When the hammer fell on Hip #5 in the Lexington Selected Sale in October, 2011 little did anyone know that the ride of a lifetime had just begun for a group of Canadians, originally hailing from one end of the country to the other. A ride that would bring this group, ranging from age 33 to 78, together like a family... including a day in Ohio that none of them will ever forget.
“I thought he was going to break my ribs.”
The words sound threatening, painful for certain, and there may even have been tears but if there were, they were only tears of joy.
Those words belong to Anthony Beaton, the 36-year-old assistant trainer, and part owner, of Little Brown Jug champ Vegas Vacation.
On a rowdy afternoon at the Delaware County Fair, Beaton stood dangerously close to amped up co-owner Adriano Sorella as Vegas Vacation, trained by Casie Coleman, took the lead in the second heat and barreled down the stretch to win the Little Brown Jug.
“He won and I was jumping up and down and Tony was jumping up and down and I turned and grabbed Tony so hard I must have broke his bones!” recalls Sorella.
Sorella, once a star offensive lineman on his high school football team, admits he got a little carried away, “I’m not exactly a tiny guy, but I was so frigging excited!”
Beaton, who offers up words like they’re $100 bills, quietly admits, “I did lose my wind there for a second.”
Vegas Vacation, purchased by Coleman for $32,000 at the Lexington Selected Sale in 2011, is owned by five rather unique individuals. Coleman, Beaton and Sorella are joined in ownership by 78-year-old industry veteran Ross Warriner and first-time horse owner Phyllis Saunders.
Together, the group represents a unique cross-section of Canada ranging in age from 33 to 78 while hailing from one end of the country to the other.
And they don’t always agree.
Sorella, who hands out $100 bills like they’re pennies, nearly did just that at the Jug had Coleman not intervened.
Supremely confident, Sorella decided that when Vegas Vacation won the Jug, he was going to make it rain to the tune of US$10,000.
“I had to preorder the money from the bank. You can’t just walk in and get that kind of cash,” laughs Sorella. “I took out eight grand in singles and another two grand in five-dollar bills.”
In addition to the cash, Sorella also had some baseball caps made up with Vegas Vacation emblazoned across the crest. Packed and ready to roll to Delaware, Sorella made one tiny mistake.
“I took a picture of my suitcase with a baseball cap on it and posted it on Facebook,” laments Sorella.
Coleman saw the posting and all hell broke loose.
“Casie is superstitious, I mean super-superstitious, and she messaged me and said, ‘Are you crazy! Why would you do that? Don’t you know its bad luck?’
“She started rambling about all these horses she made hats and shirts for and how once you do it, it’s the kiss of death.”
Sorella reluctantly deleted the picture from his Facebook page and took the money out of his suitcase.