Thoroughbred Builder
Edmonton-born Charles Fipke’s life story reads like an adventure novel, complete with exploring the most remote parts of the world and diamond mine discoveries, which contribute to him being given the moniker of “Canada’s most famous prospector”. Much like the passion he has for unearthing diamonds from the ground, Charles has a similar obsession for finding the best pedigree mix to make the perfect racehorse.
An acclaimed geologist, philanthropist and animal lover, Charles has been racing and breeding Thoroughbreds in Canada, and throughout the world, for more than 40 years. He has owned and bred a Queen’s Plate winner, several Breeders’ Cup winners, developed successful stallions, and his horses have collected numerous awards in North America.
Growing up in Kelowna, BC and as the oldest of four children, Charles took an immediate interest in entrepreneurship, selling paintings his mother made from his father’s aerial photos. He collected and raised a variety of birds and fell in love with riding horses. His love for nature and discovery led him into geology, graduating from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Science. He immersed himself in exploration and in 1991 his exploration of the Northwest Territories, with partner Stu Blusson, resulted in the finding of what is now the Ekati Diamond mine.
Charles first discovered horse racing when he bought a yearling filly from BC’s most successful horse breeders, CHRHF Honoured Members Russ and Lois Bennett, in the early 1980s. That filly was injured early in her career but Charles bred her to Horse of the Year Travelling Victor and the result was the stakes winner and aptly named, Travelling Spirit.
The racing and breeding hook was now firmly in place.
Charles’ stable of homebreds grew exponentially and now are seen regularly on the international racing stage. Selecting the matings himself with help from mountains of statistics and a couple of close advisors, Charles has bred dozens of champions or major winners. These include Grade 1 winner Perfect Soul (Ire) who was Canada’s Champion Turf Male in 2003, and is sire of Charles’ Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner, Perfect Shirl. Not Bourbon, a son of Perfect Soul’s half brother Not Impossible, gave Charles his first Queen’s Plate (2008) and became an Ontario stallion. Forever Unbridled, the 2017 winner of the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1), was also a homebred as were Grade 1 winners Seeking the Soul, Tale of Ekati, Bee Jersey and many others. His current stars include Lady Speightspeare, who was voted Sovereign Award Champion Older Mare Main Track and Champion Turf Female for the 2022 season and Grade 1 winner Shirl’s Speight.
Charles is well known for his philanthropic support for health care initiatives at the University of British Columbia and he founded, among other organizations, the Fipke Professorship in Alzheimer’s Research. Charles was appointed the Order of Canada by the Governor General in 2018. He was presented the E.P. Taylor Award of Merit by the Jockey Club of Canada in 2019 and now joins the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.