Jillian Wainwright has almost given up on finding a mount she can connect with. Then she saw the photo.
Over the months, she visited various locations on and around her ranch about an hour’s drive from Ottawa, Ontario, hoping, on each occasion, she would spot a horse she had. could bring back 35 acres of land and teach them to ride.
Each time, Wainwright would come back on his own.
“My previous mount—she’s 26 years old now—was a Quarter mare. Nothing really stood out. I had a chance to see some horses, but really none. No connection. They’re beautiful horses, but there really isn’t a connection. I’ve almost given up, that there’s nothing real out there for me.”
A conversation, an exchange nearly three years ago will change that perspective.
“I have friends, Wayne and Wendy Catherwood, who used to live in Uxbridge [Ontario]and they asked me if I had seen LongRun. I didn’t know, at the time, what it was. They told me to Google it and their site would come up, and there might be some horses you’re interested in. So I did that, and it was a moment, ‘Well… look at all these horses.’ But I see that they are racehorses, and I’m not sure if that’s right for me. I’m used to my Quarter Horse. There’s a myth about racehorses, that they’re so aggressive and hot-tempered that you can’t manage them.”
A tree-lined 100-acre home for over 50 retired purebred dogs, LongRun, founded in 1999, is widely regarded as one of the most respected equine adoption and retirement organizations, co. It was the first industry-funded adoption program in Canada. The pristine, picturesque hotel is less than an hour’s drive north of Woodbine Racecourse, in Hillsburgh.
One of its inhabitants was a gelding who was known as Money Talks during his race life.
The son of dark bay champion and high-stakes winner Mobil has raced 49 times in his career, delivering four wins and 18 top-three finishes along with earnings of $195,248 (US) for coaching. member Bill Tharrenos.
Bred in Ontario by Fred W. Pace, Money Talks was a $23,320 (US) purchase at the CTHS 2012 Canadian Breeding Annual Sale. He debuted August 11th. 2013 at Woodbine, taking the final steps to finish in second place in the five-stage main track race.
Two weeks later, Money Talks broke his maiden courtesy with a 4½ in 7 slot romp on Woodbine’s main track as a 2-5 mutuel pick.
Gelding will contest four stake races, including the 2014 Prince of Wales Stakes, the second jewel in the Canadian Crown Trio, with his best result being in Elgin Stakes that same year when he stood. Wednesday.
Money Talks’ final start came on November 11, 2019, at Woodbine, when he finished ninth in the 1 1/16-mile main track race for Natural Eight Stable owner Peter McLaughlin, Stu and Donna Kreis.
“I was a little hesitant, but my friends advised me to find out more about LongRun’s horses. They said to contact them and no obligation. If there are no horses for me, that’s fine too. no problem.” I contacted them and sent an email. I emailed them and they replied, saying they had a couple of horses that might be a good fit. I filled out the adoption form — very detailed — and I sent it in. Not long after that I received an email from Lauren [Farm Manager, Millet] at LongRun, say they have this horse, Money Talks, that might be a good fit for us. They sent some videos and when I saw that, I thought, ‘Woah… this is so interesting.’ I like the look of him. We arranged to go to the ranch to meet him. It’s a six hour drive from our place. We left very early in the morning.”
The journey seemed much longer for Wainwright.
She thought about countless things during the trip, optimistic but not entirely convinced that this trip back to the farm would be different.
When she saw the sign on the road leading to LongRun, anticipation and suspense ran through her mind step by step.
Minutes later, Wainwright was ushered into the warehouse to meet Money Talks.
“He was in his booth. I walked over and he made eye contact. He looked at me and my heart jumped. Then he poked his head out of the stall door, looking straight ahead. into my eyes and resting my head on my shoulder. Honestly, it feels like I’m being reunited with an old friend. I thought to myself, “That’s it. I want this horse in my life. Even if I can’t ride it, I want this horse.” It was the instant spark and instant connection I was hoping for.I took him for a walk around the arena, but it was hard to I did it because he kept turning and looking at me. Literally we couldn’t take our eyes off each other. I absolutely fell in love with it the moment I saw it. There was an instant connection I never felt before. get with any other horse I’ve ever seen.”
But there is still much work to be done before the pair can merge.
“The next month or so was very stressful. Our barn had to be checked and we had to get references. I was so worried that we would fail. I’d love to have him in my life.”
On the morning of June 17, 2020, in Longrun, Money Talks was ushered into a trailer with Catherwood’s son, Darryl, at the wheel.
Wainwright, who was unable to make the trip, paced around the house for six hours.
“I was so nervous all day waiting for that tow truck to arrive. And when it did, I don’t think I’ve ever had a bigger smile on my face.”
That look quickly turned incredulous as she entered the Money Talks booth.
Wainwright predicted her three-baby coop at the time would give their new roommate an enthusiastic welcome vocal.
In fact, it’s quite the opposite.
“I’ve had horses for a long time, and often when you bring a new horse in, there’s neighing and squealing, and some level of excitement. The cart pulled into our yard and nothing, it did. My horse could see through the barn that there was a trailer there, but there was no sound. We got him out of the trailer, and he didn’t call them and they didn’t call him. We let him run around for 20 minutes and so on, and then we put him in the barn. Finally his stables—there were three other horses in the stables—and he had to go through all of them. They looked up as if to say hello and that they knew it. It was a strange feeling. It was as if they knew who he was and that he was supposed to be there.”
The next step is for Money Talks to get used to their new surroundings, settled friends, and life as a riding horse.
Wainwright won’t be in a hurry.
“We let him relax for a while. Obviously, it’s a lot different from what he used to do at Woodbine. Here in the summer the daytime flies are pretty bad, so he came here in the high fly season. I used to go back out for my horse at night, and I don’t think he ever experienced that. The first night, I left him out until dusk. He was out. The next night, I took him out late in the afternoon and evening, and he stood under these lights, with a look that was like, ‘Let me in. I don’t think I should. out here.’ It took him a week to convert before spending the night outside. Once he got used to it, he was fine. He was very happy.”
Jillian Wainwright and Sunny (formerly Money Talks)
And, for a few moments, Money Talks showed off its racehorse roots.
“You’ll watch him run and he’ll run in circles on the field. Others will run all over the place and he’ll run in circles. You can see the track side of him.”
Two months after he first arrived at Wainwright’s farm, Money Talks was ready for his first trip.
Wainwright wasn’t sure what to expect.
“The same friends who mentioned LongRun, they came because they’ve done a lot of work retraining the Purebreds. They helped and it was great to get that and get to this point. I was I supported him, and he was so quiet. It was unbelievable. I felt very safe. I was a bit nervous. I was about to get on a racehorse and thought it could take off and gallop. It was late at night, but it didn’t. It was so quiet and so gentle. It was as if he could read my mind. I didn’t have to say anything to him. He knew what he needed to do, and I felt very safe.
“From the moment he looked at me… I felt so good to him. He helps me every day. We ride horses, but it’s just low-level wear and casual work. He’s totally fine. suits me. We started our outfit training and he accepted everything. You can see he was confused at certain points, but he did a great job. held a school show last year and he came in fifth. I went without any expectations because it was just for the experience. He did a great job for the first performance. He will come along and I’m happy.”
Money Talks also has a new, unofficial name.
Wainwright suggests both are quite suitable.
“I call him my ‘Sunshine Boy’ because he lights up life. He’s called ‘Money’ and he knows the name. He’ll raise his head when you say this. there, so I thought that would be his name. But he ended up being called “Sunny.”
Apropos, examines the bleak outlook Wainwright once had when searching for the right horse and how she views life in the present.
In the end, it’s a path worth taking.
“When I ride him, I think how beautiful and strong he is. It’s fun to ride him. I don’t think about anything but the two of us riding together. I love being with him. He is a great horse. We just fit together perfectly.”
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