Larry Cordes’ homebred MIGHTY HEART was named Canada’s Horse of the Year for the second straight year at the 47th annual Sovereign Awards on April 14 at Universal Eventspace in Vaughan. ON. It was the first time since 2019 that the Sovereign Awards, hosted by the Jockey Club of Canada, was held in person and some 240 people attended in a beautiful setting. Jason Portuondo was Master of Ceremonies.
MIGHTY HEART, who lost his eye in a paddock accident at two months of age, traveled in 2021, winning the Blame Stakes at Churchill Downs in May, the Dominion Day Stakes (G3) and Autumn Stakes (G2) and he placed in graded stakes in West Virginia and also at Woodbine. Now 5 years old, the son of Dramedy – Emma’s Bullseye by City Place is trained by Hall of Famer Josie Carroll, a finalist for Outstanding Trainer, and was groomed by Siobhan Brown.
Mighty Heart is training at Keeneland and will return to racing in either the April 23 Ben Ali Stakes or at Woodbine.
IVAN DALOS was presented with the E.P. TAYLOR AWARD OF MERIT from the Jockey Club of Canada for his contributions to the Canadian Thoroughbred industry. Dalos built up his powerful breeding operation from a chance trip to Woodbine racetrack in the 1970s. Dalos’s broodmare Avie’s Empire won Outstanding Broodmare, the fourth time a mare owned by Dalos has collected that trophy in the last six years.
Ivan Dalos received the E.P. Taylor Award of Merit from Glenn Sikura, chair of the Jockey Club of Canada. Daughter Colleen Dalos, now an active member of the Dalos racing and breeding stable accompanied her father. (Terence Dulay Photo)
PINK LLOYD, now retired at LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement’s farm in Hillsburgh, won an unprecedented fifth straight Champion Sprinter Sovereign Award for his Entourage Stable and trainer Bob Tiller.
Trainer Mark Casse won his 11th straight Outstanding Trainer Sovereign Award and 14th overall. In addition, four horses trained by Casse won awards: Mrs. Barbara, owned by Jim Lawson, CEO of Woodbine Entertainment, won Champion 2-Year-Old Filly, God of Love, 2-Year-Old Colt, Frosted Over, 3-Year-Old Colt and Skygaze, Older Mare.
SAM-SON FARMS’ won Outstanding Breeder and the trophy was accepted by Lisa Balaz, granddaughter of Ernie Samuel.
Horse of the Year: MIGHTY HEART
Larry Cordes, owner and breeder of Mighty Heart, and trainer Josie Carroll accept the 2021 Horse of the Year blanket for the one-eyed horse – Terence Dulay photo
Trainer: Josie Carroll
Owner: Lawrence Cordes
Breeder: Lawrence Cordes
B. C. 4, by Dramedy – Emma’s Bullseye (City Place)
2021: 8 Starts – 3 wins – 2 seconds – 2 thirds – $377,361
Winner: Autumn S. (G2), Dominion Day S. (G3), Blame S.
Mighty Heart (63), Pink Lloyd (55), Town Cruise (34)
Champion Two-Year-Old Female: MRS. BARBARA
Trainer: Mark E. Casse
Owner: Spruce Stable
Breeder: Jim Dandy Stable
DK B. F. 2, by Bodemeister – Destroy (Housebuster)
2021: 6 Starts – 2 wins – 1 second – 1 third – $144,809
Winner: Mazarine S. (G3), MSW
Mrs. Barbara (112), Moira (59), Diabolic (49)
Champion Two-Year-Old Male: GOD OF LOVE
Trainer: Mark E. Casse
Owner: Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Barber, Gary
Breeder: William D. Graham
CH. C. 2, by Cupid – No Wonder (Three Wonders)
2021: 4 Starts – 2 wins – 0 seconds – 0 thirds – $208,993
Winner: Grey S. (G3), Cup and Saucer S.
God of Love (113), Grafton Street (54), Ironstone (40)
Champion Three-Year-Old Female: MUNNYFOR RO
Trainer: Kevin Attard
Owner: Raroma Stable
Breeder: Daybar, LTD.
CH. F. 3, by Munnings – Repartee (Distorted Humor)
2021: 10 Starts – 4 wins – 2 seconds – 2 thirds – $548,561
Winner: Ontario Damsel S., Wonder Where S., Woodbine Oaks, MSW
Munnyfor Ro (118), Our Flash Drive (69), Lorena (27)
Champion Three-Year-Old Male: FROSTED OVER
Trainer: Mark Casse
Owner: Gary Barber
Breeder: G. Watts Humphrey Jr.
B. C. 3, by Frosted- Candy Crush (Candy Ride *Arg)
2021: 5 Starts – 3 wins – 1 second – 0 thirds – $168,786
Winner: Ontario Derby (G3), ALW, MSW
Frosted Over (123), Uncharacteristic (35), Artie’s Storm (35), Haddassah (18)
Outstanding Broodmare: AVIE’S EMPIRE
DK. B. M. 2008 by Empire Maker – Fly for Avie (Lord Avie)
3 Starters, 3 Winners, 1 Champion, 1 Graded Blacktype winner, 1 Blacktype winner, 1 Graded Blacktype placed
Progeny earnings $1,430,306
Avie’s Empire was bred by Sovereign Award-winning breeder Ivan Dalos under his stable name, Tall Oaks Farm. A daughter of Grade 1 winner Fly for Avie, who raced for Dalos, Avie’s Empire never made the races, but has been a gem in the breeding shed. Avie’s Empire’s son Avie’s Flatter (Flatter), the Champion 2-Year-Old of 2018, was a double graded winner in 2021, taking the Grade 2 Nearctic Stakes and Grade 2 Connaught Cup Stakes. Avie’s Empire is also the dam of 2018 Wonder Where Stakes winner Avie’s Mineshaft (Mineshaft) and Avie’s Mesa (Sky Mesa), who was second in the Grade 3 Singspiel Stakes. Avie’s Empire has a 2022 foal by Tapit.
Avie’s Empire (72), Include Katherine (71), Sunday Affair (28)
Outstanding Breeder: SAM-SON FARM
Starters 52; Winners 31
278 Starts; 45 Wins; 48 Seconds; 32 Thirds
Earnings $2,671,554
More than half a century since Sam-Son Farms was founded by the late Ernie Samuel, the iconic Canadian farm remains at the top of the charts of leading breeders. Horses foaled on the Milton, Ontario farm earned over $2.6 million in 2021 and there were 31 winners from 52 starters. Say the Word, the 2020 Champion Turf Male in Canada, won the Grade 2 Hollywood Turf Cup at Del Mar and Grade 2 Elkhorn Stakes at Keeneland for Sam-Son and co-owners Agave Racing. The son of More Than Ready was also second in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile. The exciting Messier, a 2-year-old colt by Empire Maker, won the Grade 3 Bob Hope Stakes and Rideforthecause and Curlin’s Catch were other Stakes winners bred by Sam-Son.
Sam-Son Farm (123), Adena Springs (35), Tall Oaks Farm (31)
Champion Female Sprinter: AMALFI COAST
Trainer: Kevin Attard
Owner: Tracy Farmer
Breeder: Terra Farms Ltd.
CH. M. 5, by Tapizar – Include Katherine (Include)
2021: 5 Starts – 2 wins – 1 second – 2 thirds – $246,763
Winner: Ontario Fashion S. (G3), Royal North S. (G2)
Amalfi Coast (116), Our Secret Agent (60), Lorena (22)
Champion Male Sprinter: PINK LLOYD
Trainer: Robert P. Tiller
Owner: Entourage Stable
Breeder: John Carey
CH. G. 9, by Old Forester – Gladiator Queen (Great Gladiator)
2021: 5 Starts – 3 wins – 2 seconds – 0 thirds – $289,742
Winner: Kennedy Road S. (G2), Ontario Jockey Club S., Bold Venture S. (G3)
Pink Lloyd (117), Avie’s Flatter (57), Souper Stonehenge (37)
Outstanding Apprentice Jockey: MAURICIO MALVAEZ
252 Starts; 28 Wins; 34 Seconds; 34 Thirds
Earnings $470,225
A winner of the 2020 Sovereign Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey, Mauricio Malvaez switched over to riding racehorses in 2019 after a promising boxing career. The son of jockey Marcos Malvaez had his first full season of riding in 2020 in Alberta and rode Real Grace to a big win in the Grade 3 Canadian Derby. Mauricio bettered his 2020 totals in 2021 riding 19 winners at Century Mile, including Canadian Juvenile Stakes winner Asyoubelieve. He then moved his tack to Woodbine Racetrack in mid-September. In 2021 he won 28 races, leading all apprentice riders in Canada.
Mauricio Malvaez (136), Michael David (59), Edgar Zenteno (43)
Outstanding Jockey: KAZUSHI KIMURA
722 Starts; 140 Wins; 98 Seconds; 99 Thirds
Earnings $5,152,154; Stakes wins 8
Following only his fourth season as a jockey in Canada, Kazushi Kimura earned his first nomination as Outstanding Jockey. Already a two-time winner of the Outstanding Apprentice Sovereign Award and an Eclipse Award winner for top apprentice, the Japanese-born rider’s 140 victories easily topped all Canadian riders. His mounts earned over $5.1 million in purses. Kazushi’s eight stakes wins included a win in the Grade 3 Ontario Derby aboard Gary Barber’s Frosted Over. He also won the Grade 3 Hendrie on Barber’s Our Secret Agent. Kazushi maintained an impressive 19 percent win rate in 2021.
Kazushi Kimura (116), Rafael Manuel Hernandez (58), Patrick Husbands (25), Justin Stein (25)
Champion Female Turf Horse: JOLIE OLIMPICA
Trainer: Josie Carroll
Owner: Shimokobe Farm
Breeder: Stud T N T
CH. M. 5, by Drosselmeyer – Jolie Celina *Brz (Trempolino)
2021: 5 Starts – 1 win – 1 second – 1 third – $118,987
Winner: Nassau S. (G2)
Jolie Olimpica (92), Amalfi Coast (56), Our Flash Drive (50)
Champion Male Turf Horse: TOWN CRUISE
Trainer: Brandon Evan Greer
Owner: Brandon Greer
Breeder: Terrance Reg Greer & Brandon Evan Greer
CH. G. 6, by Town Prize – Candy Cruise (Candy Ride *Arg)
2021: 5 Starts – 3 wins – 1 second – 0 thirds – $704,953
Winner: Woodbine Mile S. (G1), ALW/OC, ALW
Town Cruise (127), Avie’s Flatter (62), Silent Poet (24)
Outstanding Trainer: MARK E. CASSE
540 Starts; 110 Wins; 80 Seconds; 67 Thirds
Earnings $6,525,302; Stakes wins 27
Mark Casse sent out the winners of a staggering 27 stakes races, a personal record for his Woodbine stable, and his trainees won 110 races, also a new career top. His Canadian runners earned over $6.5 million. He is the trainer of the impressive 2-year-old Canadian-bred colt God of Love, who won the Grey Stakes (G3) and the Cup and Saucer Stakes for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gary Barber. The Casse stable, under the watchful eyes of assistants David Adams and Kathryn Sullivan, developed many horses into graded stakes winners. Stable stars included two-time graded stakes winner Our Flash Drive, Mazarine Stakes (G3) winner Mrs. Barbara, Skygaze winner of the Maple Leaf Stakes (G3), Souper Stonehenge winner of the Vigil (G3) and Jacques Cartier Stakes (G3) and Frosted Over, who took the Ontario Derby (G3).
Mark E. Casse (123), Kevin Attard (67), Josie Carroll (30)
Champion Older Main Track Female: SKYGAZE
Trainer: Mark E. Casse
Owner: Tracy Farmer
Breeder: Normandy Farm LLC
B. F. 4, by American Pharoah – Skyscape (Marquetry)
2021: 5 Starts – 3 wins – 1 second – 1 third – $179,200
Winner: Maple Leaf S. (G3), Belle Mahone S., ALW/OC
Skygaze (106), Amalfi Coast (73), Infinite Patience (29)
Champion Older Main Track Male: MIGHTY HEART
Trainer: Josie Carroll
Owner: Lawrence Cordes
Breeder: Lawrence Cordes
B. C. 4, by Dramedy – Emma’s Bullseye (City Place)
2021: 8 Starts – 3 wins – 2 seconds – 2 thirds – $377,361
Winner: Autumn S. (G2), Dominion Day S. (G3), Blame S.
Mighty Heart (108), Pink Lloyd (60), Sir Winston (40)
Outstanding Owner: LIVE OAK PLANTATION
68 Starts; 19 Wins; 7 Seconds; 4 Thirds
Earnings $1,403,812; Stakes wins 7
Live Oak Plantation, owned by Charlotte Weber, won its first Sovereign Award for Outstanding Owner in 2020 and had an even more lucrative season with its Canadian starters in 2021. Live Oak, located in Ocala, Florida, won 19 races from 68 starters, including seven stakes races. Leading the charge for the stable was Our Flash Drive, trained by Mark Casse, who won the Selene Stakes (G3) on Tapeta and the Ontario Colleen Stakes (G2) on the turf. Live Oak’s homebred gelding Souper Stonehenge won the Vigil Stakes (G3) and Jacques Cartier Stakes (G3). Another top runner for Live Oak in 2021 was Souper Escape. Other stakes winners for the farm included March to the Arch and Tap It to Win.
Live Oak Plantation (100), Gary Barber (61), Godolphin, LLC (35)
In the media categories, Will Wong’s “Welcome Back” was named Outstanding Photograph, giving him his second award, Hayley Morrison took the Outstanding Writing award for the second time with “New Races, New Faces: How I Fell For The Fort”, and Woodbine Entertainment Group’s broadcast of the 162nd Queen’s Plate took the Outstanding Broadcast award. In addition, longtime Mike Doyle staffer Denzil Fonseca was named Outstanding Groom.
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