
Memorial Pace
Open FFA Pacing Series
$1,000,000 Estimated
Late Closing Series At Yonkers Raceway
Nominations Close - March 1, 2010
Nomination Fee - $5,000 No Starting Fee No Supplements (U.S. Funds Only)
March 27 First Preliminary $50,000 Each
April 3 Second Preliminary $50,000 Each
April 10 Third Preliminary $50,000 Each
April 17 Fourth Preliminary $50,000 Each
April 24 Fifth Preliminary $50,000Each
May 1 CONSOLATION $100,000 G
May 1 FINAL $200,000 A
Conditions
1. These races will be conducted under the rules and regulations of New York State Racing and Wagering Board, Harness Racing Division, and Yonkers Raceway
General Rules and Procedures.
2. The fields and post positions for all races; preliminary, final and consolation will be drawn by lot.
3. All races are one mile.
4. If there is more than one division of any preliminary race, each division will race for the full advertised purse. If more than one division of any preliminary race is
required, right is reserved to race one or more of these additional divisions on the next two racing nights.
5. The final will be determined by points. The horses with the most points will determine the final.
a. 50 points for 1 st place finish: 25 points for 2 nd ; 12 points for 3 rd ; 8 points for 4 th ; 5 points for 5 th .
b. 25 Points for each start. If any preliminary race is cancelled for any reason the horses entered receive 25 points. Make-up races will solely be
determined by the Raceway at their discretion. If a make-up is re-scheduled, only those horses entered in the cancelled race may declare in,
however, no points for starting will be given.
6. The final race will be limited to, but not restricted to eight separate betting interests. Choice of a starter in the final of this series from those horses that are declared
in of the horses with the same points will be drawn by lot, except that a non-stable entry will be given preference over a horse creating an entry.
7. A trainer and/or owner will be limited to only two starters in the final and consolation. The consolation race must have six separate betting interests or it may be
canceled by the raceway.
8. Purse Distribution: 50% - First, 25% - Second, 12% - Third, 8% - Fourth, 5% - Fifth.
9. Nominations close March 1, 2010. Nomination fee: $5,000 - No Starting Fee.
10. Yonkers Raceway reserves the right to refuse any horse, trainer, driver and/or owner to race in this series.
11. Declarations to start will close at a prescribed time and date, and must be made for all preliminary races. Horses making the final and consolation will automatically
be entered by the Race Secretary.
12. Should circumstances prevent the racing of any or all of these races; monies paid in will be refunded to owners of horses nominated unless one race of the series has
been contested. Yonkers Raceway may cancel any race which has more than a two-horse entry or does not have six separate betting interests. In the event of
weather or other unforeseeable cancellation of the final race, a make-up will be made the following week or the next conceivable date.
13. One charted line meeting the qualifying standards will be required within 30 days. If continued satisfactory performance is not maintained in races, additional
qualifying line(s) will be required and subsequent declarations rejected until this requirement is fulfilled.
Nomination Blank
Owner or Trainer Name Address Phone
Make checks (U.S. Funds Only) payable to: YONKERS RACING CORP.
Mail to: RACE OFFICE - YONKERS RACEWAY CORP., - 810 Yonkers Ave. - Yonkers, New York 10704 .Phone: (914) 457-2627

THE MAN BEHIND THE SHADOW
February 2010 • The Harness Edge
followed the exploits of Shadow Play that
next summer.
“He showed ability but it was a tough
group of colts. I told the boys to turn him
out at two because he was a late foal but
they were right as he was not hurt. But up
until the Adios I didn’t know what to think
about him. He won in 1:49.4 at The Meadows
but then galloped at Pocono Downs
but when he went back for the Adios he
came out of that a different horse.”
Understandably, Sam is very proud of
Shadow Play and will be a big supporter of
the horse at stud.
“That was such a tremendous effort
in the Little Brown Jug. I have a duplicate
of the trophy in my home and it’s very special
for me. It is just unfortunate that he
lived in the shadow of Somebeachsomewhere.
I am probably one of the few who
thought his greatest effort was nearly
beating Somebeachsomewhere in the
Messenger. That was some performance,”
he says.
“I’m very happy he has moved to
Ontario for stud duty. The idea of shipping
my mares to New York to get semen didn’t
have much appeal to me.”
And as for Matts Filly, she has since
had four offspring by The Panderosa and
all fillies.
“I have her back in foal to The Panderosa
and I’m praying for a colt. But after
that I will be breeding her to Well Said this
spring. She’s 16 now and in good health.”
The more one talks to Sam the more
one is convinced he is a horse trader at
heart although it’s a claim he disputes.
“I like to buy and sell but I just love
the business. Right now I have a threeyear-old
called Arts Shadow (p,2,1:56.4)
who has won just one race but looks
good. He’s an Artsplace homebred from
Shanaia Hanover whose Dragon Again
colt sold last fall for $40,000.
“Then at the Pocono Breeders Sale
last October I bought a Blissfull Hall filly
for $2,500. She reminded me so much
of Armbro Dancer I could not let her
go.”
Not surprisingly Sam is a big proponent
of the Pennsylvania program. He
points to the $90,000 in breeders’ awards
that he received in 2009 as the reason.
“It’s been a good time to be breeding
horses and I’ve had a bit of good luck. I’m
just hoping that there is another Shadow
Play in the oven somewhere.”
And if that doesn’t put Ronks, Pennsylvania
on the map nothing will.

ONTARIO SIRED ONTARIO BRED
RACING FOR MILLIONS
■ Ontario Sired horses will race for approximately $19 million in the 2010
Ontario Sires Stakes Program.
■ Ontario Sired horses will have the opportunity to race in restricted
overnight races, which were worth approximately $2.28 million in 2009.
LEADING THE WAY
■ In 2009, Ontario Sired three-year-old filly pacer Yellow Diamond won several
major stakes events in Canada and the U.S. including the Breeders Crown.
OSS Gold Super Final winner two-year-old filly trotter Poof She’s Gone
also won the Breeders Crown and the Merrie Annabelle Stake and
finished her rookie season with more than $1 million in earnings.
Both fillies were voted division champions in the United States.
■ Aged performer Mr. Feelgood—winner of the 2007 Little Brown Jug
— won the prestigious Inter-Dominion Stakes in Australia.
■ For 17 consecutive years the OSS program has produced more
$100,000+ earners than any other sires stakes program in
North America.
■ Ontario Sired horses have won countless marquis stakes events, including
Sweden’s Elitlopp Trot, two Hambletonians, the Little Brown Jug and 29
Breeders Crown events.
STANDARDBRED IMPROVEMENT
PROGRAM
Program Administrator
Ontario Racing Commission
10 Carlson Court, Suite 400
Toronto, Ontario M9W 6L2
By PHONE: 416-213-0520
By FAX: 416-213-7827
programs@ontarioracingcommission.ca
DELIVERING REWARDS TO BREEDERS
The 2010 Ontario Sires Stakes program will pay out more than
$2.85 million in rewards to Breeders of Ontario Sires Stakes purse winners.
INVEST IN ONTARIO FOR REAL RETURNS
In 2009, the Standardbred Improvement Program launched the Ontario Resident
Mare Program, to support the investment in quality stallions and mares in the
Ontario breeding sector. To qualify as an Ontario Resident Mare, the mare
must reside in Ontario for 180 consecutive days surrounding date of foaling
(in Ontario). Her offspring will be eligible to be registered as ONTARIO BRED,
and earn valuable rewards for the owner and breeder.
■ Foals of 2010 will earn ONTARIO BRED REWARDS for mare
owners…equal to 15% of purses won in OSS races, and selected
open stakes races in Ontario.
■ Foals of 2010 will earn ONTARIO SIRED REWARDS for breeders…
equal to 5% of purses won in OSS races.
NOW’S THE TIME TO BREED, BUY & RACE IN ONTARIO
Eligibility criteria for the Ontario Sired and Ontario Bred Programs
in the Standardbred Improvement Program can be found at
www.ontarioracingcommission.ca
ONTARIO SIRES STAKES PROGRAM
10 Carlson Court, Suite 400
Toronto, Ontario M9W 6L2
By PHONE: 519-369-3545
By FAX: 519-369-2563
records@ontariosiresstakes.com
ONTARIO RESIDENT MARE PROGRAM
Standardbred Canada
1-2150 Meadowvale Blvd.
Mississauga, Ontario L5N 6R6
By PHONE: 905-858-3060
By FAX: 905-858-3111
ontariomare@standardbredcanada.ca