When the Canadian International returns to Woodbine this Saturday, it will once again bring together some of the finest horses and racing talent from around the world. The 86th running of the iconic race will be contested at 1½ miles for three-year-olds and up, with a purse of $750,000. The Canadian International has been a fixture at Woodbine since 1956 and has attracted some of the biggest names in racing, including Secretariat, who won in 1973. But for jockey Richard Dos Ramos, the race will always carry a particularly special place in his memory. In 1999, Dos Ramos guided Ontario-bred Thornfield to victory in the race. Thornfield was owned by Knob Hill Stable’s Steve Stavro and trained by Canadian horseman Phil England. A Canadian-bred horse, owned by a Canadian, trained by a Canadian and ridden by a Canadian had reached the top of one of Woodbine’s most prestigious races. “The race, everything was all Canadian,” he recalled. “That was the Canadian horse, Canadian owned and Canadian trained by Phil England, and a Canadian rider that rode it. It was just fantastic because we did it that day, the Canadian team came on top, so to speak.” Thornfield’s remarkable 1999 season had already established him as one of Canada’s leading turf horses. Dos Ramos rode the gelding to victory in the Grade 2 Niagara Breeders’ Cup Stakes before Thornfield finished third in the Grade 3 Sky Classic Stakes. Rather than discouraging England, the Sky Classic result convinced the trainer that Thornfield was exactly where he needed to be heading into the Canadian International. Dos Ramos trusted his trainer’s judgment. “I said, ‘Phil, I never doubted you. If you can do it, we can get it done.’” There was another important piece of the puzzle: getting Dos Ramos back aboard Thornfield. His agent, Lorne Spearman, played a crucial role in making that happen. Dos Ramos had previously ridden for both England and trainer John MacKenzie. MacKenzie’s Crown Attorney and England’s Thornfield were both being pointed toward the Sky Classic, and jockey Mickey Walls was in a position to choose between them. Spearman saw an opportunity. “Lorne told me, ‘Rick, Mickey Walls is riding a horse for John MacKenzie, and Phil England has Thornfield. They’re both going into the same race.’” Spearman approached both trainers and arranged for Walls to make his choice. His plan was simple: if Walls selected Thornfield, Dos Ramos would try to pick up Crown Attorney. Walls chose Crown Attorney. “The credit, if there’s any credit, would be Lorne Spearman, to pick up on what was going on,” Dos Ramos said. “He’s seen the whole picture, and he said, ‘This is where we’re going.’” There was already a relationship between Dos Ramos and Stavro. A few years earlier, in 1992, Dos Ramos had won the Molson Million for Stavro aboard Benburb. “When Thornfield came open, everything fell into place.” By the time the Canadian International arrived, Dos Ramos and Thornfield had already developed a strong partnership. Still, there was one thing about Thornfield that made the International trip particularly interesting: he liked to be in front. That day, however, the gelding was willing to do something different. “There was a speed horse from England, Courteous. He was in front of us, and he sat second,” Dos Ramos recalled. “Usually, he wouldn’t like to sit in behind another horse; he always liked to be on the lead. But for some reason that day he relaxed for me.” Dos Ramos kept Thornfield tucked along the inside and allowed the race to unfold in front of him. “At the head of the lane, I just wheeled out a little bit, and he just came sailing home.” Thornfield surged toward the finish as the field closed in behind him. “I heard a couple of the other riders coming, and they were screaming. Then I started screaming, and the wire came up real quick.” Thornfield held on. For Dos Ramos, the moment was almost impossible to comprehend. “I thought I was dreaming, to be honest with you.” Winning the Canadian International was not simply the culmination of Thornfield’s season. It opened the door to an even bigger stage. The victory sent Thornfield to Gulfstream Park for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Stakes. “Personally, it was something that every trainer, every jockey and owner, when you’re going into a race like that, it’s like a ‘win-and-you’re-in.’ We ended up going to the Breeders’ Cup from there.” Thornfield’s 1999 campaign would ultimately become one of the defining seasons of his career. Along with his Canadian International victory and Niagara Breeders’ Cup triumph, he was named Canadian Horse of the Year and Canadian Champion Male Turf Horse. For Dos Ramos, however, the International remained the defining moment. The race has long attracted accomplished European horses, and Dos Ramos knew how formidable they could be. “It is nice to ride the Woodbine outside turf course. It’s a mile and a half all the way around. He has run on it before, but usually, the Europeans, they’re bulletproof. They’ve flown all over the country, and they’ve been all over the world running on different racetracks. “To win it was just unbelievable.” And because the race was held at Woodbine, Dos Ramos was able to experience the celebration in front of the Canadian racing fans who had watched Thornfield’s journey. “Doing it at home in front of the Canadian fans probably made it even more fantastic,” he said. The victory celebration was immediate and overwhelming. “Everything was crazy. All of a sudden, they scoop you away, and you go upstairs, and then you’re talking to people and reporters. It was just something that I couldn’t believe.” Dos Ramos was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame this year, adding another significant chapter to a career filled with memorable moments. Yet when he looks back on Thornfield’s Canadian International victory, what stands out is not simply his own accomplishment. “It was a Canadian owner, Mr. Stavro, Knob Hill Farms, a Canadian trainer, Phil England, and a Canadian rider. Usually, that doesn’t happen. Basically, the Europeans come and take it away.” For Dos Ramos, the fact that a Canadian horse could stand at the top of the international field—and that the entire team behind him was Canadian—made the victory unique. “It’s something that they can’t take away from me,” he said. “I won the Canadian International, the Canadian team won it.” And for Dos Ramos, more than two decades later, the memory remains as vivid as ever. “It’s a fantastic race. I know they cancelled it for a few years, and I was so happy to see that they brought that race back again. It’s a big feather in Woodbine’s hat, to have a great race like the International.” -30- Sophie Charalambous, for Woodbine Share This:Share
