Richard Arthur Northwood "Dick" Bonnycastle (born September 26, 1934) is a Canadian businessman who is the former owner and publisher of

Harlequin Enterprises Harlequin Enterprises ULC (known simply as Harlequin) is a romance and women's fiction publisher founded in Winnipeg, Canada in 1949. From the 1960s, it grew into the largest publisher of romance fiction in the world. Based in Toronto, Canada si ...

(founded in 1949 by his father

Richard H. G. Bonnycastle Richard Henry Gardyn Bonnycastle (August 25, 1903 - September 29, 1968) was a Canadian lawyer, fur trader, adventurer, and a businessman who helped found and then owned the romance novel publishing company, Harlequin Enterprises. Biography Born ...

), the world's largest publisher of

romantic fiction A romance novel or romantic novel generally refers to a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and usually has an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Pre ...

, as well as an owner of

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

racehorses Harlequin Ranches. He is part of the

Bonnycastle family The Bonnycastle family of Canada include: * Sir Richard Henry Bonnycastle (1791-1847), British soldier * Henry William John Bonnycastle (1813-1888), lawyer, militiaman, farmer, councillor, artist * Angus Bonnycastle (1873-1941), lawyer, politici ...

founded in Canada by British military officer, Sir Richard Henry Bonnycastle. Bonnycastle's career includes decades of

corporate governance Corporate governance is defined, described or delineated in diverse ways, depending on the writer's purpose. Writers focused on a disciplinary interest or context (such as accounting, finance, law, or management) often adopt narrow definitions th ...

experience, being the chairman and independent director of such Canadian corporations as Harlequin Enterprises (1968-1981),

Torstar Torstar Corporation is a Canadian mass media company which primarily publishes daily and community newspapers. In addition to the ''Toronto Star'', its flagship and namesake, Torstar also publishes daily newspapers in Hamilton, Peterborough, Ni ...

(1975-1982), The

Canada Development Investment Corporation The Canada Development Investment Corporation (CDEV; french: Corporation de développement des investissements du Canada) is a Canadian Crown corporation responsible for managing investments and corporate interests held by the Government of Can ...

(CDIC; 1978-1988), National Leasing Group, Bracknell Corporation (1983-1990), Patheon Inc. (1984-1986), Rupertsland Resources Ltd. (1975-1983), Westco Restaurants Inc. (founders of

Moxie's Moxie's Restaurants LP (doing business as Moxies; formerly Moxie's Classic Grill, then Moxie's Grill & Bar) is a Canadian restaurant chain operating in eight provinces, as well as the U.S. states of Texas and Florida. Overview Moxie's is a pr ...

; 1992-1996), and Western Feedlots Ltd. (1970-1978), among others. Dick is currently Chairman and President of Cavendish Investing Ltd. and Pacific Iron Ore Corporation.

Life

Richard Arthur Northwood Bonnycastle was born on 26 September 1934 in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

, to

of the

. Dick Bonnycastle was educated at Ravenscourt School,

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

;

Trinity College School Trinity College School (TCS) is a co-educational, independent boarding and day school located in Port Hope, Ontario, Canada. TCS was founded on May 1, 1865, more than two years before Canadian Confederation. It includes a Senior School ...

, in

Port Hope, Ontario Port Hope is a municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, approximately east of Toronto and about west of Kingston. It is located at the mouth of the Ganaraska River on the north shore of Lake Ontario, in the west end of Northumberland County. ...

; and graduated from the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.Bachelor of Commerce A Bachelor of Commerce (abbreviated BComm or BCom; also, ''baccalaureates commercii'') is an undergraduate degree in business, usually awarded in Canada, Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Ireland, New Zealand, Ghana, South Africa, Myanmar, ...

degree. After graduation he worked for the Great West Life Assurance Company and subsequently, Richardson Securities of Canada as a corporate

underwriter Underwriting (UW) services are provided by some large financial institutions, such as banks, insurance companies and investment houses, whereby they guarantee payment in case of damage or financial loss and accept the financial risk for liabilit ...

. Concurrently, he operated Cavendish Investing Ltd., to which, commencing in 1968, he devoted all of his time. Within a few years of taking over

from his father, he moved the company's operations to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, where he would build it into a major international force in the

book publishing Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

industry. By 1971, Dick Bonnycastle had orchestrated the

buyout In finance, a buyout is an investment transaction by which the ownership equity of a company, or a majority share of the stock of the company is acquired. The acquiror thereby "buys out" the present equity holders of the target company. A buyout ...

of British publisher

Mills & Boon Mills & Boon is a romance imprint of British publisher Harlequin UK Ltd. It was founded in 1908 by Gerald Rusgrove Mills and Charles Boon as a general publisher. The company moved towards escapist fiction for women in the 1930s. In 1971, the ...

and had contracted with

Pocket Books Pocket Books is a division of Simon & Schuster that primarily publishes paperback books. History Pocket Books produced the first mass-market, pocket-sized paperback books in the United States in early 1939 and revolutionized the publishing in ...

and

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publ ...

to distribute the Mills & Boon novels in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. In addition, he oversaw expansion to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

in 1974,

The Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

in 1975, set up a joint venture in 1976 in

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

and in 1977 established a subsidiary in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Bonnycastle saw his company grow to where it would command 80% of the

romance fiction A romance novel or romantic novel generally refers to a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and Romance (love), romantic love between two people, and usually has an "emotionally satisfying and optimis ...

market in North America. In late 1975, Toronto Star Ltd. purchased a 52.5% interest in Harlequin Enterprises and in 1981 acquired the balance of the company's shares. Bonnycastle has also published 4 books: ''To Ride the Wind'' – ''Albert Hochbaum'', ''A Gentleman Adventurer'', ''I Fought Reil'', ''My Life with Birds – Angus Shortt''. Dick is a supporter of various causes related to nature and the environment and has been on a councilmember of Fort Whyte Centre for Environmental Education (1988-2015), trustee of the Institute for Wetland and Waterfowl Research (1990-1995), co-founder of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Association (1988), trustee of the North American Wildlife Foundation, operating Delta Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Station (1978-1988).

Harlequin Ranches

Bonnycastle's great-great-great-grandfather, Darcy Boulton, was Canada's first racing steward. Bonnycastle became involved with the sport of

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

in the early 1970s. In 1973, he was one of the founding members of the board of stewards of the

Jockey Club of Canada The Jockey Club of Canada was formed in 1973 to oversee thoroughbred horse racing in Canada. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the club is responsible for the annual Sovereign Awards program and the Canadian Graded Stakes Committee. Founding members: * C ...

and has served as its chairman since 2005. Racing under the name Harlequin Ranches at racetracks across Canada as well as in the United States, he has also campaigned horses in Europe. In the 1970s, one of his best runners in Canada was a multiple stakes-winning son of the great

Northern Dancer Northern Dancer (May 27, 1961 – November 16, 1990) was a Thoroughbred who, in 1964, became the first Canadian-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. He then became one of the most successful sires of the 20th century. He is considered a Canad ...

named Nice Dancer. In 1978, Bonnycastle won the

Classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...

1,000 Guineas Stakes The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...

with Enstone Spark. In recent years, he was a partner in Mr Combustible who won the 2001

Chester Vase The Chester Vase is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 63 yards () at Che ...

and

Geoffrey Freer Stakes The Geoffrey Freer Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Newbury over a distance of 1 mile, 5 furlongs and 61 yards (2,671 me ...

and in Canada, his

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

, Gold Strike, was voted the 2005 Canadian Champion 3-Year-Old Filly. Bonnycastle is a partner in Yankee Bravo who won the 2008

California Derby The California Derby is a race for Thoroughbred horses held early in the year at Golden Gate Fields. An ungraded stakes, it is open to three-year-olds at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on a Tapeta surface. The Derby offers a purs ...

References

External links

Government of Manitoba Archives on the Bonnycastle family

Richard Bonnycastle Jr. at the NTRA
* Jensen, Margaret Ann. 1984. ''Love's $weet return: The Harlequin Story''. Popular Press.
''Montreal Gazette'' - August 13, 1977 article on Harlequin Enterprises

August 28, 2007 ''Bloodhorse'' article on Dick Bonnycastle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonnycastle, Richard A. N. Richard A. N. Bonnycastle 1934 births Living people University of Manitoba alumni Businesspeople from Winnipeg Canadian book publishers (people) Canadian racehorse owners and breeders