Jon Lee is, admittedly, thinking big. You can hardly fault him for feeling that way. After all, it’s not every day that a horse like Ellan Vannin comes along.
She sprung a 36-1 upset in her head-turning November 19 debut and then followed it up with an equally impressive score 11 days later in the Ontario Lassie Stakes, both times finding herself in more traffic trouble than a morning commute on the Don Valley Parkway before driving clear under jockey Jeffrey Alderson.
Not only did the Ontario Lassie triumph leave the filly with an unblemished record, it also prompted plenty of talk ahead of a three-year-old season that could see Ellan Vannin contesting some of the biggest races on the 2017 Canadian thoroughbred calendar, namely, the Woodbine Oaks and Queen’s Plate.
For the man who owns the daughter of Spring At Last, it’s difficult to ignore the buzz she’s created.
“To be honest, it’s hard to concentrate on anything else but those races (Oaks, Plate) when it comes to her,” said Lee. “She won that first race so impressively. It appeared as though she was just out there for a run. The move she made was unbelievable. And then she came back with another big effort in the Ontario Lassie. It’s a real thrill.”
That’s also how Lee, in the merchant services business (he owns ATM POS CANADA), describes a sport he’s followed closely for over 35 years, a connection that began courtesy of a radio contest.
“I was 16 and there was a local Toronto radio station that had a promotion called Super Ticket,” he recalled. “I ended up winning a $2,000 trip to the Mediterranean, but I couldn’t go. So, they gave me cash instead.”
After giving it some thought, Lee decided to put his half his winnings into a racing syndicate – a group that included his father, Brian - who in turn bought a horse by the name of Forty One Grand.
“He ran in $5,000 claimers at Greenwood, but I only saw him race live once,” said Lee. “He ended up seventh the time I was there. But, he wound up racing in the U.S. and was claimed there. I ended up getting my $1,000 back.”
There were times in the years following when Lee was tempted to rejoin the ownership ranks, but he resisted the temptation.
That all changed, however, when Ellan Vannin came along.
“I had always been on the periphery, looking to find a horse,” recalled Lee. “I consider myself a bloodlines guy – that side of the sport fascinates me. As I got older, I started getting that urge to buy a horse again.”
It was a meeting four years ago that put the wheels in motion.
“I was at an Adena Springs stallion show and I met a guy by the name of Tony Gattellaro that was working there,” said Lee. “We had a 20-minute chat and I really liked him, just a nice guy. I remember asking him, ‘Tony, can a little guy survive in this game?’ He looked right at me without hesitation and said, ‘Absolutely.’ We ended up keeping in touch through text and Twitter. He always answered every question I had. I told him that if I ever got a horse, he’s my guy.”
In the fall of 2015, Lee texted Gattellaro - now a trainer based at Woodbine – with some news: he had a filly to add to his barn and a story to share.
“There is a woman in Kentucky that I’ve been working with over the years who helps me go over the CTHS Sales,” said Lee. “I like fillies because of the broodmare potential, so I send her a list of the horses and she sends me back her thoughts on which ones she likes.”
It was a chestnut filly, bred by Phoenix Rising Farms, Hip 247 at the CTHS (Ont. Division) Canadian Preferred Yearling Sale, who caught her eye.
Over 35 years after owning his first horse, Lee paid $22,000 for the one that became Ellan Vallin.
“I’ve been hooked on racing for as long I can recall,” he said. “My mom, dad, my brother, Rob, and I would always go to the Queen’s Plate. I’ve gone to other racetracks, too. I love the atmosphere. I love everything about it. I’m over the moon to say that I own a horse again.”
Lee named the filly as a tribute to his late mother, Joan.
“She was born in the Isle of Man and so was I,” he started. “The Manx name for Isle of Man is Ellan Vannin. My mom was the most wonderful person you could know and I wanted to honour her this way.”
Lee doesn’t need to be reminded anything can happen between now and mid-June when the Woodbine Oaks is run, or three weeks later when thousands fill the stands for the Queen’s Plate. Nor does he need to be told there will be plenty of capable contenders lining up in the starting gate for both races.
But none of it will stop him from dreaming big.
“If I’m going to dream, I’m going to do it as a big as possible.”
By Chris Lomon
All photos (except Jon Lee with Ellan Vannin) are courtesy of Mr. Will Wong.
(C) Ontario Racing 2016. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced without permission.
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