Canadian Horse of the Year

The Jockey Club of Canada named the finalists for the 2025 Sovereign Awards and the winners, along with Canada's Horse of the Year, will be revealed during the 51st annual ceremony to be held on Thursday, Apr. 23 at Paramount Eventspace in Woodbridge, Ontario, the club said via a press release on Friday. The nominees for this year's Sovereign Awards include a pair of past King's Plate winners in Canadian MGSW Caitlinhergrtness (Omaha Beach)--a finalist for Older Main Track Female--and last year's hero Mansetti (Collected), who was named in the...

MGSW Patches O'Houlihan (Reload--Maythefourthbwithu, by Silent Name {Jpn}), the reigning Canadian Horse of the Year was humanely euthanized according to a press release from Woodbine Entertainment late on Thurday night. Woodbine issued the following statement on behalf of Frank Di Giulio, Jr., the owner and breeder of the 5-year-old gelding. The message republished here in its entirety said: We are heartbroken to announce that 2024 Horse of the Year Patches O'Houlihan was humanely euthanized on Thursday, July 10. After sustaining a soft tissue injury while galloping out after winning the...

Canadian Horse of the Year Soaring Free (Smart Strike--Dancing With Wings, by Danzig) died due to complications of old age at Sam-Son Farm's Ocala, Florida division Wednesday. Campaigned by his breeder Sam-Son Farm, the Ontario-bred won 15 of 27 career races for trainer Mark Frostad earning Canada's champion sprinter honor in 2003 followed by the champion grass horse title the following year, when he was also named that nation's Horse of the Year. Jockey Todd Kabel was aboard Soaring Free for 22 of 27 of his career starts. During his...

On a night that saw Patches O'Houlihan (Reload) take home both Canadian Horse of the Year and Male Sprinter honors, Kevin Attard finally ended the 13-year consecutive streak of dual Hall of Famer Mark Casse when he won Outstanding Trainer by a single vote at the 50th Sovereign Awards presented by The Jockey Club of Canada which was held outside the city of Toronto, the organization said in a press release late Thursday. Besting Casse 135 to 134 in the tally, Attard pushed the outside of the envelope in what...

It was quite a few days for Canadian-based trainer Kevin Attard. On Saturday, he won his first Breeders' Cup race with Moira (Ghostzapper) in the GI Maker's Mark Filly & Mare Turf and some 48 hours later she went through the ring for $4.3 million. Knowing he'd have plenty to say, we invited Attard to join us on this week's TDN Writers' Room Podcast presented by Keeneland. He admitted that saying goodbye to the best horse he has ever trained was difficult. "Well, right now it's extremely difficult, no doubt...

Kevin Attard already knows it will be difficult, going back home to his barn at Woodbine and seeing an empty stall where stable star Moira (Ghostzapper) has been a steady presence for the past four years. The Canadian Horse of the Year and millionaire will perform in what will likely be her last dance in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf on Saturday before she goes through the ring on Nov. 4 at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale. "This is probably one of the hardest things I've done in...

Leading the graded stakes action on Saturday, there is something gruff and boomy about the barbaric 'yalp' of the European invaders who are set to swarm Woodbine's gates on Turf Champions Day. One can understand this hoard's verve as the booty is worth pillaging since three out of the four Grade I races on the docket are connected to some highly-prized Breeders' Cup 'Win and You're In' tickets.   Euros Wind Trebuchets Out of this auspicious Canadian slate, first up is the GI Natalma Stakes which offers entry into the...

Signaling the beginning of the 2024 Thoroughbred season, Colonial Downs's barn area will open on Monday, June 24 with training scheduled to begin on Thursday, June 27, the track said in a press release on Friday. Multiple leading trainer Mike Stidham and Hall of Fame conditioner Mark Casse are among the trainers preparing to return to the Tidewater track. The latter put in a successful debut meet where he won 10 races, which included Fev Rover (Ire) (Gutaifan {Ire}). The Canadian Horse of the Year took home the GI Beverly...

7th-CD, $120K, Msw, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, 3:51 p.m. ET. Coteau Grove homebred and first-time starter EYE OF THE PHARAOH (American Pharoah) is out of unraced dam You Caught My Eye (Can the Man), who the farm purchased for $230,000 at the 2020 Keeneland November Sale with the filly in utero. Trained by Brad Cox, the 3-year-old's second dam, MSW Halo River (Irish River), is responsible for Canadian Horse of the Year Catch A Glimpse (City Zip) and north of the border multiple-leading sire Old Forester (Forestry). Also set for her...

The 2022 Canadian Horse of the Year Moira (Ghostzapper--Devine Aida, by Unbridled's Song) fetched $3 million to the phone bid of DM Racing, an anonymous racing partnership, to lead the early results of the broodmare and racing prospect section at Tuesday's Fasig-Tipton November sale. Moira was the winner of the fastest Queen's Plate in history last year and was last seen finishing third in Saturday's GI Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf behind Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}). Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa, agent, consigned the Canadian champion, who...

Ellis Park will host its first Grade I race in its 100-year history Saturday, but there are plenty of other graded stakes scheduled before the Fourth of July at Belmont Park, Delaware Park, Woodbine Racetrack and Gulfstream Park. Here's a rundown of what's on tap. Showdown in Belmont's Dwyer One of two graded stakes on Saturday in Elmont is the GIII Dwyer S. Going a mile, the race pits Fort Bragg (Tapit), who was forced to scratch from the GI Woody Stephens S. by trainer Bob Baffert when the 3-year-old...

Moira (Ghostzapper), dominant winner against males in last year's Queen's Plate S., took home both Horse of the Year and Champion 3-Year-Old honors at the 48th Annual Sovereign Awards ceremony hosted by the Jockey Club of Canada on Thursday. The evening began with a commemoration of the club's 50th anniversary and recognition of the founding members from 1973. The top three finalists in each category are determined by the online ballots of the Jockey Club of Canada's voters. The media category award finalists were determined by professionals within the industry...