Breeder Rusnak reaping the rewards with talented trio

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Owner Jessie Ladouceur said Woodbine Oaks favorite Paladin Bay came out of her quick 59.80-second, five-furlong breeze Monday in fine fettle and is scheduled to have her final drill before the June 15 Oaks on Sunday. Paladin Bay upset the heavily favored My Conquestadory here May 18 in the Grade 3 Selene Stakes after a hard-fought stretch battle with that imposing Grade 1 winner.

Paladin Bay and Lady Angela contender She Ain’t Bad were bred by Ericka Rusnak, the 34-year-old manager of Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm near Aurora, Ontario. The only other foal she bred from the same crop was Bold ’n Golden, who finished third in the 2013 Victoria Stakes after graduating at first asking.

Rusnak sold all three horses at the 2012 Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society’s September yearling sale. She Ain’t Bad brought $38,000, Paladin Bay sold for $10,000, and Bold ’n Golden went for $15,000. She estimated that the total breeders’ awards she’s earned from the trio is around $70,000, a tidy sum considering that they sold for a combined $63,000.

Rusnak said Paladin Bay and She Ain’t Bad grew up together in the same paddock.

“Sometimes you pick favorites, and I really liked She Ain’t Bad,” Rusnak said. “She had such a great head on her shoulders. She was smart and easy to work with. I thought she was going to be my best sales horse, and to date, she has been. She was a very nice-looking yearling.” Rusnak said Paladin Bay was somewhat difficult to handle while being prepared for the sale, and that a broken splint bone deflated her price.

“Paladin Bay had some temper tantrums when I walked her,” Rusnak said. “She had a little bit of fire. She was more opinionated about things. I was disappointed with her sales price, but she had that broken splint. She’s certainly made up for that purchase price, very much so, which is awesome.”

She Ain’t Much, the dam of She Ain’t Bad, recently foaled a large colt by Midnight Lute, the sire of 2013 Queen’s Plate winner Midnight Aria. Paladin Bay’s dam, Stormin Wife, was not bred last year and is in foal to Take Charge Indy.