What makes a horse special? The answer differs from horse person to horse person. The one common commonality, however, is that each horse has made a lasting impression on them. In the first edition of Mane Attraction, trainer Don MacRae shares the story of Light the Lamp. Light the Lamp Record: 18 starts 7-4-0 Purse earnings: $260,980 (U.S.) Sire: Reload Dam: Woodland City (SAF) Foaled: February 9, 2019 Age: 5 Colour: Bay Owners: Keowee Racing Stable and D-Mac Racing Stable Inc. Need to Know: Won 5 races in 2023, including two straight scores on two occasions Light the Lamp and jockey Luis Contreras winning Race 3 on July 9, 2023 at Woodbine (Michael Burns Photo) Name game: “When the group of us bought the horse, it was a name I have held onto for a while. I play hockey, but I don’t light the lamp a lot. When I do, I put on a good celly, so it works out well. He definitely lit the lamp last year.” 2023 campaign: “We always thought he was very talented. He matured a lot last year from the year before and developed into a stronger horse. We ran him 6 ½ furlongs one day in an allowance race. There was a bunch of speed in that race, and I thought it was an opportunity to take him off the pace to see how that would pan out. He relaxed, made a middle move, and then levelled off down the lane. When you look at it, that doesn’t seem to be a good race, but he learned to rate, which he hadn’t done before, and it has made him a very powerful horse.” DNA: “We liked his pedigree when we bought him (for $20,000 CDN) at the CTHS Sale in 2020. He was a smaller, stocky horse. A bunch of people looked at him and liked him too. We thought if he was able to grow a bit, he could become a decent sprinter-type.” Likes: “He’s a pretty good boy around the barn – he certainly loves the attention. He had two grooms last year who spoiled him, and he thrives on that like a lot of horses do.” Dislikes: “His bad habit is that when it gets close to post time, in his mind, he sees little green men out on the track. Usually about two or three days before the race, we have someone bring him home from the track. He gets very sharp and very animated. He would never hurt someone, but we have to be mindful of that.” Light the Lamp and jockey Keveh Nicholls winning Race 7 on November 5, 2023 at Woodbine (Michael Burns Photo) Winning mindset: “He does know when he’s won. He’s at that stage in his career when he is aware of that. He is the one who stands in the front of the stall after a win. A lot of those old, classy horses, who get on in their career, will stand at the front of the stall when they win. He was pretty proud of himself last year as the season went on.” Respect: “I just like how he has grown into a solid racehorse. He showed ability as a 2-year-old, but as time went on and he started to understand the game more, he’s become a true runner. He loves the game and the way he looks at you, it makes you look forward to seeing him every day.” 2024: “I don’t know if he’s going to be good enough to be a stakes horse this year, but we want to try him in a couple of stakes based on what he did last year.” Chris Lomon, Woodbine Communications / @WoodbineComms Share This:Share
