Assiniboia Downs blew out the final candle on its 50th anniversary with the crowning of Horse of the Year and Manitoba-bred Horse of the Year in the annual Horse of the Year Banquet held Saturday evening.
Monsoon Rain, owned by Larry Carter and trained by Marty Drexler, washed away his completion for Horse of the Year, presented by the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, as easy as he did on the track in 2008. Winning five in a row including the $30,000 Wheat City Stakes, the $30,000 R. J. Speers Memorial, and the $75,000 Gold Cup, he captured the triple crown of stakes for older horses at Assiniboia Downs.
Winnipeg based Starfield Stables’s Queen Tina, trained by Harry Kube, garnered her final jewel in her crown taking Manitoba-bred Horse of the Year honours. “The Queen” won two stakes in 2008 including the $50,000 R.C. Anderson Memorial and the $50,000 Distaff Stakes. She also finished a respectable third to Champion 3-year-old filly Miss Missile in the Chantilly Stakes. Manitoba-bred Horse of the Year is presented by the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society, Manitoba Chapter.
Rock’n USA, owned by Tanya and Shirley Lindsay and Marvin Burnett, rocked the competition as Champion Sprinter for 2008. The 5-year-old gelding went five for five facing some of the fastest horses at Assiniboia Downs before facing Monsoon Rain in the R. J. Speers and the Gold Cup. Rock’n USA is trained by Tanya Lindsay.
Here are the winners of the other year-end categories:
Best 2-year-old filly: Dreamin and Schemin (owner: Off 2 Win Stable, trainer: Ardell Sayler), winner of the 2008 North Dakota Stallion Stakes and finished second to Lady Countdown in the $50,000 Debutante Stakes.
Best 2-year-old colt or gelding: Prayforthesoldiers (owner: Play 2 Win, trainer: Aaron Sayler), winner of the 2008 Winnipeg Futurity
Best 3-year-old filly: Miss Missile (owner/trainer: Charlie Smith), winner of the 2008 Chantilly Stakes, Winnipeg Sun Stakes, Canada Day Stakes and Jack Hardy Memorial.
Best 3-year-old colt of gelding: Mr. Exspeedient (owner/trainer: Clint Willson), winner of the 2008 Derby Trial.
Best Older Mare: Polynesian Kitty (owner: Bradley Butcher, trainer: Jamie Ness), winner of the LaVerendrye Stakes and Winnipeg Sun Stakes
Best Older Horse: Monsoon Rain (owner: Larry Carter, trainer: Marty Drexler) – see above
Claimer of the Year: Time to Act (owner: Off 2 Win, trainer: Ardell Sayler)
Leading Trainer: Ardell Sayler (41 wins)
Percentage Trainer of the Year: Jim Tracy (25.49%)
Jockey of the Year: Alan Cuthbertson (107 wins)
Owner of the Year: Off 2 Win
The CTHS presented awards to all of the 2008 stakes winners bred in Manitoba as well as the following awards:
Breeder of the Year: Cam Ziprick
Stallion of the Year: Battle Cat owned by Cam Ziprick
Broodmare Award of Excellence: High Grades owned by Cam Ziprick
Award of Excellence from the Manitoba Division of the CTHS: Adventcia, owned by Dr. Ross McKague, for her win in the 2008 Buffalo Stakes.
The Manitoba-bred stakes winners for 2008 are:
2-year-olds
Adventcia
Copper Badges
One on One
3-year-olds
Bella Mariella
Blueberry Blonde
Custody Battle
La Wildcat
Queen Tina
Spying Eyes
Older horse
Brinello
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