The Story Behind the Racing Silks – Woodbine Oaks edition

Ahead of the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks Presented by Stella Artois, taking place Sunday, July 20, six owners with fillies in the field share the inspiration behind their silks and how their designs came to life.

From tributes to family legacies and lost loved ones to nods to hometown pride and personal passions, each owner brings a piece of their world to the track. At this year’s Woodbine Oaks, the silks tell stories as rich as the race itself.

Elliott Logan – Reveler’s Row

Reveler’s Row is trained by Katerina Vassilieva and owned by TEC Racing, run by Elliott Logan. TEC Racing’s silks are white with a red “L” in a blue horseshoe with “TEC” in blue. They also showcase white and blue blocks on the sleeves, with a blue and white cap.

The silks hold deep personal significance. The “T” represents Elliott’s daughter Taylor, the “E” is for Elliott himself, and the “C” stands for his wife Carol.

“The ‘L’ that is inside the horseshoe on our silks is the ‘L’ that my dad signed his last name with, that’s how he wrote his ‘L’, so we replicated it in the middle of our silks. It has a lot of our family tradition and history in our silks.”

Introduced to horse racing by his father, Logan has passed that passion on to the next generation.

“My dad was my horse racing buddy growing up, and now my daughter has become my horse racing buddy as she’s grown up,” said Elliott, who owned his first horse at 18. “She owned her first horse at age 16. She loves it just like I do. It’s a family thing we do together.”

The red, blue, and white in the TEC Racing silks represent sports teams that Logan is a fan of.

“I’ve always been a Cincinnati Reds fan growing up, so the red in the horseshoe is the colour of the Cincinnati Reds. I’m a Kentucky basketball fan as well, so the blue and white is the University of Kentucky. It’s down to the colour and the letter in our silks when we came up with the design, so that’s where the colour scheme comes from. It has a lot of personal meaning.”

Jon Green – Winterberry and Shifty

Winterberry and Shifty are both trained by Mark Casse and owned by D. J. Stable LLC. The silks are burgundy with a white diamond hoop. There are also white diamonds on the burgundy sleeves, with a burgundy cap.

“My mom (Lois Green) wanted something with diamonds,” said Jon Green from D.J. Stable. “We chose the maroon and white as they were my high school colours.”

Gary Barber – No Time and War Signal

Gary Barber owns No Time and War Signal, two fillies also trained by Casse. Barber’s silks are hot pink with “BB” in a black circle. The sleeves are hot pink with a black cap.

“Hot pink silks were a favourite of mine as a young kid going to the races in South Africa,” said Barber. “Then I added the three-dimensional ‘BB’ to represent Barber Bloodstock.”

René Hunderup – Ella It Is

Casse’s fifth horse in the race, Ella It Is, is owned by Heste Sport Inc. Heste Sport’s silks are white, with a red and blue “H” in the middle, with blue sleeves and a red cap.

René Hunderup shares the personal and family meaning behind his silks.

“Red and blue are our farm colours. I’m a blue guy and my wife always liked the colour red.”

As for the “H” logo, “The significant part is the H-logo – H for Hunderup. It comprises a J and an L; J for Jacinda and Jason, and L for LaMarche. Our late daughter was named Jacinda LaMarche-Hunderup, and our son is Jason LaMarche-Hunderup.”

Brent McLellan – Crystal Visions

Crystal Visions is trained by Stuart Simon and owned by Simon and Brent McLellan. For Crystal Visions, McLellan’s silks are used.

McLellan created his silks in the early 2000s. His silks are regionally inspired and personal to the Calgary native. McLellan’s silks are white, with a red and gold sash, with red hoops on the sleeves, and a white cap.

“When we moved horses over here, I’d always run my horses with Stu, and we always used his silks,” McLellan. “When I moved out here, I decided it was time to get some silks. The colours I chose were based on the Calgary Flames team uniform at the time – white, gold, and red – just a big homage to my Calgary upbringing. I always liked red and gold and white anyway.”

McLellan wanted a more traditional design, which allows the colours to pop more.

“The design itself is cross sashes, and I wanted to keep it traditional. Those designs are quite common in horse racing.”

Lou Donato – R Canadian Apple

R Canadian Apple is trained by Mike De Paulo and owned by Lou Donato, George Gronwall, Kim Valerio, Prakash Sham Masand, and Averill Racing LLC.

The filly runs in Lou Donato’s silks, which are purple, with a gold panel. There are also purple chevrons on gold sleeves, with a purple and gold cap.

Donato has used these silks for more than 30 years.

He wanted them to be distinct and stand out, especially during the race itself.

“I’ve been following horses for a long time. I wanted colours that I could follow and that could stand out. I wanted silks that I knew where my horse was at all times. I wanted them to stand out when I’m following my horse.”

As for the gold and purple symbolism, Donato shared, “I think gold is a sign of success, and that’s why the gold is there. My wife picked the purple.”

Sophie Charalambous, for Woodbine