story by Dave Briggs

photos courtesy Canuck Racing Club

There is a certain poetry to how Donato Lanni talks about the magic of horse ownership as a rare and enriching life experience.

“Honestly, owning racehorses is one of those rare bucket-list experiences that can be even better when it’s shared,” said Lanni, one of the world’s leading bloodstock agents and one of three managing partners in the Canuck Racing Club, a private, invitation-only, curated ownership group aiming to shake up Canadian horse racing.

“You get this unique connection to the horse, the sport, the history and each other. Owning things isn’t fun, but experiencing things is… especially with friends. In Canuck, you get access, connection, friendships, and a lot of experiences that can make an adult feel like a kid again: visiting your horses in the stable, watching them grow, cheering them on, standing with them in the winner’s circle.”

Part of the mission of the Canuck Racing Club is to make Thoroughbred horse ownership a blast, but you would be grossly mistaken if you thought winning races was a secondary priority for the group.

“We’re here to have fun, but we want to win,” said Mark Halloran, another of Canuck’s managing partners. “All of our marketing materials speak to the fact that we’re Canadian, and we say, ‘excuse me,’ and such, but we want to win.”

Halloran is particularly adamant about this point. It’s why he partnered with fellow Canadians and lifelong friends Lanni and Rob van Blokland to form Canuck in 2022 and bring expertise, passion, planning and, hopefully, success to the project which was recently featured on an episode of Woodbine’s Free Rein Series.

“Whether you’re winning a $7,500 claimer or whether you’re winning in the King’s Plate, the vibe you have – the yelling down the stretch – is the same vibe… It’s that rush you get from being part of [horse racing] much more so than if you lay a $2 bet.

“One of the things I say [to prospective members is], ‘I know you invest in Airbnbs, but you’re not going to cheer for one of them coming down the stretch.’”

In short, Canuck Racing is offering an experience to its members; one that’s difficult to duplicate, especially if you’re a proud Canadian.

Canuck only buys young Canadian-breds selected by Lanni, and then names the horses after Canadian legends such as Christine Sinclair, Frederick Banting and Mary Pickford before turning the horses over to trainer Kevin Attard.

“We need more of them,” Attard said of groups like Canuck. “Obviously, it gives a person an opportunity to dip their toes into the industry at maybe a smaller scale. At the same time, they’re diversifying their risk as well. They’re getting into multiple horses and, with Canuck, in particular, you have one of the best bloodstock agents in the world.”

Sinclairity (Pietro Moran), named for Canadian soccer legend Christine Sinclair, winning at Woodbine for the Canuck Racing Club in May of 2025 (Michael Burns photo)

ALL IN ON CANADA

Attard said he loves that Canuck is all in on Canada.

“I’m very proud to be a Canadian and represent Canada wherever I go,” Attard said. “When you’re dealing with the Canuck names or the Canuck horses, everything’s pretty cool with each horse. They’ll send out an email with the pedigree of the horse and the meaning behind the name, and you’ll get a little bit of a history lesson. It’s been educational for me… and the staff at the barn [has fun with it]. ‘What’s that one named after? Who’s that one named after?’ It kind of makes things a little fun in a small way.”

In two of the last three years, Canuck has landed horses in the King’s Plate – Enjoythesilent in 2023 and Dewolf, named for decorated WWII naval officer Harry DeWolf, in 2025.

“I told Mark and Rob, ‘We’re so close to breaking through and making such a huge impact,’” Lanni said. “‘All we need is one big-time horse to win the Oaks or the Plate. We just have to stay patient.’”

Lanni said he’s hoping to use what he’s learned living, working and winning in Kentucky to help elevate the Canadian horse racing game in partnership with friends.

“I’ve always wanted to come back to Canada,” Lanni said. “I’ve got many reasons. One, I need a reason to come back to Toronto. I like Canada. I like going back to Toronto, and I need a reason to come back more than I have been. And then, I enjoy spending time with my buddies. I miss those guys. I don’t see them anymore. So, bringing the sport to new players and having new people in the game is very exciting for me. I enjoy bringing new people into the business and teaching them the business. I’ve been doing this for 30 years [in Kentucky] and I want to give back to where I came from, especially doing it with my buddies.”

Along the way, Canuck is hoping to extend the long, rich history of Canadian horse racing excellence.

“People don’t understand how significant the horse industry is in the history of Canada; the horses that came from Canada,” Lanni said. “Northern Dancer is like the Michael Jordan of horse racing. People don’t realize what he did after his career on the racetrack – his offspring, his heritage, his lineage.”

Halloran said Canuck offers people the chance to own, “a little piece of a sports team” that might just include a legendary athlete.

“That’s exciting and that’s the value proposition outside of all the things that we’ve talked. That’s the rare air that Rob talks about. There is nothing like being in the backstretch… [especially] when you actually have a piece of action; when you are in for a small percentage.”

 

EXPERIENTIAL INVESTING

What’s essential is having the proper mindset before jumping into horse ownership, van Blokland said. It’s not an investment where an owner should expect a return.

“It’s like experiential investing,” van Blokland said.

Unlike buying a boat or a golf club membership, it is possible to make money owning horses; it’s just unhealthy to expect to do so.

“If you’re just looking purely at a return, there are safer ways to deploy capital than buying a horse,” van Blokland said.

“[But] the comment has been made that you can’t make money in the sport. Returns are really important, for sure, and we’re giving money back to our members…  but [money is] not the only thing, because it’s about value, which is entirely different… and that’s not measured just in dollars. Our members measure value over the course of years. We are at year five for our first group and it’s exciting being a part of a meaningful community… What I think is good business for us is increasing your odds of winning on the track while we do our best to make sure you get a lot of value off the track.

“It’s funny because people talk about the business of horse racing, but horse racing is a sport. In every sport, chance is going to play a huge part in it. But what Mark and I talk about a lot is that uncertainty is not the same as randomness. If you work with the right people, the right horses, the right program, that improves the chances and the odds of a good outcome.

“In business, good outcomes depend on how you operate and how you manage risk and who you put around you. Every industry has businesses that are run by different owners who have taken different approaches with varying levels of success. Horse racing is no different.”

Halloran said Canuck employs experts such as Lanni and Attard and leaves them alone to do their work.

“I’ve talked with many individuals over the last few years, potential members, who’ve been left with a bad taste in their mouth [owning horses], sometimes saying, ‘Well, it just wasn’t for me,’ and ‘I got hosed,’ or this or that,” Halloran said. “I think a lot of it is expectations. We go into this saying, ‘We’re going to trust our trainer…’ We don’t say, ‘Kevin, why aren’t you putting this horse in this race? It should be in that race.’ As an owner, you have to have trust. It’s like hiring a consulting firm.”

Attard said he appreciates that Canuck does not interfere.

“They have definitely allowed me to train the horses at the speed that’s needed and evaluate them,” Allard said. “What you pay for one doesn’t necessarily mean that that’s what they’re worth… They’ve been very good at understanding how the industry works and the ups and downs of it. They’ve been really good to work for, and I’ve enjoyed it, and it definitely makes my job a lot easier.

“First and foremost, they put the horse first. The goal is always to do what’s best for the horses.”

That includes no slaughter contracts on their horses.

“If a horse ends its career in our group, we will look out for it,” Halloran said.

 

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS

Canuck Racing encourages family involvement in the horse owning experience.

It’s Halloran and van Blokland’s jobs to complete the sometimes-onerous logistics of horse ownership and also manage expectations.

“Two quotes: One, begin as you intend to go on,” Halloran said. “Two, the problem with communication is the belief that it has taken place. The first quote was from my mother, the second was from George Bernard Shaw. We do, at the front end, a tremendous job in telling people to shut up, in a good way.”

Spending a lot of money on horses is no guarantee of success and Canuck is reasonable with its expenditures.

“The beauty of this sport is that no matter what kind of owner you are, when the gates open, everybody’s got a shot of winning, which I find is amazing,” van Blokland said.

But it’s the journey to the winner’s circle that is just as important to the Canuck guys.

“We do it in a really fun community that has a lot of energy,” van Blokland said. “People come in eyes wide open. I think all of our members have a really good connection to the horses and the sport and the historical tapestry of the sport. So, you’re connected to something bigger. It’s a different experience than if you just said, ‘I’ve got some buddies who are coming in and we’re going to get a horse.’”

Halloran said enjoying the process has proven to be a key to success in life.

“The most successful people I’ve met in all businesses, not even related to horse racing, are those people that enjoy what they’re doing,” Halloran said.

That means, fun is an essential ingredient in the Canuck elixir.

“Someone said to me a long time ago in the horse business, ‘If this is not fun, and you’re not having fun, then don’t do it,’” Lanni said. “I always tell people, ‘I can’t guarantee you that we’re going to win, but I will guarantee you that you will have fun.’ It’s got to be a fun experience. If it’s too stressful, a lot of people just can’t handle it.

“Win or lose, we’re going to go out to dinner after, and we’re going to have a good meal, have some drinks, and we’re going to talk about the experience, and we’re going to learn about this every day… If you’re in with the right people in the right group, it’s really fun, and something like this, you have to share it with your friends.”

When it all comes together, the true value of the horse ownership experience is immeasurable.

Woodbine race caller Robert Geller (far left) with Canuck Racing’s managing partners Mark Halloran (third from the left) and Rob van Blokland (fourth from the left) and other Canuck members in the Woodbine backstretch.