The owner of a pair of Grade I wins on turf in North America last year, Fev Rover (Ire) (Gutaifan {Ire}) took home Horse of the Year honors at Thursday evening's 49th Annual Sovereign Awards ceremony hosted by the Jockey Club of Canada.
Fev Rover, who won the GI Beverly D. S. at Colonial Downs and the GI E.P. Taylor S. at Woodbine, is trained by Mark Casse. The Canadian and U.S. Hall of Famer once again collected hardware as he was awarded his 13th consecutive Sovereign and 16th overall title. Other highlights of the evening included top rider Kazushi Kimura being named the champion jockey and Gary Barber won his first Sovereign as an owner.
As for the juvenile categories, the top 2-Year-Old Female went to Witwatersrand (Connect), who won the GIII Mazarine S. at Woodbine, while the top 2-Year-Old Male was awarded to MGISP My Boy Prince (Cairo Prince).
In the 3-Year-Old Male division, the King's Plate S. hero Paramount Prince (Society's Chairman) earned top honors, and Woodbine Oaks heroine Elysian Field (Hard Spun)–who was also the runner-up in the King's Plate–was the leading 3-Year-Old Female award winner.
The top three finalists in each horse and human category were cast online by the Jockey Club of Canada's voters. The media category award finalists were determined by professionals within the industry selected from across North America.
Horse Awards:
- Horse of the Year: Fev Rover (90); Runners-Up: Paramount Prince (Society's Chairman) (44), Elysian Field (Hard Spun) (32)
- Champion 2-Year Old Female: Witwatersrand (Connect) (132); Runners-Up: Tripolina (Constitution) (41), Living Magic (Justify) (32)
- Champion 2-Year-Old Male: My Boy Prince (Cairo Prince) (156); Runners-Up: Babbo (Kantharos) (59), Two Ghosts (Ghostzapper) (39)
- Champion 3-Year-Old Female: Elysian Field (149) Runners-Up: Solo Album (Curlin) (60), Fashionably Fab (Silent Name {Jpn}) (45)
- Champion 3-Year-Old Male: Paramount Prince (144) Runners-Up: Patches O'Houlihan (Reload) (70), Touch'n Ride (Candy Ride {Arg}) (47)
- Champion Female Sprinter: Loyalty (Hard Spun) (160) Runners-Up: Our Flash Drive (Ghostzapper) (61), Fashionably Fab (39)
- Champion Male Sprinter: Patches O'Houlihan (137) Runners-Up: Lucky Score (Lookin At Lucky) (61), Dream Shake (Twirling Candy) (31)
- Champion Female Turf Horse: Fev Rover (148) Runners-Up: Moira (Ghostzapper) (95), Our Flash Drive (17)
- Champion Male Turf Horse: Lucky Score (96) Runners-Up: My Boy Prince (88), Palazzi (Pioneerof the Nile) (30)
- Champion Older Main Track Female: Millie Girl (Hard Spun) (152); Runners-Up: Infinite Patience (Sungold) (60), Il Malocchio (Souper Speedy) (39)
- Champion Older Main Track Male: Tyson (Tapit) (113) Runners-Up: Wolfie's Dynaghost (Ghostzapper) (100), Treason (Constitution) (29)
- Outstanding Broodmare: Mendocino Beano (Smart Strike) (74); Runners-Up: Sunday Affair (A.P. Indy) (54), Game (Fr) (Montjeu {Ire}) (31)
Champion Jockey, Kazushi Kimura | Michael Burns
Human Awards:
- Outstanding Breeder: Adena Springs (85); Runners-Up: Anderson Farms Ont. Inc. (68), Chiefswood Stables Limited (32), Sean Fitzhenry (32), Sam-Son Farm (32)
- Outstanding Apprentice Jockey: Sofia Vives (162) Runners-Up: Fraser Aebly (83), Amanda Vandermeersch (35)
- Outstanding Jockey: Kazushi Kimura (162); Runners-Up: Sahin Civaci (75), Rafael Manuel Hernandez (28)
- Outstanding Trainer: Mark E. Casse (160); Runners-Up: Kevin Attard (80), Martin Drexler (21)
- Outstanding Owner: Gary Barber (126); Runners-Up: Bruno Schickedanz (71), Chiefswood Stables Limited (27)
- Outstanding Groom: Michelle Armata
- Outstanding Off-track Worker: Jennifer Buck
- Special Sovereign Award: Robert “Red” McKenzie
Media Awards:
- Outstanding Writing: Jennifer Morrison, Cat's Long Way Home, Published in Canadian Thoroughbred.com, Dec. 31, 2023
- Outstanding Photograph: Jason Halstead, A Kiss for Commando, Published in The Inside Track, Issue #98, Sept. 22, 2023
- Outstanding Audio Visual/Digital Broadcast: Woodbine Entertainment, Secretariat The Last Race, Aired on TSN Oct. 8, 2023
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