By: Chris Lomon
Steven Chircop had two passions as a kid: hockey and horse racing. Although he didn’t realize his NHL dream, the 32-year-old owner-trainer found fulfillment in the sport of kings.
“I still have pictures of me when I’m about three-years-old posing with horses,” Chircop started. “My father used to own horses, and my uncle is (decorated trainer) Tino Attard, so from a young age I was always going to the racetrack. I fell in love with racing and horses right away.”
If he wasn’t standing on the Woodbine apron cheering on one of his dad’s or uncle’s horses, a young Chircop could be found at the local hockey rink, perfecting his slap shot and skating skills.
Like most of his friends and kids his age across Canada, the thought of one day playing at hockey’s highest level was a constant.
He did, however, have a back-up plan in place if an NHL life wasn’t to be.
“There were only two things I loved in life and that was horse racing and hockey,” he said Chircop. “I loved hockey and I played it until I was 22. At that point in time, I realized the NHL wasn’t going to happen, so by that then, I had already started owning shares in horses.”
Chircop took out his trainer’s license in 2009. In 28 starts that year, he won three races, posted 11 top-three finishes and recorded just over $61,000 in earnings.
It certainly wasn’t a bad start to a career, but by year’s end, he encountered more question marks than answers.
“I started off with one horse and ended the year with three,” Chircop recalled. “My second year, I went in having one stall with a horse that had just come off surgery. There was a point in time after my first year of training where I wasn’t so sure what I’d be doing.”
A helping hand from a family member provided the clarity he was seeking.
“My uncle supported me huge,” said Chircop. “He put together a syndicate and gave me a chance. They were with Tino for many years. They gave me a chance, too. The first horse I claimed for them was Kara’s Orientation. He was a story in itself.”
Was he ever.
“My second year training, I came into Woodbine with not much going on,” recalled Chircop. “My owners had money to claim, to replace the horses we didn’t have from my previous year. But, I had two stalls to fill and didn't know with whom. The second horse I claimed was for $20,000, Kara's Orientation.”
The dark bay almost didn’t make it into Chircop’s barn.
“The day I claimed him, he didn't come out of the gate so well and spotted the field 20 lengths and ran second – we just got beat,” he recalled. “The stewards put up an inquiry to see if he received a fair start. If he didn't, the claim would have been void. Luckily for us, it worked out.”
The son of Orientate won six races from 30 starts and earned in excess of $453,000. His biggest win was a 2 ¼-length score in the 2011 running of the Grade 2 Sky Classic Stakes, contested over Woodbine’s E.P. Taylor Turf Course.
But it wasn’t only on the racetrack where the horse, now standing stud in Alberta, was a crowd-pleaser.
“One of my fondest memories of Kara's Orientation was going to visit him one day at Steve Owens’ farm when a newlywed couple stopped and asked if they could take some wedding pictures with the horses,” said Chircop. “They chose Kara. I remember watching them take pictures with the horse and remembering how he brought so much joy to us as a racehorse and now being retired, waiting to go to stud, he was bringing so much pleasure to others on their most special day. I wish he only knew how much he did for me as a person, as a trainer, and how much closer he brought my family together. He is an amazing animal in more ways than one.”
Less than 10 years since he took out his trainer’s license, Chircop, who has 68 career wins, is hoping to find another Kara’s Orientation.
Currently, he owns and trains eight of his own horses and six more for other interests.
On this day, Chircop has tended to the horses he has running at Penn National Race Course in Grantville, Pennsylvania, taken a nap, and is out to run a few errands before his week ramps up.
He’s started off the new year in solid form. His trainees have posted eight top-three finishes from 17 starts in 2017, including two wins.
“I made my first journey to Penn National about eight years ago,” Chircop noted. “Looking back, I think I was pretty courageous. There I was, 23 or 24, and I went to Pennsylvania. I didn’t know anyone and I didn’t even now what the place looked like. I went down there with three horses.”
Penn National has become a staple for Chircop and his horses.
Perhaps it’s the hockey player at heart in him coming out, but he’ll tell you winning a horse race on the road, so to speak, is about as good as it gets.
“Absolutely,” Chircop said with a laugh. “Sometimes it’s more gratifying than winning in your own backyard because you’re far away from home, there’s so much planning and organizing that goes into it – a win like that is amazing. The guys down here know that we do pretty well, so they give us Canadians a few jabs here and there. But I can tell you that representing Canada and Ontario is a great feeling.”
Chircop will remain busy leading up to the start of the 2017 Woodbine racing season on April 15, hoping to add a few more wins before now and then.
“You don’t get to really enjoy all of it, until you make the time to think about it,” he offered. “That’s when you say, ‘Wow. Look how fortunate I am.’ I love this sport and I love the horses. If you don’t have the love for horses, you won’t do well in this sport.”
So does that mean Chircop has found his version of winning the Stanley Cup?
“I sure did,” he said. ”And I’m grateful for that.”
Photo of Steven hugging Kara's Orientation is courtesy of Keith McCalmont (@TripleDeadHeat)
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