The appearance of two sons of Ontario sire Kadabra in Saturday’s $1.5 million Hambletonian at The Meadowlands Racetrack in New Jersey is anything but magic. Knows Nothing and Prestidigitator earned their berths in the final with solid efforts and represented Ontario in a way that may not have been possible pre-1998.

That was the year that an agreement was reached and slot machines were installed at racetracks throughout the province. With the added purse money Standardbred farms began to build and grow, and Ontario became a shining example throughout North America of what the marriage of gaming and racing should be like.

Kadabra is the leading sire of two and three-year-old trotters in Ontario and will be inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame on August 19, but it is the emergence of Knows Nothing and Prestidigitator in this year’s Hambletonian that has raised the stallion’s international profile.

“That’s the best part of the Ontario program,” said David Heffering, proprietor of Tara Hills Stud, the home of Kadabra. “Our Sires Stakes program is tiered. It gives horsemen the option of finding races in Ontario.”

What Ontario has done is improve its local product while integrating into the mainstream in North America.

“About 65 percent of the mares bred are Canadian with the others coming from the U.S.,” said Heffering of Kadabra’s harem. The blend is representative of the power of the Ontario program primarily, but it also represents a belief south of the border in the stallion’s Grand Circuit potential.

There is much at stake north of the border as this Hambletonian approaches. Perhaps lost in the political struggle are the results of a program that took proper time to develop. Started in 1974, the Ontario Sires Stakes program has developed countless racehorses that can compete with the best in the world. The first Ontario-sired horse to win the prestigious Hambletonian was Yankee Paco in 2000 and he was followed by another son of the late sire Balanced Image, Amigo Hall, in 2003.

The fruits of the long labor have clearly borne a product that can compete internationally. It has also spawned programs throughout the U.S. trying to emulate its success. Just this year the New York Sire Stakes program, which is also supported by slot revenue, divided its base program into two divisions and the results have been impressive.

Heffering did not care to speculate about what might happen should no alternative answer come forward and Ontario’s slots at racetracks partnership cease to exist under current terms in 2013.

“I don’t want to speculate what the numbers would be,” he said. “We’ve bred over 1,000 mares at this farm each year since the slots began. This year was the first time we bred less than 1,000.”

Heffering remains optimistic that an effective solution can be found to maintain the funding for horse racing in Ontario. His farm was purchased by his father, the late Peter Heffering, in 1995 and went from a low of two stallions to as many as 12 during a period of tremendous growth in the province. Such investment and growth would not have existed without a strong Ontario Sires Stakes program and a strong plan for racing in Ontario.

Asked what separates his stallion Kadabra from others David Heffering said in one word “intelligence.”

Anyone who watched last week’s Hambletonian trials noticed that both colts were well behaved in quite different trip scenarios. Prestidigitator was forced wide around the opening turn and the final turn, and did not lose his cool on either occasion for Ontario-based trainer Dustin Jones and top pilot Sylvain Filion. Knows Nothing and driver Jody Jamieson had to keep their cool as well, sitting inside without racing room until midway down the homestretch. The Jeff Gillis trainee knew exactly what to do when room developed and responded with a victory.

Knows Nothing, owned by Al Libfeld of Pickering, Marvin Katz of Toronto, Mac Nichol of Burlington and J Gillis J Stay of Hillsburgh, ON, and Prestidigitator, owned by Ecurie Synergie of Montreal, QC, will put their mental prowess to the test from Posts 3 and 6 in Saturday’s $1.5 million final.

Intelligence is a key factor on the racetrack and hopefully it will be a major factor in Ontario as a smart solution is necessary.

A lot of hard work and planning goes into making a racing program succeed locally and internationally. Ask any horseman just how difficult it is to reach the Hambletonian. Thousands have tried to make it to the sport’s most recognized race and very few have arrived.

It is crystal clear by the presence of Knows Nothing and Prestidigitator, two strong contenders in Saturday’s race, that Ontario has arrived.

The harness racing spotlight will be in New Jersey on Saturday, but perhaps politicians north of the border will pay attention and find themselves proud of what they have achieved.

Harness Racing fans can catch the live broadcast of the 2012 Hambletonian on CBS Sports Network beginning at 3:30 pm (EDT) on Saturday, August 4.

To view Knows Nothing and Prestidigitator’s 2012 Ontario Sires Stakes starts please go to: Knows Nothing; Prestidigitator</>