HAPPY NEW YEAR!
2025 has arrived and the first order of business for horse racing scribes (of which there aren’t actually that many in Canada) and industry members is to mark their ballots for the SOVEREIGN AWARDS, honouring the 2024 champion horses and humans.
Voters across Canada will receive the emailed ballot and plenty of statistics and information on most of the top participants in racing last season on Friday, January 10.
Voters could decide to vote by the straight numbers, or focus on the year’s accomplishments. Horses may be judged on whether they dominated their division, how fast they ran, or who they defeated. Voters can check off any horse on the ballot or write their own horse in.
Interestingly, the best Canadian-bred horse of 2024, MOIRA, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, is not eligible for a Sovereign Award this year as she did not make the required three starts in Canada. However, the Ghostzapper star has a good chance to win the Eclipse Award for Female Turf horse in the US.
A reminder, western Canadian horses merit respect in many categories and in particular this year in a couple of divisions.
Here is a look at some of the categories, those for the horses, and some of the top contenders, not in any particular order:
2-YEAR-OLD FILLY
Voters could go any number of ways in this wide-open category. Princess Elizabeth Stakes winner ARISTELLA (69 Beyer Speed Figure) rebounded from her seventh-place finish in the Mazarine Stakes (G3) while the winner of that race, Somethinabouther, is not eligible for voting consideration.
Two-time stakes winner BULLET won both added-money events at sprint distances. NITROGEN is a maiden, but she was third in two Grade 1’s – the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) (80 Beyer Speed Figure) and Natalma (78).
SHIFTY won the Catch a Glimpse Stakes and was third to colts in the Grey Stakes (G3) before a troubled run when fourth in the Princess Elizabeth.
2 YEAR-OLD COLT
Another tough division to sort out with several who could be considered. There are more than a dozen stakes winners in this category, but just one, SCORCHING, won two stakes races, albeit one was through disqualification. Scorching won the Simcoe Stakes (80 Beyer) and missed by a nose in the Cup & Saucer (80 Beyer) but was placed first.
DREAM ON was a winner who was third in the Summer Stakes (G1) (90 Beyer) and fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) as well as second in the Soaring Free Stakes.
Graded stakes winner HE’S NOT JOKING ran an 84 Beyer when he won the Grey Stakes (G3) was also third in the Display Stakes and a troubled eighth in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs. DEWOLF won the Bull Page stakes, was second in the Grade 3 Grey, Coronation Futurity and Cup & Saucer.
NOTORIOUS GANGSTER won the prestigious Coronation Futurity with an 82 Beyer.
3-YEAR-OLD FILLY
King’s Plate winner CAITLINHERGRTNESS (88 Beyer) came back to be third in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes on turf at Keeneland, the Woodbine Oaks was won by Kin’s Concerto by a neck over Caitlin, and the brilliant BC-bred AVANA won all six races, five stakes at Hastings and Century Mile for Peter Redekop. Avana won at three distances and took the BC Oaks (78 Beyer).
STORMCAST won the Bison City Stakes at 1 1/16 miles and then defeated older mares in the open Bessarabian Stakes at 7 furlongs, a Grade 3.
3-YEAR-OLD COLT
The contenders for this category include BC Derby (G3) and Canadian Derby (G3) winner AUGUST RAIN, who also won two other stakes races in 2024; DRESDEN ROW, who defeated older horses in the Durham Cup (G2), won the Ontario Derby (G3) and was second in the Autumn Stakes (G2) and the Prairie Bayou Stakes at Turfway Park; and MY BOY PRINCE who breezed through the Plate Trial, Queenston and King Corrie Stakes before just getting caught late in the King’s Plate.
OLDER MALE MAIN TRACK
There were several stakes winners in this category in 2024 and the graded winners were APPREHEND, PARAMOUNT PRINCE, PALAZZI and WICKED DJANGO.
Apprehend won four of five races last year including the Grade 3 Premier’s Handicap (81 Beyer) and S W Randall Plate. Paramount Prince won the Grade 2 Seagram Cup and Grade 3 Dominion Day, Palazzi took the Grade 3 Eclipse and Wicked Django the Grade 3 Valedictory.
OLDER FEMALE MAIN TRACK
The graded stakes winners were ELYSIAN FIELD, FASHIONABLY FAB and SOLO ALBUM while the great BC mare INFINITE PATIENCE won three stakes and BIG HUG won four stakes.
It was a nice year for ‘Fab’, who won three stakes including the Grade 3 Ontario Matron and Belle Mahone along with the La Prevoyante Stakes. Elysian Field won the Grade 3 Maple Leaf and Solo Album won the Grade 3 Trillium.
FEMALE TURF
FULL COUNT FELICIA won the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes as well as the Grade 2 Canadian Stakes, while 2023 Horse of the Year FEV ROVER (IRE) was winless in the year but was second in the Grade 2 Beverly D and third in the ‘Taylor’.
MALE TURF
Two-time graded stakes winner FILO DI ARIANNA (Brz) took the King Edward and Highlander Stakes, both Grade 2’s, while PATCHES O’HOULIHAN won the Grade 2 Nearctic, his only grass race. CRUDEN BAY won the Grade 2 Connaught Cup Stakes and ROSCAR won the Breeders’ Stakes.
FEMALE SPRINTER
Alphabetically, these were the graded stakes winners in this division in 2024 (eligible horses): A GAME (Ontario Fashion Stakes G3), GAL IN A RUSH (Hendrie Stakes G3), PLAY THE MUSIC (Royal North Stakes G3), Whimsical Stakes TICKER TAPE HOPE (Seaway Stakes G3) and STORMCAST (Bessarabian Stakes G3).
Play the Music, owned by Glasman Racing LLC, had a record of 7-4-0-2 in 2024. She also won the Lighting City Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs and was third in the Hendrie Stakes (G3).
Gal in a Rush, in addition to her Hendrie win, was second in the Seaway Stakes (G3, the License Fee Stakes and third in the Presque Isle Masters Stakes (G2).
Another contender for the Sovereign is AWESOME TREAT who was not good at Woodbine, but won two stakes races in the US.
MALE SPRINTER
The Ontario leader of the division, PATCHES O’HOULIHAN, was the best in Canada, too. The four-year-old lost just once in five races and he won three graded stakes races plus, coincidentally, the Pink Lloyd Stakes named for the Male Sprinter champion the last five years.
Other contenders include FILO DI ARIANNA (Brz), who won the Grade 2 Highlander Stakes at 6 furlongs on turf, and the fleet three-year-old MY BOY PRINCE.
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