2026 Canadian Hall of Fame finalists announced

Grade 1 winners Careless Jewel, Hard Not to Like, Joshua Tree, and Rahy’s Attorney, along with former Daily Racing Form writer/editor Bill Tallon, are among the 2026 finalists for induction into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

The high-strung Careless Jewel captured the 2009 Alabama at Saratoga by an emphatic 11 lengths, a race that sandwiched her Grade 2 scores in the Delaware Oaks and Cotillion. She was ridden throughout her career by Hall of Famer Robert Landry while based at Woodbine with Hall of Fame trainer Josie Carroll.

Ontario-bred Hard Not to Like recorded two Grade 1 victories – the 2015 Jenny Wiley at Keeneland and the 2015 Gamely at Santa Anita. Like Careless Jewel, she banked more than $1 million in career earnings.

Joining Careless Jewel and Hard Not to Like in the Thoroughbred female horse category is three-time Canadian champion One for Rose.

Bill Tallon, a DRF employee for 35 years, won the 1995 Sovereign Award for outstanding writing. Tallon is a finalist in the Thoroughbred communicator category, which also includes photographer Michael Burns Jr. and writer Neil Campbell.

The Irish raider Joshua Tree has the distinction of winning the Grade 1 Canadian International three times during a four-year span from 2010-13. Rahy’s Attorney took the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile in 2008 in an upset for trainer Ian Black, who also sent him out to win a pair of Grade 2 fixtures in 2009.

The third Thoroughbred male horse category finalist is 2008 Breeders’ Cup Sprint runner-up Fatal Bullet, a millionaire who is among the top Canadian sprinters of all time.

The Thoroughbred builder finalists are John Brnjas, Dr. Robert McMartin, and Stanley Sadinsky.

The jockey finalists are Richard Dos Ramos, George HoSang, and Emile Ramsammy.

The Thoroughbred trainer finalists are Gerald Bennett, Dale Saunders, and Laurie Silvera.

The finalists in the six Standardbred categories are Al Libfeld, Hugh Mitchell, Dr. Maurice Stewart, Mary Clare MacDonald, Roger Mayotte, Mike Saftic, Doug Arthur, Fred Grant, Rod Hennessy, Frank Daniels, James MacGregor, Western Dreamer, Emilie Cas El, Put On A Show, West of LA, Arch Madness, Majestic Son, and Marion Marauder.

Those in the legend category include horses and people whose impact on Canadian horse racing took place at least 50 years prior to induction, with a focus on individuals considered as unsung heroes and trailblazers whose contributions helped shape the sport in Canada.

The Thoroughbred legends finalists are Alfred Tarn, Kathleen Taylor, Kemo Inamasu, Osborn Morton, and Eva Ring. The Standardbred legend finalists are Retta Harrington, Fred Hill, Georgette Plouffe, William Henry Riddell, and Wayne Smith.

The individual receiving the most votes in each category will be named a 2026 inductee. The 14 new inductees will be announced April 8.

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