Wolfe's Girls!

This post is dedicated to three of the very fine female racehorses that were a valued part of the Sheldon Wolfe Racing Stable. During the course of my father's training career he would build a reputation of being great with the ladies. The success of the excellent fillies that came into the barn would account for a large part of our enjoyment in the racing business. During this posting I will remember and honor; Clover Lass, Cocagne, and True Hope. These classy ladies all had something in common. There were all excellent Wolfe runners. They spent most of there careers in the claiming ranks. However they were all quality athletes, and were just a shade away of being stakes caliber performers.





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This classy lady was claimed by my father for $8,000. Like Mt. Tabor Rd. Clover Lass was owned in our barn by John DeLongis. Clover Lass ran poorly in the race we claimed her. When we got her back to the barn and had her checked out. We were disgusted in the rundown condition Clover Lass was in. This fine racing mare was in a total state of neglect. Her previous trainer should have been reported to the humane society. Our stable went to work on Clover Lass to see if we could rebuild her, and turn her into the bionic racehorse. It shows you what some hard work and tender loving care will do for these fine athletes. Clover Lass started to train like the talented athlete she was.
Clover Lass started to train so well that she won two electrifying races in our stable back to back. The first race took place on July 11, 1979. She won at the $16,000 level showing excellent speed and leading all the way going 7 furlongs. Then on the 27th of July Clover Lass would run the greatest race in her career. She was entered in a $12,500 starter handicap going 7 furlongs. The race came up with tough competition. Trainer Ritchie Papa had entered his talented mare “Don’t Be Shy” in this race. Don’t Be Shy had won recently at the $50,000 claiming level. Also she had won a condition allowance race recently as well. Don’t Be Shy was odds on favorite to win this race. However Clover Lass was up for the challenge. She had come out of her winning race in fine shape, and trained very well coming up to this race. Clover Lass was ready to rock and roll! Our female version of Captain Dawn looked excellent in the saddling area and in the warm up. Usually horses that are turned out well and look good. Will also perform very well. The horses were loaded in the gate, and there off! Clover Lass was very serious in winning this race from the start. She exploded from the starting gate and opened up a 3 length lead. Now the rest of the field was under pressure to try and keep pace with her. The fractions for the race were fast. The opening quarter was: 22.2 the half mile time was: 45.3. Don’t Be Shy was starting to try and harass Clover Lass. But she was having none of it. Clover Lass responded with a ¾ mile time in 1:10.2. At the 1/8 pole Clover Lass still had a 2 length advantage. Don’t Be Shy and Impetuous Deb were both trying to run by Clover Lass. To our happiness Paul Souter and Clover Lass were equally determined to not let them pass. The margin of victory was 1 length and the final time for this 7 furlong race was 1:23.1. Clover Lass was tried and proud when she came back to the winner’s circle. Ritchie Papa could not believe that Clover Lass was capable of racing to that level. Yes she could!

Cocagne “Cocaine”
Up next is Cocagne. Her name is French. The meaning in English is “An imaginary country of idleness and luxury” This talented filly was claimed by from the very successful French Canadian owner Jean-Louis Lévesque. My father claimed her as a two year old. Cocagne turned out to be a very successful runner in our stable.

Quickly her barn nickname became “Cocaine”. It was difficult for most of the predominantly English speaking barn staff to correctly pronounce her French name. Richard C., who was my dad’s first assistant trainer, gave her the nickname. Richard is a very talented horsemen and rider. He was a great asset to our stable, and became a great teacher and a friend to me. The name Cocaine seemed the easiest English translation from her French name. Also Richard enjoyed singing the famous Eric Clapton song. When he use to ride her. I can still hear Richard sing the lyrics. “If you got bad news, you wanna kick them blues; cocaine.
When your day is done and you wanna run; cocaine.
She don't lie, she don't lie, she don't lie; cocaine”.

Cocaine was a very honest racehorse. She had a lot of speed and desire, and hated to loose. Cocagne won 4 times in the Sheldon Wolfe racing stable in very few starts. She was a very serious racehorse that was just a shade away from being a really top performer. I will feature her winning race that took place on October 2, 1980. This race was at the $30,000 claiming level. She was ridden to victory by Michael “Killer” Quong. Cocaine broke very alertly from the starting gate. She pressed the pacesetter “Matched to Win” from the outset. Coming to the quarter pole Cocagne kicked into high gear and blew to the lead. Opening up a 2 ½ length advantage. She held off the determined challenge of “pertinent Solution” to win the race by 1 length. I have included the winning picture from this race. Also included is the official racing form chart. From the Wolfe family archives I have included a rare photo of “Cocagne”. In this picture you could easily see the beauty and great character that she processed that made her an excellent race filly.

True Hope "Butterball"

This filly was very popular in the Wolfe Stable. Not only with me, but everyone that came into contact with her. True Hope was just that kind of a girl! Her nickname came to be "Butterball". Richard C. gave her that name and it just stuck. The name to me just describes how popular she was. I will try and describe her personality. True Hope was like the pretty girl that lived next door. The girl that had the happy go lucky personality, that was always vivacious. Butterball was the ultimate tomboy who loved to play her sports. But never forgot that she was also an attractive, very feminine woman. That was our True Hope!

She came to the Wolfe barn by the way of the claiming box, in the fall of 1980. In fact we claimed her on closing day of the Greenwood meet. She had a very gruelling campaign as a 3 year old, and was completely worn out. True Hope was sent to the farm for a badly needed rest. There was nothing that some quality rest and relaxation would not fix. Butterball came back to the racetrack in the Spring of 1981 full of life, and looking forward to getting back to business. She started to train very well, and also started to make a great impression on ever one in the barn including yours truly. I was her groom and it was a real pleasure and an honour to look after her. True Hope was easy to get along with. She was always very enthusiastic, and always put her groom into a great mood. That is the benefit of being in the company of a classy woman.

I'm going to feature two of "True Hope's" exciting wins. The first winning race in the Wolfe Racing Stable took place on April 22, 1981. The distance was 6 and 1/2 furlongs at Greenwood Racetrack. At this point Butterball was training very well, and was a totally different horse. Compared to the exhausted filly that we had claimed 5 months earlier. Talented jockey Brian Swatuk was just starting to do some excellent race riding on our horses. Brian did a fantastic job of riding True Hope. In the earlier races in True Hope career. She had showed the preference of being a come from behind sprinter. True Hope enjoyed to relax in the earlier part of the race. She would let the speed horses battle for the lead. Beat themselves up, fighting for the lead. Then in the last 3/8 of the race. True Hope would make her run, and try hard to outrun her competitors. The first win for the Wolfe's, Butterball would win in classic come from behind style.

True Hope was owned by another of our excellent owners from Buffalo. Mr. Norm Stager was a great fan of the Sport of Kings. He was an excellent man to work for, and enjoyed a lot of success in the Wolfe Racing Stable. Now back to the race. I was very confident in True Hope going into this race. Yes it is true that horses cannot speak English. Yet if you become an prolific horse person. You definitely develop a direct communication with your animal friends. True Hope going into this race told me that she was going to win this race. I had total faith in her. I bet accordingly before Daryl Wells said "There at the post, there off!" Brain took True Hope into hand and she fell back off the lead. During the run down the backstretch. You could see that True Hope was enjoying the race, and she was looking forward to throw it into high gear and try and win the race, and keep her promise to me. There was no room for error running at Greenwood. The tight turns at Greenwood could make it difficult for horses to try and win from off the pace. However True Hope had no problem with the tight turns. Butterball enjoyed running at Toronto "Bull Ring Racetrack. Bull Ring is the slang for a racetrack that is less then 1 mile in circumference. Greenwood was only a 3/4 mile track. Coming to the 1/4 pole True Hope was waiting in 4th position and full of run. She was in tight quarters. Brian Swatuk was patiently waiting for room to forge for the lead, and the win. Coming to the 1/8 pole. There was now and opening for True Hope. Without any hesitation Butterball and Brian shot through the hole and emerged with the lead. This race was over! True Hope had kept her promise to me. Scoring an impressive 2 1/2 win. I was in seventh heaven!

True Hope was on her way to a very successful 4 year old year. She would become one of the best racehorses that we had in 1981. Butterball would score 4 wins for our stable in very limited starts. True Hope won right back at Greenwood on April 29th. Scoring a 2 length victory in a carbon copy fashion. I was away for that race. We had shipped Mt. Tabor Rd. for a stakes race at Monmouth Park in Oceanport New Jersey. Mt. Tabor Rd. finished 3rd in that race. True Hope would win again at Woodbine on July 15th at Woodbine. For this race her racing style would change. True Hope was ridden in this winning race by up and coming apprentice jockey Richard Dos Ramos. When the gate opened for this race. Butterball came storming out of the gate with vengeance on her mind. There was no relaxing or taking back for this race. Richard had enough good sense to try and argue with a angry woman and let True Hope have her own way. After a quarter of a mile True Hope had opened up a commanding 6 length lead. She was never challenged in the race and coasted home to a easy 5 length win.

On August 2nd True Hope would sadly run her last race for the Wolfe Racing Stable. Butterball had moved up to the $25,000 claiming level and was reunited with top veteran rider Brian Swatuk. The race was run at the distance of 7 furlongs. In this race True Hope showed again a very good turn of speed and a lot of determination and grit to win. At the 1/8 pole she found herself in front. However she was involved in a cat flight with a formidable foe in Sunny Christo ridden by Dave Penna. Brian asked True Hope to dig in a not to let Sunny Christo run past and defeat her. Butterball pinned her ears and was ready to flight! No way she was she going to let Sunny Christo run by her. True Hope won this exciting race by a neck. I was delighted with her effort. However sadly I would soon learn that our True Hope had been claimed by a visiting U.S. stable. We would loose one of our best girls. She would never be forgotten!