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| Staff Writer |
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The US$32m winning Thoroughbred owner/ breeder is on a roll, aspiring to win iconic races with top quality home-breds and he shows no signs of slowing down.
Charles Fipke has been active breeding and racing ever since bought his first serious racehorse in 1977. In 1991, Fipke discovered one of the largest diamond mines in Canada. Much later he named a horse by the same name, ‘Tale of Ekati’, who finished fourth in the 2007 Kentucky Derby.
Dallas Steward trained Title Ready, is from the immediate family of Seeking the Soul and is a grandson of one of the greatest race-mares of all time, undefeated Breeders' Cup-winning champion Personal Ensign. Title Ready exits a smart victory for Stewart in the Gr.3 Louisiana Stakes. Fipke also hopes to watch his 3YO colt Speight'spercomete in the UAE Derby-G2.
Here the seventy-five-year-old Group One winning owner, who spoke with Ten Furlongs over a phone interview, touches on his travel plans to Dubai, to both his horses competing on World Cup night and where his love for horses began.
Q: What are you plans for World Cup night? And what about your travel back to Canada?
A: With Speight'spercomete and Title Ready both racing on world cup night, I will be coming to watch them race. I am bringing my youngest son with me.
We have to quarantine for two weeks when we get to Canada so we are stopping in Lexington (USA) at my other farm there for week then come back to Canada.
Q: What do you think was Speight'spercomete’ best race so far?
A: You know to be quite honest in his last race he was on some antibiotics and recovering from an infection. So he wasn't in in top shape when he ran the race and he still came second. But he is going to be all cleaned up and completely ready in three weeks time.
Q: And what do you think was the best race for Title Ready so far?
A: He was very very good in his last race. He came from behind, so he had to go around all the other horses and he overtook Blackberry Wine to win.
Q: Do you have any concerns about Title Ready in the Dubai World Cup?
A: He is a come-from-behind kind of horse and I’m slightly concerned about the kick back. Forever Unbridled was also a come from behind kind of horse and during the Dubai World Cup, she had so much sand in her eyes that when she crossed the finish line, we realized her eyes were closed shut from all the sand. She still finished fifth. I was very proud of her.
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Q: Have you given any thoughts to your plans for these horses after Dubai?
A: No, I know. I kind of like the wing it, you know.
Q: And finally, you are a geologist and Thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder. These are almost two ends of a spectrum. How did you get involved with the sport?
A: My love for horses started when I was very young, in highschool. I even rode horses and was an amateur jockey. But I came absolute last in my races but even early I won a trophy for leading breeder in British Columbia (Canada). So, I guess I'm a better leader than a jockey. I got back into it when I came back from Brazil in 1977
Q: Who was your first mare?
A: My first mare was Boldest Spirit. During her first race which was just 6.5 Furlongs while she was in the lead by five or six lengths, she just died (slowed down tremendously) on the track. We eventually found out that she had a bone fragment. We could have taken it out and she would have been seventy five percent of the racehorse but I made her a broodmare then.
She was by a son of Bold Ruler and she was fairly well bred. Her son, Travelling Spirit became the leading 2YO in Western Canada and he eventually became my riding horse. He also competed in the Olympics representing Canada with Therese Washtock.
He was fine for a couple of years but then his bone chip flared up.
I used to watch Therese Washtock and I tried to jump with him. And the first time I tried to jump him, he just bucked me off. He died of a heart attacked. I miss him so much. When he was in the field, he would spot me and come running to say hello. I stopped riding when I lost him.
Even today, I have some horses with Therese Washtock that I could ride but I don’t ride them anymore.