Mansetti Is Canada's Horse of Year, Chiefswood

MANSETTI (Collected), owned by Al and Bill Ulwelling, edged out his older stablemate CAITLINHERGRTNESS for the 2025 HORSE OF THE YEAR honour at the Sovereign Awards on April 23. The 51st Sovereigns, presented by The Jockey Club of Canada, were given out at Paramount Universal Space in Woodbridge, ON complete with dinner and ceremony.

Mansetti, the 2025 King’s Plate winner as a longshot, also won the Woodstock and Grade 3 Marine Stakes, and placed second in the Grade 3 Ontario Derby and Prince of Wales Stakes. Trained by Kevin Attard, Mansetti was bred by Jim Rome’s Jungle Racing, LLC. He was a $40,000 purchase by the Ulwellings from the Ocala April two-year-old in training sale in 2024.

Mansetti, who was voted Champion Three-Year-Old Colt or Gelding, garnered 81 voting points for Horse of the Year and just got the award over 2024 Plate winner Caitlinhergrtness, who had 74 points and was voted Champion Older Mare.

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It was a big night for CHIEFSWOOD STABLE, as the operation of Robert and Mark Krembil won both Outstanding Breeder and Owner. It was the first Breeder award for the Krembils. Their homebred SIMCOE was named Champion Male Sprinter for 2025.

“Of all the awards given out by the Jockey Club of Canada, this is the one I cherish the most,” said Robert Krembil. “I got into this business twenty-seven years ago to breed to race. This takes a really good team to do this.”

RAFAEL HERNANDEZ dominated the Woodbine jockeys in 2025 and won his second Sovereign Award for top rider. MARK CASSE won an unprecedented 17th Sovereign for Outstanding Trainer.

Results with totals are below.

Watch the ceremony HERE:

Outstanding Jockey Rafael Hernandez. (Jockey Club of Canada/ Michael Burns Photo)

Horse of the Year: MANSETTI
Trainer: Kevin Attard
Owner: Al & Bill Ulwelling
Breeder: Jungle Racing, LLC
B. C. 3, by Collected – Gidget Girl (Sky Mesa)
2025: 8 Starts – 3 wins – 2 seconds – 0 thirds – $925,000
Winner: HPIbet Marine S. (G3), King’s Plate S., Woodstock S.
Stakes Placings: 2nd Ontario Derby (G3), Prince of Wales S.
Mansetti (81), Caitlinhergrtness (74), Corsia Veloce (35)

Champion Two-year Old Female: CORSIA VELOCE
Trainer: Josie Carroll
Owner: Glenn Sikura and Mario Serrani
Breeder: Hill ‘N’ Dale Farms & M. Serrani
B. F. 2, by Practical Joke – Beth’s Bling (City Zip)
2025: 3 Starts – 3 wins – 0 seconds – 0 thirds – $522,360
Winner: Johnnie Walker Natalma S. (G1), Catch A Glimpse S., MSW
Corsia Veloce (174), Dixie Law (69), Piper’s Gift (50)

Champion Two-year Old Male: ARGOS
Trainer: Riley Mott
Owner: David S. Romanik, Warren Cheekes, Deborah K. Dougherty, C2 Racing Stable, LLC, BAG Racing Stable, LLC and Robert Liedel
Breeder: Green Lantern Stables, LLC
B. C. 2, by Nyquist – Athenian *IRE (Acclamation *GB)
2025: 4 Starts – 2 wins – 0 seconds – 1 third – $384,488
Winner: bet365 Summer S. (G1), MSW
Stakes Placings: 3rd bet365 Soaring Free S.
Argos (165), Two Out Hero (61), Casson (35)

Champion Three-year Old Female: WINTERBERRY
Trainer: Mark E. Casse
Owner: D. J. Stable LLC
Breeder: Anderson Farms Ont. Inc.
DK. B./BR. F. 3, by Frosted – Dreams Are Free (Bellamy Road)
2025: 5 Starts – 2 wins – 0 seconds – 1 third – $293,000
Winner: Bison City S., Fury S. presented by Stella Artios
Stakes Placings: 3rd Woodbine Oaks Presented by Stella Artois
Winterberry (99), No Time (96), Chi Chi Time (47)

Champion Three-year Old Male: MANSETTI
Trainer: Kevin Attard
Owner: Al & Bill Ulwelling
Breeder: Jungle Racing, LLC
B. C. 3, by Collected – Gidget Girl (Sky Mesa)
2025: 8 Starts – 3 wins – 2 seconds – 0 thirds – $925,000
Winner: HPIbet Marine S. (G3), King’s Plate S., Woodstock S.
Stakes Placings: 2nd Ontario Derby (G3), Prince of Wales S.
Mansetti (168), Borealis Trail (41), Take Charge Tom (39)

Outstanding Breeder: CHIEFSWOOD STABLES LIMITED
In Canada:
Starters 32; Winners 15
Earnings $2,127,858
Starts 114; Wins 25; 2nd 13; 3rd 14

Robert and Mark Krembil have been breeding top class racehorses at their Nobleton, Ontario farm for about 25 years, and a plethora of stakes winners have come from their breeding program. Finalists in this category in 2024, the Krembils, who also have a training centre in Loretto, raced seven stakes horses in 2025, six of them at Woodbine.
Chiefswood Stables Limited (140), Anderson Farms Ont. Inc. (54), Frank Di Giulio Jr. (27)

Outstanding Broodmare: DIXIE CHICKEN
Chestnut mare, 2007
Rahy – Minnie’s Meadow (Affirmed)
7 starters, 7 Winners, 3 Black-type Winners, 1 Graded Black-type Placer, 2 Black-type Placers
Progeny earnings $2,009,587

Bred by Sean and Dorothy Fitzhenry, Dixie Chicken was a good racehorse for the couple, but it is as a broodmare that she really shone. The stakes-placed earner of over $201,000 has produced seven foals to race, with all of them recording at least one career victory and six of them winning or placing in stakes races.
Dixie Chicken (115), Aurora Lights (56), Gladiator Queen (43)

Champion Female Sprinter: LITTLE TEDDY
Trainer: Santino C. Di Paola
Owner: York Tech Racing Stable
Breeder: Susan Rasmussen & H. Lothian
GR./RO. F. 4, by Frac Daddy – Explosive Leah (Silent Name *JPN)
2025: 6 Starts – 4 wins – 2 seconds – 0 thirds – $299,320
Winner: Eternal Search S., Zadracarta S., AOC, AOC
Stakes Placings: 2nd Algoma S., Ballade S.
Little Teddy (92), Ms. Tart (74), Gal in a Rush (71)

Champion Male Sprinter: SIMCOE
Trainer: Katerina Vassilieva
Owner: Chiefswood Stables Limited
Breeder: Chiefswood Stables Limited
DK. B./BR. G. 5, by Uncle Mo – Aurora Lights (Pulpit)
2025: 7 Starts – 5 wins – 2 seconds – 0 thirds – $373,559
Winner: Bold Venture S. (G3), Branded Cities Vigil S. (G3), AOC, AOC, AOC
Stakes Placings: 2nd Jacques Cartier S. (G3)
Simcoe (147), Gas Me Up (56), My Boy Prince (45)

Outstanding Apprentice Jockey: PIETRO MORAN
In Canada:
Starts 835; Wins 139; 2nd 115; 3rd 136
Earnings $5,991,845
Stakes wins 6

In his second full season as an apprentice, Pietro Moran finished a clear second in the Woodbine rider standings, and his 139 victories were easily the best among Canadian
apprentice riders. Incredibly, this was after eight months of rehabilitation following an injury to his back in a spill at Fort Erie in September 2024.
Pietro Moran (180), Austin Adams (72), Xarel Forde (59)

Outstanding Jockey: RAFAEL MANUEL HERNANDEZ
In Canada:
Starts 632; Wins 148; 2nd 101; 3rd 69
Earnings $6,484,294
Stakes wins 23

The talented and consistent Rafael Hernandez rode hard to the wire to win the Woodbine jockey title by just nine victories. Rafael, in his tenth full season riding at Woodbine, won 148 races at the meeting and his purse earnings marked
a personal best. His most impressive accomplishment of the 2025 campaign was the 23 stakes races he won, easily the highest among the Woodbine jockey colony. His win-rate was an impressive 23 percent.
Rafael Manuel Hernandez (175), Pietro Moran (67), Sahin Civaci (35)

Champion Female Turf Horse: READY FOR SHIRL
Trainer: Roger L. Attfield
Owner: Charles E. Fipke
Breeder: Charles Fipke
B. F. 4, by More Than Ready – Perfect Shirl (Perfect Soul *IRE)
2025: 8 Starts – 2 wins – 1 second – 3 thirds – $324,800
Winner: Canadian S. Presented by the Japan Racing Association (G2), AOC
Stakes Placings: 2nd Nassau S. (G2),
3rd E. P. Taylor S. (G1), bet365 Dance Smartly S. (G2), Belle Mahone S. (G3)
Ready for Shirl (122), Corsia Veloce (91), Little Teddy (30)

Champion Male Turf Horse: GAS ME UP
Trainer: Peter Eurton
Owner: Exline-Border Racing LLC, Michael Jawl, Aaron Kennedy and Tom Zwiesler
Breeder: Sam-Son Farm
DK. B./BR. G. 5, by Hard Spun – Chic Thrill (Smart Strike)
2025: 6 Starts – 3 wins – 0 seconds – 1 third – $463,988
Winner: bet365 King Edward S. (G2), Joe Hernandez S. (G2), AOC
Stakes Placings: 3rd Rogers Woodbine Mile S. (G1)
Gas Me Up (145), My Boy Prince (90), Argos (43)

Outstanding Trainer: MARK E. CASSE
In Canada:
Starts 495; Wins 97; 2nd 85; 3rd 70
Earnings $5,734,337
Stakes wins 12

A member of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame and National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Mark Casse won his sixth consecutive Woodbine training title by wins in 2025. It was his sixteenth time as leading trainer by wins, and he has won this award a record 16 times. A highlight for Mark in 2025 was winning his 4,000th career race, which came at Colonial Downs. He is just the fourteenth trainer in history to reach
that plateau.
Mark E. Casse (152), Kevin Attard (106), Martin Drexler (26)

Champion Older Main Track Female: CAITLINHERGRTNESS
Trainer: Kevin Attard
Owner: WinStar Farm LLC
Breeder: Jesse Korona
CH. F. 4, by Omaha Beach – Belatrix (Giant’s Causeway)
2025: 8 Starts – 3 wins – 3 seconds – 0 thirds – $476,380
Winner: Belle Mahone S. (G3), Ontario Matron S. (G3), My Charmer S. presented by Claiborne Farm
Stakes Placings: 2nd bet365 Dance Smartly S. (G2), Bessarabian S., Trillium S. Presented by Don Julio (G3)
Caitlinhergrtness (172), Big Hug (42), Avana (31), Ready for Shirl (31)

Champion Older Main Track Male: DRESDEN ROW
Trainer: Lorne Richards
Owner: True North Stable and Bloom Racing Stable (Jeffrey Bloom)
Breeder: TCR Ranch
CH. C. 4, by Lord Nelson – Elle Special (Giant’s Causeway)
2025: 6 Starts – 3 wins – 0 seconds – 1 third – $236,572
Winner: HPIbet Autumn S. (G3)
Stakes Placings: 2nd Durham Cup S. (G3), Seagram Cup S. (G3), 3rd bet365 Highlander S. (G2)
Dresden Row (154), Swift Delivery (57), Judo (34)

Outstanding Owner: CHIEFSWOOD STABLES LIMITED
In Canada:
Starts 120; Wins 27; 2nd 13; 3rd 17
Earnings: $2,279,748
Stakes wins 5

Three horses owned and bred by Robert and Mark Krembil’s Chiefswood Stables Limited are finalists for Sovereign Awards for racing brilliance in 2025 – Borealis Trail, Piper’s Gift, and Simcoe. The farm is also represented in the Outstanding Broodmare category by their mare Aurora Lights, the dam of both Borealis Trail and Simcoe.
Chiefswood Stables Limited (113), Al and Bill Ulwelling (87), Bruno Schickedanz (46)

Outstanding Writing: NATALIE VOSS
As Woodbine Opens Its Season, Jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson Is Waiting In The Wings – For Now
Published: April 28, 2025 in The Paulick Report

Outstanding Photograph: CLIVE COHEN
Love Illuminated
Published: November 5, 2025 in The Paulick Report

Outstanding Audio Visual/Digital Broadcast: WOODBINE ENTERTAINMENT
Free Rein: It Runs in the Family
Released on Woodbine.com on April 11, 2025

Outstanding Groom: ROSE DAY

When Rose Day walked into Barn 1 at Woodbine Racetrack in 2001, she had never seen a horse up close before: the young mother was seeking a second job and her cousin, Velor, had told her about hotwalking. “I had no idea what that was,” said Rose, who met trainer Mike Doyle that day. “They showed me how to hold the horse and how to do it. In ten minutes, I was walking him on my own.”

Outstanding Off-track Worker: TOVE MORGAN

The jobs of off-track workers occur away from the bright lights and festivities of the racetrack, but they are critical roles in the world of horse racing. Born in Denmark, Tove Morgan was just a toddler when she came to Canada with her family. She remembers settling in Manitoba where her father was a cattle farmer. “There were always horses around,” she said. That sparked a lifelong love for Tove who, for almost 50 years, has been an integral part of some of the most successful racing and breeding outfits in Canada.

Outstanding Off-track Worker: Jodie Hiesinger

As a teenager, Jodie Hiesinger discovered the racetrack when she was looking for a recreational horse to ride. She was fascinated with thoroughbreds and began working with them part-time, on weekends and in the summer, learning as much as she could about the breed and racing. In 2013, she signed up for the Professional Racetrack Exercise Rider Program at Olds College of Agriculture and Technology in Olds, Alberta. Soon after graduation, she joined the barn of trainer Rod Cone, who describes her as very generous with her time and knowledge, and loyal to the horses first and foremost.

Special Sovereign Award: DOUG ANDERSON

Invited to join The Jockey Club of Canada in 2019, it did not take Doug Anderson long to immerse himself into the inner workings of the organization. He was elected to the Board of Stewards in 2022, and succeeded Yvonne Schwabe as chair of the Sovereign Awards Committee that fall. Doug’s commitment to honouring the founders of The Jockey Club of Canada and their mission was paramount.