Canada's Hall nominees named

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Chief Bearhart, an Eclipse Award winner and two-time Canadian Horse of the Year, and owner-breeder Frank Stronach head this year's list of six nominees from Thoroughbred racing for induction into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

Chief Bearhart, owned by Sam-Son Farm and trained by Mark Frostad, won the Eclipse as champion grass horse after winning both the Canadian International and Breeders' Cup Turf in 1997.

His Canadian Horse of the Year titles came in 1997 and 1998, and he was the Sovereign Award-winning turf horse from 1996 to 1998.

Stronach, chairman of Magna Entertainment, which owns 10 racetracks, won three consecutive Eclipse Awards as an owner beginning in 1998 and also was the Eclipse Award-winning breeder in 2000. He also has received six Sovereign Awards as outstanding breeder and four as outstanding owner.

Jim Boylen is up for consideration along with Stronach in the "builders" category, which includes owners, breeders, and racetrack executives. Boylen was the owner of Lanson Farms, a powerful racing stable in Ontario in the 1950's and 1960's.

The other nominees are trainers Mac Benson and David Cross and jockey Ted Atkinson.

The Canadian Hall of Fame's 16-member election committee will cast their ballots for a maximum of four candidates, who must receive at least 75 percent of the votes to be inducted. The inductees will be announced June 11.