Eight up for Canadian Hall of Fame vote

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Quiet Resolve, Canada's Horse of the Year in 2000, and Jammed Lovely, the filly who defeated males in the 1967 Queen's Plate, are among this year's Thoroughbred nominees for induction into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

The Canadian Horse Racing's Hall of Fame has submitted a list of eight candidates, four horses and four people, to the 16 members of the election committee.

Voters can choose up to three of the four nominees in each category. To be eligible for induction, a nominee must receive 12 of the 16 votes, or 75 percent.

L'Enjoleur, winner of the Queen's Plate and Canada's Horse of the Year in 1975, and Natalma, the dam of Northern Dancer, are the other horses on the list.

Jockey Chris Loseth, trainer Andy Smithers, breeders Russ and Lois Bennett, and writer-publicist Bruce Walker are the human candidates.

The successful nominees will be announced May 22 and honored at the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame's induction ceremony on Aug. 23 at the Mississauga Convention Centre.

Quiet Resolve, who was euthanized due to injuries suffered following colic surgery this February, was Canada's champion turf horse in addition to Horse of the Year in 2000.

Owned by Sam-Son Farm and trained throughout his career by Mark Frostad, Quiet Resolve won 10 of 31 career starts and finished in the money 20 times while earning more than $2.3 million.

Jammed Lovely, owned and bred by Conn Smythe, was a multiple stakes winner on turf and dirt and defeated Pine Point, who went on to be voted Canada's champion 3-year-old, in the Queen's Plate.

L'Enjoleur was Canada's Horse of the Year and champion 2-year-old male in 1974, the year before the Sovereign Awards began. He was champion 3-year-old male in addition to Horse of the Year in 1975.

Natalma is best remembered as the dam of Northern Dancer, who is credited with changing the course of Canadian racing history through his accomplishments on the racetrack and in the breeding shed.

Smithers was Ontario's leading trainer in 1967 and 1968 and led all trainers in Canada in 1968.

Loseth, who spent most of his career in British Columbia, won Sovereign Awards as Canada's top apprentice in 1976 and as Canada's top jockey in 1984.

Russ and Lois Bennett also are based in British Columbia, where their Flying Horse Farm led the breeders' list in the province for more than 20 years.

The Bennets won the Sovereign Award as outstanding breeder in 1983. That was the same year their homebred Travelling Victor was Canada's Horse of the Year and top older male.

Walker was director of Thoroughbred publicity for the Ontario Jockey Club (now the Woodbine Entertainment Group) for more than 30 years.