Loto Canada, Rosses Head WA HOF 2016 Class
Description:
Former star Washington-breds Loto Canada and Flamme along with trainers Larry and Sharon Ross, jockey Jack Leonard, and breeder Robert L. Edwards have been elected to the Washington Racing Hall of Fame as the class of 2016.
The 14th annual induction ceremony is Aug. 28 on Washington Cup Day at Emerald Downs, with inductees to be honored in the winner's circle between races.
Winners were selected by representatives of the Washington Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, Washington Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association, Emerald Downs, and media:
Loto Canada was Washington's champion 2-year-old male of 1979 and 3-year-old male of 1980 and is one of the great stories in Washington racing lore. Patti and Lee Brauer won $1 million in the Canadian lottery and used $5,000 of the winnings to buy a Saltville yearling that would become one of the hottest horses on the West Coast. Loto Canada won six stakes overall, including the 1979 Gottstein Futurity. He also finished second in the 1980 Longacres Derby and third in the 1981 Longacres Mile.
Flamme was Washington's champion 2-year-old filly of 1977 and champion older filly or mare of 1982, and ranks No. 2 all-tme in Washington stakes wins with 13, including seven at Longacres, five at Yakima Meadows, and one at Playfair. The daughter of Drum Fire defeated males in the 1977 Spokane Futurity and 1980 Yakima Mile and finished second against older fillies and mares in the 1978 Belle Roberts.
Larry and Sharon Ross are East Coast transplants who have made a profound impact in Washington, training many of the state's biggest stars, including Longacres Mile winners Chum Salmon and Stryker Phd. They rank near the top of the all-time standings both at Longacres and Emerald Downs.
Jack Leonard, a native of Renton, Wash., captured riding titles at Longacres, Aqueduct, and in the Bay Area and ranked among the national leaders in the late 1950s and early '60s while riding in meets in New Jersey, New York, Florida, and California. He is a two-time Longacres Mile winner, which includes a victory in 1961 on two-time Washington Horse of the Year Sparrow Castle.
Robert L. Edwards bred Washington champions Sprink (1982 handicap male), Unpossible (1978 3-year-old filly), and Question (1980 2-year-old male). He also bred stakes winners Bal de Lune, Balanced Reigh, Eyes Six, Hay Power, Malert, Maxwell's Power, One Never Nose, Power Bea, Power Reigh, Powerette, Silver Daddy, Wading Power, and Whoop Up.