ETOBICOKE, Ontario – King’s Plate winner Mansetti was crowned the 2025 Canadian Horse of the Year at the 51st Sovereign Awards ceremony in suburban Toronto on Thursday evening. Mansetti edged his Kevin Attard-trained stablemate Caitlinhergrtness in the Horse of the Year voting by a points margin of 81-74. Following Starship Jubilee in 2019 and Moira in 2023, Mansetti is the third Horse of the Year trained by Attard, who felt the son of Collected was a deserving winner of the accolade. “He won going six furlongs,” Attard said. “He came back in the Queenston Stakes and had a horrible break. We regrouped and won the Marine Stakes in open company. The fact that he stretched out and the stalking style [he displayed], we thought we’d be in the King’s Plate with a good chance. It was my third Plate win, but probably my best training feat in a sense that he’s a horse who didn’t want to go 10 furlongs, but we got him to peak on the right day, when Pietro Moran gave him a fabulous ride. It was nice to see [owners Al and Bill Ulwelling] win such a historic race.” Not surprisingly, Mansetti was a handy winner for champion male 3-year-old by a margin of 168-41 over Borealis Trail, who beat him when he ran second in the Grade 3 Ontario Derby. Caitlinhergreatness, the 2024 King’s Plate winner and champion 3-year-old filly, was voted champion older female on the main track in a landslide. The popular chestnut recorded victories in the Grade 3 Ontario Matron, Grade 3 Belle Mahone, and My Charmer Stakes, and was retired to the breeding shed this year. Attard’s third 2025 champion was Gas Me Up, who beat out My Boy Prince by a margin of 145-90 for top male turf horse. Gas Me Up took the Grade 2 King Edward at Woodbine and the Grade 2 Joe Hernandez at Santa Anita. Trainer Katerina Vassilieva won her first Sovereign with champion male sprinter Simcoe, who beat out Gas Me Up easily by a margin of 147-56. Simcoe capped his campaign with three straight wins, including Grade 3 stakes scores in the Vigil and Bold Venture. Inner turf specialist Little Teddy (92) gave trainer Santino Di Paola his first equine Sovereign when taking the champion female sprinter category over Ms. Tart (74) and Gal in a Rush (71). Di Paola has won two media Sovereigns. Ready for Shirl gave the recently retired Hall of Fame trainer Roger Attfield his final Sovereign for champion female turf horse. Her 122 points beat out Corsia Veloce (91) and Little Teddy (30). Corsia Veloce was a distant third in the Horse of the Year voting, but the unbeaten Grade 1 Natalma winner prevailed for champion 2-year-old filly by a 174-69 margin over Dixie Law. Grade 1 Summer victor Argos (165) was a decisive winner over Two Out Hero (61) for champion male 2-year-old. Dresden Row captured his second straight Sovereign in the older main-track male category, winning by a margin of 154-57 over Swift Delivery. He won for champion male 3-year-old in 2024. The tightest among all votes came for champion 3-year-old filly, in which two-time stakes winner Winterberry (99) edged out her Mark Casse-trained stablemate Woodbine Oaks winner No Time (96). Perennial Woodbine leading trainer Casse won his 18th Sovereign for outstanding trainer by a margin of 152-106 over Attard, who beat him out for the honor in 2024.   Last year’s Eclipse Award-winning apprentice jockey, Pietro Moran, was a runaway winner in the voting for outstanding apprentice, but Mansetti’s rider lost to Rafael Hernandez for outstanding jockey by a margin of 175-67. Sovereign winners are decided on a points system, with four points going to a first-place selection, two points to second, and one point to third. Chiefswood Stables was a deserving winner for both outstanding owner and outstanding breeder. Among the homebreds Chiefswood campaigned last year were Simcoe, Borealis Trail, and multiple stakes winner Piper’s Gift. Outstanding broodmare went to Dixie Chicken, the dam of three stakes winners, including Tom’s Magic and Dixie Moon. The media award winners were Natalie Voss (writing), Clive Cohen (photograph), and Woodbine Entertainment (audio visual/digital broadcast). Outstanding groom went to Rose Day, and the outstanding offtrack workers were Tove Morgan and Jodie Hiesinger. Doug Anderson, who died April 16, was awarded a Special Sovereign posthumously for his contributions to the sport. Anderson was the chief steward of The Jockey Club of Canada, which puts on the Sovereign Awards. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.