Tara Isman’s coast-to-coast success

It’s common in the harness racing business that horses come and go and rarely stay put in one place forever. Horses move onto bigger and greener pastures, but there is always a part of them that links back to where they came from, and those who bred them still pay attention to what they are doing.

This is the same for Tara Isman, a local breeder and trainer in Manitoba, Canada. Several horses she has bred have found success at other tracks across Canada.

“It’s always exciting,” Isman said. “We only have one or two mares, so we are a smaller breeding farm. So to see one of your own foals, go on. It’s a pretty good feeling. Since these foals were raised with us, there’s a sense of accomplishment when it goes on and does other things.”

Let’s first look at Zippidy Zoom (Sunshine Beach), who started racing for Isman in 2019. He only made two starts in his rookie season, and it took him some time to find his stride. In his 59 career starts, Zippidy Zoom has visited the winner’s circle only five times. However, he already has two wins in his nine starts in 2023.

He has also found himself in the top three seven times in 2023. In addition, he managed to earn a new lifetime mark of 1:55.2 on a half-mile track. Zippidy Zoom has been competitive in the $15,000 claimer range at Woodbine Mohawk Park and Flamboro Downs. He’s performed so well that he was claimed after his last start. Michael Kwietnioski was training Zippidy Zoom but is now in Sheldon Rose’s barn. Tara owned the six-year-old pacer and her brother Garett before being claimed by Rose.

“Zippidy Zoom has been one of my favourites,” Replied Isman. “He doesn’t have the best win average, but he’s been special to me because his mare was the first horse I bought myself, so it’s been special to watch him go on.”

Another gelding that comes from the Isman farm is Jim Strikesitrich (Sunshine Beach). The five-year-old pacer has jumped around several trainers over his racing career, but he, too, is finding his stride in 2023. Jim Strikesitrich has been bouncing around the claiming pool at Woodbine Mohawk for a while, but he has still been finding the winner’s circle. In just 12 starts this year, he has five wins and seven top-three finishes.

At one point, he had a three-race winning streak at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Jim Strikesitrich has had more lifetime success than Zippidy Zoom. In 66 lifetime starts, he has won 18 times and 36 top-three finishes, which helped him secure over #$122,503 in lifetime earnings.

Maddy N Maggie (Sunshine Beach) is another vast turnaround story from Isman. The four-year-old mare is actually on the Isman still owns with her brother. She did nothing remarkable in her first summer of racing at Miami Fair, but she got on a roll once she got to southern Ontario. Maddy N Maggie won five of her last eight starts of 2022. In that stretch, she earned her lifetime mark of 1:59.0. However, she has yet to have the same success in the new year but is still finding ways to pick up some cheques. The hardworking mare has been finding ways to earn some cash, which is one reason why Isman still has kept her.

“It depends on what we feel about a horse’s potential,” Isman replied to why she kept Maddy N Maggie. “Usually, when they are done in their three-year-old year, we try to sell them because we only have so much room. So we play it by ear and hope we kept the ones that turn out.”

Let’s now jump to the Canadian west coast; two more horses bred by Isman have been racing. Havinfuninthesun (Sunshine Beach) and Versatility (State Treasurer) have been competing at Fraser Downs. Both mares are now owned and trained by Kelly Hoerdt. Havinfuninthesun has been the weaker of the two pacers but managed to win once so far in 2023 and did so against her stable mate Versatility.

Versatility had seven straight races where she finished either first or second, and she never lost by much more than a head. She already has over $21,000 in earnings this year and only $29,010 in lifetime earnings. Versatility has found something a place with Hoerdt where she can excel.

A few horses are patiently waiting in Isman’s stable waiting for the Manitoba summer to arrive and get their first chance at racing. It’s too early to know for sure but based on some of the performance of her other products, it is wise to keep an eye out for the name Isman in the program this summer.

by Trey Colbeck, for Harnesslink