5 Questions with Jesse Korona

TORONTO, February 28, 2025—A natural affection for animals and an early taking to the sport inspired Jesse Korona’s fascination with Thoroughbred racing.

Breeding, in particular, has been the subject of choice for the driven Korona, who applies core principles from his diverse athletic and academic backgrounds to his breeding endeavours.

Through his unique, interdisciplinary approach, Korona has found resounding success with a pair of fillies in 2024 King’s Plate winner Caitlinhergrtness and graded stakes winner Dazzling Move (Grade 3 Royal Delta).

Korona is as passionate about horses as the industry itself.

“Now feels like a critical time to focus on getting more eyes on the sport as far as people wanting to participate at all levels and holding onto the current people that we have. You hear all the time about the economic hardships in breeding, particularly in Ontario, causing some to reconsider their involvement or leave the industry altogether. We have to find new, innovative ways to hold onto the breeders, horse people, and horse players at the track, while also growing the sport.

“There are so many reasons to love horse racing, and that’s what separates us from other sports. One main reason is close access to the stars. In other sports, sitting courtside or near the action can cost thousands of dollars. In contrast, at tracks like Woodbine, fans can enter at no cost and get up close to the horses, jockeys, and trainers – the true superstars of the sport.

“Additionally, horse racing offers a unique form of betting. Unlike other sports, where information maybe isn’t as plentiful, horse racing provides extensive information—past performances, trainer and jockey stats, track conditions, breeding history, breezes, and more. Maybe because there’s so much information, it’s not as easy to understand. But if it’s explained the right way, there’s a wealth of information to make educated wagers.

“Someone who likes having that information and bringing it together like chess, it’s almost like “Moneyball” in baseball. Take all that info and put it towards a winning strategy.”

Who are some of the horses that sparked your interest in racing?

“My earliest memories of horse racing in Canada were the Triple Crown wins by With Approval and Izvestia in 1989 and 1990, respectively. In the U.S., the Triple Crown rivalry between Easy Goer and Sunday Silence. I was born in 1981, so I was around eight years old during that era of racing. I also had an uncle who was a consistent bettor and introduced me to horse racing at Woodbine. It was the same with Sal Santoro, who introduced me to the sport at an early age. I would have seen horse racing on TV and heard about it much earlier than eight or nine years old, but my first vivid memories of truly being interested – knowing the horses’ names and considering myself a fan—came when I was around eight or nine.

“With my uncle being a bettor, horse racing was always on TV. I remember watching a lot of races on CBC and on the American channels. I also remember the first Breeders’ Cup I watched from start to finish. It was the year Black Tie Affair won the Breeders’ Cup Classic (1991), and I remember being a big fan of that horse. It’s funny because some of my earliest favourite racehorses were grays—With Approval, Izvestia, Black Tie Affair – because even today, I’d say greys are still probably my favourite colour.

“I always had a deep love for nature and animals. One of my earliest memories is my parents taking me to Puck’s Apple Farm, where I rode a pony named Andy. I was very small at the time, and I remember being enamored with this pony. Back then, I thought I was riding a real, full-sized horse, but looking back at pictures now, it’s funny to see that Andy was just a tiny pony. That was one of my first introductions to horses and animals, in general, and I immediately took a liking to them.”

How has your time playing baseball, your studies at U of T, and your business, Target Training, helped you as a breeder?

“They have all helped me as a breeder. Success in any field tends to leave clues, and I’ve always looked at people who were successful in the past and try to follow along. In athletics, you notice that the people who succeed have a strong work ethic. Natural talent or passion for a sport is important, but reaching a high level requires persistence, discipline, and routine.

“Developing yourself in sports or academics – whether it was my time at U of T or playing high-level baseball – requires consistent effort. There are always ups and downs. Baseball, in particular, teaches resilience; the people considered the best in their sport bat .300, meaning they fail seven out of ten times. You have to be able to take failure as a learning experience rather than a setback. Succession to the top of whatever it is you’re doing isn’t always linear, but persistence is key.

“One of the major factors, at least from a mental aspect, is having a specific goal. You can’t just haplessly drift and hope to get somewhere. I like using the example of a ship. It doesn’t wander the ocean without a destination; it sets a course for a specific port. It’s the same in any endeavor – whether in sports, academics, business, or horse breeding – you need a clear goal. No matter the obstacles along the way, belief in yourself and a consistent work ethic will get you there. Even if you don’t end up exactly where you envisioned, you’ll still be in a place of success because you stayed intentional about your journey.”

“I’ve been breeding horses for about six or seven years now, but I’ve put in over 30 years of time and research. When someone achieves success, it can sometimes appear as if it happened overnight. But when you dig a little deeper, there’s always more to the story, be it years of persistence, dedication, and routine.”

“When I stopped playing serious baseball, I tried to communicate that to the young athletes I’ve trained over the years. There’s been close to 80 CFL players who have trained at my gym, and four have gone on to the NFL. Many of these guys started when they were between 13 and 15 years old. They had ambition and talent; they just needed to be directed. I’ve tried to pass on a lot of what I learned from sports and school onto them and bring it into the horse racing world myself.”

What was the feeling like when Caitlinhergrtness won the Plate?

“I was extremely grateful to have bred a horse at that level. There’s obviously a lot needed to get there – from selecting the broodmare to choosing the right sire – every step is part of a larger vision.

“I really liked Giant’s Causeway as a broodmare sire, and Omaha Beach was in his first year as a sire. I had high hopes for him and believed he could produce a horse with Caitlin’s potential. Caitlin’s dam, Belatrix, had an excellent pedigree but had not yet produced a major winner. That said, I thought she was bubbling under the surface to produce a horse of Caitlin’s calibre.”

Talk about Curraghmore Farm and its importance to the industry.

“Vera [Simpson] was highly recommended to me by Reade Baker, who has been a mentor of mine in the industry. Reade has over 60 years of practical experience in breeding, buying, and selling thoroughbreds. While I had years of book knowledge about horses, bloodlines, and breeding, he helped me understand the finer points of the business. He’s always led me in the right direction, and my personal experience with Vera has been amazing.

“People like Vera and Reade are essential to the industry. While they have different roles – Vera taking care of horses day-to-day and Reade in more of an advisory role on the breeding side – they’re able bridge the gap between book knowledge, horsemanship, and practical experience, to someone like me, who is newer to the industry and had more book knowledge. It’s crucial to have mentors who have already achieved what you aspire to because you can see how they went about doing it. Having that guidance helps you leverage their experiences with your own and learn about the things you don’t see in a book that might pop up.

“From a financial aspect, there’s obviously a lot that goes into breeding a racehorse. Since I don’t have my own farm, it’s a major help having people like Vera and Mike [Dubé] from Curraghmore who you can trust to do a fantastic job raising your horse and getting it to its full potential.

“It’s the same thing with maximizing the potential of an athlete, which in this case is a racehorse. Genetics provide potential, but proper care, training, and development maximize that potential. Horses raised in top-tier facilities like Curraghmore benefit from expert handling, which has helped produce horses like Caitlinhergrtness, and Dazzling Move, who recently won a Grade 3 race (Royal Delta on Feb. 15).”

What are you most excited about when it comes to your first foal of 2025?

“My first foal of the year was born on January 13. It was a filly by Jackie’s Warrior out of That’s So Frosty who’s a Frosted mare. I was really excited about breeding with Jackie’s Warrior because he brings the attributes that commercial breeders seek in a stallion—impressive looks, presence, and size, which attracts a lot of eyes at the sales.

“Jackie’s Warrior was very precocious. He was a Grade 1 winner and exceptional 2-year-old, which is important in commercial breeding. Buyers often look for precocity, as they look for horses who can pass that on to their foal. A sire with strong two-year-old performances gives them confidence in the foal’s earning potential at that age.

“Now that I’ve seen the foal, she’s looking to have a lot of her sire’s characteristics. She’s beautiful, well-sized, nice and correct. Now that Jackie’s Warrior has passed on those physical traits, the hope is he passes on the performance aspects that he showed on the racetrack.”

Matthew Lomon, for Woodbine