Eugene and Laura Melnyk

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Owner(s): Eugene Melnyk
Born: May 27, 1959 in Toronto, Canada
Residence: Barbados, West Indies
Family: Daughters Anna and Olivia
Education: Graduated from St. Michael’s College School in Toronto, Canada
Professional Background: In August 2003, Melnyk purchased the NHL's Ottawa Senators professional hockey team and Scotiabank Place.... He is also known for founding Biovail Corporation in 1989 ... Under his executive leadership, Biovail became Canada's largest publicly traded pharmaceutical company, generating more than $1 billion in annual revenue. He retired as the company's chairman in June 2007 ... Melnyk continues to monitor, evaluate, and invest in a diverse range of biopharmaceutical research and development opportunities ... In October 2008, he successfully launched Trimel BioPharma, a company focused on developing innovative, patented applications for drug delivery and non-systemic delivery of pharmaceuticals... He is a major investor and the chairman of PurGenesis Technologies, which applies a unique extraction technology to develop botanically-based products for medicinal use and other applications ... Melnyk also is the chairman and owner of Fusion Brands, a fully commercialized cosmetics company with a broad award-winning product line distributed in more than 40 countries ... Melnyk is known for his philanthropy, focusing on causes that positively impact children, health care, education, and sports development ... He is the leading donor for Anna House, a unique childcare facility at Belmont Park. This innovative child care facility is named after his oldest daughter and is the first day care center of its kind to be located on the grounds of a North American racetrack. The facility provides much needed day care, regardless of ability to pay, for the many hard working parents who are employed on the backstretch at Belmont Park ... Melnyk also is the founding donor of Roger's House, a pediatric palliative care facility in Ottawa, and he has made significant contributions to St. Joseph's Health Centre in Toronto, St. Michael's College School in Toronto, and a humanitarian organization called Help Us Help The Children, which benefits orphaned children in the Ukraine ... In August 2007, he launched the national Patrons of Sport campaign to raise funds for Canada's Olympians and top amateur athletes ... In 2008, Melnyk was awarded the prestigious Order of St. Michael, the highest honor conferred by his alma mater ... He also received special honors from Ukraine President Victor Yushchenko for his ongoing work with Help US Help The Children
Racing Background: Melnyk discovered his passion for Thoroughbred racing at an early age while making frequent childhood visits to Woodbine in Toronto … Has been an active owner since the mid-1980s
Breeding/Racing Operation: In 2001, Melnyk purchased the prestigious Mockingbird Farm in Ocala, Fla. After renaming it Winding Oaks Farm, he committed to restoring the farm back to its original glory and preserving it as an exclusive training and breeding facility. It remains one of the top Thoroughbred racing facilities in North America ... In 2007, Melnyk purchased the 117-acre Ripplewood Farm in Lexington, Kentucky and this second farm was renamed Winding Oaks Farms Kentucky. It serves primarily as a boarding facility for Melnyk's mares who are bred to stallions standing in Kentucky ... Melnyk Racing Stables manages over 1,000 acres on its two farms in Florida and Kentucky. The farms employ a staff of 90 and there are over 400 horses under the care the staff. Both farms and racing operations are managed by Phil Hronec in collaboration with six North America trainers: Mark Casse, Tom Albertrani, Malcolm Pierce, Layne Giliforte, Ken McPeek, and Seth Benzel...Melnyk's best horses include Archer’s Bay, who won the Sovereign Award for top 3-year-old in Canada in 1998 after winning the Queen's Plate and the Prince of Wales Stakes, which are the first two legs of the Canadian Triple Crown; Lodge Hill, winner of the 2000 Breeders' Stakes, which is the third leg of the Canadian triple Crown; Speightstown, the Eclipse Award-winning Sprinter of 2004 who also won the Breeders' Cup Sprint that year; Kathir, who captured the Barbados Gold Cup in 2004; Flower Alley, who placed second in the 2005 Breeders' Cup Classic and 11th in the 2006 Classic and also won the G1 Travers Stakes in 2005; and Sealy Hill, who was a close second in the 2008 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf. Sealy Hill, the first and only winner of the Canadian Triple Tiara for fillies, was awarded with triple Sovereign Awards – 3-year-old filly, turf female, and Horse of the Year in 2007. Other notable graded stakes winners include Marchfield, winner of the 2007 Breeders Stakes and the recipient of the 2008 Sovereign Award as Champion Older Male on the Dirt Track; Sterwins, Gemswick Park, Pool land, Marley Vale, Tweedside, Bishop Court hill, Harmony Lodge, Indian Vale, Gouldings Green, Strong Hope, Fisher Pond, Lodge Hill, Bovell Road, Pico Teneriffe, and Graeme Hall ... Melnyk has an impressive total of 43 graded stakes wins and has had 11 starters as an owner in Breeders' Cup races:...His Breeders' Cup horses include: Appleby Gardens (fifth in the 2002 Juvenile Fillies), Flower Alley (second in the 2005 Classic and 11th in the 2006 Classic), GraemeHall (12th in the 1999 Juvenile), Host (seventh in the 2005 Mile and fifth in the 2007 Mile), Indian Vale (ninth in the 2007 Distaff), Pico Teneriffe (12th in the 2000 Filly and Mare Turf), Pool Land (ninth in the 2006 Distaff), Speightstown (1st in the 2004 Sprint), and Sealy Hill (second in the 2008 Filly and Mare Turf). Indian Vale is his only Breeders' Cup starter as a breeder ... Melnyk was the recipient of his first Sovereign Award as top owner in 2007...He owns a substantial quantity of bloodstock and is standing stallions in Florida and Kentucky, including Speightstown (at WinStar Farm), Strong Hope (at Winding Oaks Farm), Flower Alley (at Three Chimneys Farm), Graeme Hall (at Winding Oaks Farm), Paynes Bay (at Norse Ridge Farm), and Harlington (at Hill n Dale Farm)....Young broodmares include Sealy Hill, Indian Vale, Marley Vale, Harmony Lodge, Pico Teneriffe, and Felicita .... In 2008 Graeme Hall was the leading juvenile sire in Florida and Speightstown currently ranks third overall as a first crop sire.