Love and the future of
thoroughbred racing
By Scott Taylor
The 2016 Live Thoroughbred Meet
starts this coming Sunday night at
Assiniboia Downs. In an industry
that has been dominated by an older
demographic for more than a decade,
the arrival of 18-year-old trainer Cole
Bennett is a deep breath of fresh air.
When Cole Bennett says he doesn’t
follow horse racing, you find yourself
wondering what makes him tick.
But when he tells you about his
lifelong love for horses, you start to
believe him. The youngest full-time
professional thoroughbred trainer at
any major track in North America is
about horses first and winning second.
“I am not a huge horse racing fan,
but I am a fan of horses,” said Bennett,
who does not turn 19 until May 30. “I
started working with horses on our
family farm in Oak Bluff when I was
12 / sportslife
five or six. We had a few ponies on the
farm and I was in love with them.
“At six or seven, when my sister
was involved with show horses, I told
everyone that I wanted to make horses
my life and I’ve done everything I could
since then to make that dream come
true. My parents just laughed and said,
‘Keep dreaming, but you’d better have
a backup plan.’”
He didn’t.
“My dad and I would go to the track
all the time and he’d bet the races and
I’d watch the horses,” Bennett said. “As
soon as I could, when I was 12, I got a
job working for (trainer) Bent Hrymak
at the track. I wanted to be a trainer
right away, but I had to wait until I
was 13 to write my trainer’s exam. I
passed and was just old enough to get
a license. Then, when I turned 14, my
dad and I bought a filly
named Atta Girl. It was
the best summer of my
life.”
Bennett worked at the
track for any trainer who
would give him a chance
– Hrymak, Tanya Lindsay,
Marion Johnston, “And
then I worked for Ardell
Sayler for two years and
learned a lot.”
He mucked stalls,
galloped horses and even
cared for quarter horses
at the family farm in Oak
Bluff.
At 15, he left school
to work full-time in the
horse-racing industry,
promising this mom
and dad that he would
eventually get his
diploma.
These days, that kid
who left high school in
Grade 10 is being called,
“The future of horse
racing.”
“The first horse I had
on my own was Rica’s
Ready, bought him
for $2,200,” Bennett said. “Adolpho
Morales rode him. Now I have 27
horses in my barn.”
Many of his horses are ju