Sovereign Awards

Eugene Melnyk, the owner of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League and a prominent horse owner and breeder who was a member of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, has passed away at age 62. His death was announced Monday by the Senators, which posted a statement from Melnyk's family on its website, which noted that he died "after an illness he faced with determination and courage." The team did not disclose the exact cause of death. He underwent a liver transplant in 2015. A native of...

Prominent owner/breeder Ivan Dalos will be presented with the E. P. Taylor Award of Merit during the 47th Sovereign Awards ceremony to be held Thursday, Apr. 14 in Vaughan, Ontario. The owner of the Ontario-based Tall Oaks Farm, Dalos has been involved with Thoroughbreds for 45 years and has bred the likes of Victory Gallop and Channel Maker, winning more than a dozen Sovereign Awards, including as outstanding breeder. He has raced the likes of homebreds Ami's Flatter, Ami's Mesa and Amis Gizmo to a variety of stakes successes both...

The Jockey Club of Canada has announced the finalists for the 2021 Sovereign Awards, which honor Canada's champions and recognizes their outstanding achievements in Canadian Thoroughbred Racing and Breeding. The winner of each category, along with Canada's Horse of the Year for 2021, will be announced during the 47th Annual Sovereign Award Ceremony that will be held on the evening of Thursday, Apr. 14, 2022 at Universal Eventspace in Vaughan, Ontario. Tickets can also be purchased online here. The 2021 Media Awards finalists, the winner of the Award for Outstanding...

Eurico Rosa da Silva, one of Canadian Thoroughbred racing's most accomplished riders and popular personalities, has been named the 2021 recipient of the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award. The Gomez Award is given to the person, Canadian-born, Canadian-raised or regular rider in the country for more than five years, who has made significant contributions to the sport. It is named in memory of one of the sport's most heralded and loved performers. The Cuban-born Gomez died of complications after a three-horse accident in the 1980 Canadian Oaks. "What a nice surprise....

Dual Canadian Classic winner Mighty Heart (Dramedy), a homebred for Lawrence Cordes, was named Canadian Horse of the Year at the 46th Annual Sovereign Awards ceremony held Thursday evening. It marked the second year in a row Canada's championship awards were held virtually due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Trained by Josie Carroll, Mighty Heart began his sophomore campaign in July with a maiden special weight victory at Woodbine, then went on to capture the Sept. 12 Queen's Plate S. and the Sept. 29 Prince of Wales S. The one-eyed...

Sam-Son Farm will be presented with the Special Sovereign Award during the 46th Annual Sovereign Awards Virtual Ceremony, which will be held in April. Selected by the Jockey Club of Canada's Stewards, the Special Sovereign Award honors those who have accomplished outstanding achievements and made a significant contribution to the Thoroughbred Industry in Canada. Over the past five decades, Sam-Son Farm, a Canadian Thoroughbred breeding and racing operation founded in 1972 by Ernie and Liza Samuel, has been the recipient of four Eclipse Awards, 13 Hall of Fame Awards and...

The Jockey Club of Canada has announced the finalists for the 2020 Sovereign Awards, which christens Canada's champions. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 46th Annual Sovereign Awards Ceremony will be held virtually in April. The winners of 12 horse categories and five human categories will be crowned. Finalists in each category follow. Champion 2-year-old female: 'TDN Rising Star' Alda (Munnings), Dreaming of Drew (Speightster), and 'TDN Rising Star' Lady Speightspeare (Speightstown); champion 2-year-old male: Gretzky the Great (Nyquist), Master Spy (Silent Name {Jpn}), Ready to Repeat (More Than...

Coming off a win in the Breeders' Cup 'Win and You're In' GI Woodbine Mile S. with 2019 Canadian Horse of the Year Starship Jubilee, trainer Kevin Attard joins the TDN Writers' Room to discuss the filly claimed three years ago who is now a multi-millionaire.

Canadian Hall of Fame jockey Don Seymour, who stamped himself one of the nation's leading riders after riding two Triple Crown winners, died June 26 at his home in Barrie, Ontario. Surrounded by his family, including his mother Mary, at the time of his death, he reportedly had been suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease since earlier this year. He was 59. Born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, Seymour was a leading rider in Alberta in the 1980s before relocating to ride at Woodbine Racetrack in Etobicoke, Ontario. Best remembered...

Blue Heaven Farm's Starship Jubilee (Indy Wind) took home the night's top honor at a virtually held Sovereign Awards ceremony Tuesday night. Canada's championship awards were originally scheduled for Apr. 20, but were delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic and later switched to a virtual event. Trained by Kevin Attard, Starship Jubilee was named both Horse of the Year and Champion Female Turf Horse. She won three of her seven starts, including the GI E.P. Taylor S. and GII Canadian S. GI Ricoh Woodbine Mile victor El Tormenta (Stormy Atlantic)...

Canada's version of the Eclipse Awards, the Sovereign Awards is set to be held during a virtual ceremony Tuesday evening at 8 p.m. Eastern time. The ceremony will be streamed live at www.woodbine.com and HPItv Canada. A digital program will be available for download at the Jockey Club of Canada website. The Sovereign Awards, which recognize the nation's best across 12 equine and five human categories, was originally slated for Apr. 16, but officials were forced to postpone the program due to the coronavirus pandemic. Media Sovereign Awards in the...

The 45th Annual Sovereign Awards, honoring Canada's champions for the 2019 season, will be presented by The Jockey Club of Canada May 19. Winners of the 24 Sovereign Awards categories will be announced live during a virtual ceremony at 8 p.m. (EDT). To watch the ceremony streamed live at www.woodbine.com  and HPItv Canada. A digital program will be available for download at https://jockeyclubcanada.com prior to the event.