Sovereign Award

The Hill 'n' Dale consignment at Keeneland November this year will feature 2023 Canadian Champion Older Male Tyson (Tapit--Honouring, by Smart Strike) the farm announced Monday. A winner at first asking at Gulfstream Park for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, the homebred would go on to win a pair of graded races at Woodbine in the GIII Dominion Day Stakes and the GII Seagram Cup Stakes. He also ran third in the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga en route to being named Champion Older Male in Canada....

Canadian champion sprinter Hazelbrook (Bayern), in foal to Triple Crown winner Justify, and multiple stakes winner Lucky Girl (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) highlight the inaugural Inglis Digital USA July Sale. "We are excited to feature these two impressive entries in our inaugural sale as Inglis Digital USA," said CEO Liza Hendriks. "The global demand for both buying and selling has been substantial, highlighting the international appeal of these two mares. They are the first of many high-quality listings to come, and we look forward to showcasing more in our...

My Boy Prince, Canada's champion 2-year-old colt of 2023 and a leading King's Plate fancy, returned to the winner's circle with an authoritative victory in the King Corrie S. at Woodbine Sunday. Second in last year's GI Summer S. and third in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, the heavy favorite was returning to the synthetic surface for the first time since dominating in the Simcoe S. at Woodbine last August. He attended the pace of Maximus Magic (Maximus Mischief) through fractions of :24.38 and :47.82, took charge approaching the...

The Jockey Club of Canada will present Robert "Red" McKenzie with the Special Sovereign Award during the 49th annual awards ceremony on the evening of Thursday, Apr. 18 at Paramount Eventspace in Woodbridge, Ontario, the organization said in a press release Thursday afternoon. Selected unanimously by the Jockey Club of Canada's Stewards, the Special Sovereign Award recognizes a particular achievement within a given year. The honor is being bestowed upon McKenzie for becoming the oldest trainer to saddle a winner in Canada, doing so at the age of 96 on...

Kazushi Kimura earned his third consecutive riding title at Woodbine with 161 victories during the 2023 meeting which concluded Sunday, while Mark Casse was the track's leading trainer for the 15th time. "I am very grateful to all the trainers and owners who gave me an opportunity to ride so many great horses this year," Kimura said. "I'd like to thank the grooms, exercise riders, hot walkers, gate crew, outriders, and everyone who makes our sport so great. And I would like to thank all the horses, the stars of...

Sovereign Award and Queen's Plate-winning trainer Dan Vella has joined Woodbine as Horse People Liaison. Vella will be a point of contact for owners and trainers as it relates to opportunities and feedback regarding race conditions, track surface matters, backstretch maintenance, equine safety and race day logistics. "Dan is a highly regarded figure on our backstretch that has his finger on the pulse of our racing community," Jim Lawson, Woodbine Entertainment CEO, said. "Having the ability to add someone like Dan, who has spent over 50 years on our backstretch...

Eclipse and Sovereign Award winner Kazushi Kimura earned his second consecutive Woodbine jockey crown at the recently concluded Woodbine Thoroughbred meet with 152 wins. Overall his mounts earned $8.9 million (CDN). Born in Hokkaido, Japan, Kimura joined the Woodbine jockey colony as a 19-year-old apprentice in 2018. He finished his first Woodbine campaign sixth in the standings with 89 wins and his mounts totaled more than $2.3 million in earnings which earned him an Eclipse Award as North America's outstanding apprentice jockey. He also took home the Sovereign Award as...

Harvey Warner, the Manitoba Jockey Club (MJC) Board Chair, passed away recently, according to Assiniboia Downs. He was one of the original founders of the non-profit MJC in 1993 and played a large part in rescuing Assiniboia Downs and the Manitoba racing industry from bankruptcy. He was recognized in 2020 with a special Sovereign Award in honor of his contributions to the sport. A longtime owner, Warner was also a former president of the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) of Manitoba. He is survived by his wife, Edie, and...

Canadian Hall of Fame jockey Hugo Dittfach passed away at the age of 85. A refugee from East Germany, Dittfach spent three years in a Russian concentration camp in Poland during World War II before emigrating to Canada. He began his riding career in 1956 and was a leading rider in Western Canada before relocating to Ontario. Dittfach won the 1961 Queen's Plate aboard 20-1 longshot Blue Light. The pair just edged the world's leading race-winning jockey Johnny Longden and race-favorite Just Don't Shove in one of the closest finishes...