Yonnie Starr

Yonnie Starr
Yonnie Starr
Occupation	Trainer
Born	August 11, 1905; Kyiv, Russian Empire (now Ukraine)
Died	March 1990 (aged 84)
Major racing wins
	Plate Trial Stakes; (1955, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1966; 1969, 1973, 1982 (2)); Summer Stakes (1955, 1958, 1974); Nettie Handicap (1957, 1958); Princess Elizabeth Stakes; (1957, 1969, 1972, 1977); Selene Stakes; (1957, 1959, 1964, 1970, 1976, 1978); Clarendon Stakes; (1958, 1961, 1964, 1970, 1974); Coronation Futurity; (1958, 1960, 1974, 1978); King Edward Handicap (1958, 1969); My Dear Stakes; (1958, 1963, 1968, 1972); Whimsical Stakes; (1958, 1959, 1960, 1981); Canadian Oaks; (1959, 1966, 1978); Star Shoot Stakes; (1959, 1961, 1967, 1978); Cup and Saucer Stakes; (1960, 1969, 1974); Queenston Stakes; (1960 (2), 1968, 1971); Toronto Cup Stakes (1970, 1979); Gardenia Stakes (1972); Adirondack Stakes (1977); Bull Page Stakes (1978); Canadian Stakes (1980, 1981) Queen's Plate (1955, 1958, 1967, 1975); Prince of Wales Stakes (1955, 1968, 1975); Breeders' Stakes (1955, 1958, 1969)
Honours
	Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame (1979)
Significant horses
	Ace Marine, Caledon Beau, Fanfreluche,; Jammed Lovely, La Prevoyante,; La Voyageuse, L'Alezane, L'Enjoleur,; Medaille d'Or

Joseph "Yonnie" Starr (August 11, 1905 – March, 1990) was a Canadian Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse trainer about whom the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame says has a "record unmatched in Canadian racing history."^[1]

Starr began his career in Thoroughbred racing as a jockey's agent, representing prominent jockeys such as Frank Mann, Pat Remillard, Red Pollard, and George Seabo. At the same time, in an unofficial capacity Starr became involved in the conditioning of horses. As an unlicensed trainer his first win in 1936 was not formally recognized as were the wins of other horses he trained between then and 1952 when he applied for his license.

Yonnie Starr earned his first

Queen's Plates.^[2] His horses earned ten Sovereign Awards and won a record seven Canadian Horse of the Year titles: Ace Marine (1955), Wonder Where (1959), Fanfreluche (1970), La Prevoyante (1972), L'Enjoleur (1974, 1975), L'Alezane (1977).^[3] Seven of the horses he trained were inducted in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame with one of them also elected to the U.S. United States Racing Hall of Fame.^[4]

Although Starr trained horses of both sexes, he was recognized as someone who also had a special talent to develop

Jean-Louis Levesque. In addition to training for others, he owned a few horses and notably trained Unbranded who won the 1954 Jockey Club Cup Handicap

.

Yonnie Starr trained horses until his death in Florida in March 1990 at age eighty-four. At the time, he had been racing for the winter season at Gulfstream Park.

References

[1] Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame biography

[2] Queen's Pl;ate at Woodbine Entertainment

[3] Sovereign Award winners - Jockey Club of Canada

[4] National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Archived May 26, 2012, at the Wayback Machine

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