Weyburn made headlines around the world this past weekend. Well, not the city, but rather a racehorse named for the city.  

Saturday, the Aqueduct Race Track in Queen’s, New York was the scene of the Gotham Stakes, a thoroughbred race for three-year-old horses. The 1-mile-long race is part of the Road to the Kentucky Derby, with horses earning points to qualify for the prestigious race. This year, the winner of the race was a colt named after the Opportunity City. 

Weyburn, ridden by Trevor McCarthy and trained by James Jerkens, is owned by Chiefswood Stables, based out of Allison, Ontario. The race Saturday was the fourth of his racing career, and the second win, however, this was a race he wasn’t expected to win, as he entered the gate at odds of 46-1. 

The naming of the horse isn’t just a coincidence, either. Chiefswood stables are owned by Robert and Mark Krembil, and Robert is originally from Grenfell, Saskatchewan. The owners have named a number of their horses after other communities in Weyburn.  

The colt, who has a half-brother named Yorkton who was recently retired from racing, has a strong lineage. Just on his maternal side, his great-great-grandfather is Secretariat, his great-grandfather is Seattle Slew, and his Grandfather is A.P. Indy, all of which are Hall of Fame inductees, not to mention Seattle Slew and Secretariat are two of the most successful racehorses in history.

While Weyburn has started down the path to the Kentucky Derby, and the other races in the Triple Crown (The Preakness and Belmont), it isn’t certain that it will be racing there. Weyburn is also currently the top-ranked horse in terms of qualifications for the Queen’s Plate here in Canada, which is held at Woodbine each summer.