Harness: O'Brien Award finalists announced
On Tuesday, December 20, Standardbred Canada announced the finalists for the 2016 O’Brien Awards, which honor Canada’s best in harness racing over the past season.
The winners will be announced at the annual O’Brien Awards Black Tie Gala on Saturday, January 28, 2017 at the Hilton Mississauga / Meadowvale Hotel in Mississauga, Ont.
This will be the 28th edition of the O’Brien Awards, named in honour of the late Joe O’Brien, an outstanding horseman and member of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.
Twelve past O’Brien Award winners are looking to add to their trophy collections and are either defending titles or are nominated in a new division. Past winners include Caprice Hill, Flanagan Memory, L A Delight, Lady Shadow and Solar Sister in the horse categories as well as Casie Coleman, Travis Cullen, Sylvain Filion, Richard Moreau, Rick Zeron, the partnership of Marvin Katz & Al Libfeld, and Seelster Farms.
Below is a complete list of the nominees and their respective owners:
2016 O’Brien Award Nominees
Pacers
Two-Year-Old Filly Pacer
Idyllic Beach
Owned by Christina Takter, East Windsor, NJ – John Fielding, Toronto, ON – Brixton Medical Inc., Matawan, NJ and Marvin Katz, Toronto, ON
Yaris Bayama
Owned by Bayama Farms Inc., Saint-Andre-D’Argenteuil, QC
Two-Year-Old Colt Pacer
Beyond Delight
Owned by Jeffrey Snyder, Michael Snyder, New York, NY and Four Friends Racing Stable LLC, Moorestown, NJ
Sports Column
Owned by Hutt Racing Stable, Paoli, PA –Blake MacIntosh, Cambridge, ON –Daniel Plouffe, Bromont, QC
Three-Year-Old Filly Pacer
L A Delight
Owned by Robert McIntosh Stables Inc., Windsor, ON – CSX Stables, Liberty Center, OH, and Al McIntosh Holdings, Inc., Leamington, ON
Pure Country
Owned by Diamond Creek Racing, Wellsville, PA
Three-Year-Old Colt Pacer
Betting Line
Owned by West Wins Stable, Cambridge, ON, Christine Calhoun, Chatham, ON and Mac Nichol, Burlington, ON
Racing Hill
Owned by Tom Hill, Hamilton, ON
Older Pacing Mare
Lady Shadow
Owned by David Kryway, Amherstburg, ON, Carl Atley, Xenia, OH, Ed Gold, Phoenixville, PA and BFJ Stable, Philadelphia, PA
Solar Sister
Owned by David Willmot, King City, ON & Clay Horner, Toronto, ON
Older Pacing Horse
Shamballa
Owned by Rick Zeron Stables, Oakville, ON – Tao Racing LLC, Pompano Beach, FL –Howard Taylor, Philadelphia, PA – Cool Cat Racing Inc., Flemington, NJ
Wiggle It Jiggleit
Owned by George Teague Jr Inc., Harrington DE – Teague Racing Partnership, Boynton Beach, FL
Trotters
Two-Year-Old Filly Trotter
Ariana G
Owned by Marvin Katz, Toronto, ON & Al Libfeld, Pickering, ON
Magic Presto
Owned by Melvin Hartman, Ottawa, ON – Herb Liverman, Miami Beach – David Mc Duffee, Delray Beach, FL – Little E LLC, New York, NY
Two-Year-Old Colt Trotter
Mass Production
Owned by Rick Zeron Stables, Oakville, ON- James Walker, Port Perry, ON- Bruno Dipoce, Wasaga Beach, ON and Rene Allard, Matamoras, PA
Seven And Seven
Owned by June Durand- Tom Durand, Puslinch, ON & Allan Smith, Oakville, ON
Three-Year-Old Filly Trotter
Caprice Hill
Owned by Tom Hill, Hamilton, ON
Emoticon Hanover
Owned by Determination, Montreal, QC
Three-Year-Old Colt Trotter
Bar Hopping
Owned by Christina Takter, East Windsor, NJ- Hatfield Stables, Columbus, OH – Marvin Katz, Toronto, ON & Al Libfeld, Pickering, ON
Marion Marauder
Owned by Marion Jean Wellwood, Stratford, ON & Devin Keeling, Cambridge, ON
Older Trotting Mare
Charmed Life
Owned by Allard Racing Inc., Saint-Esprit – Yves Sarrazin, La Presentation, QC-VIP Internet Stable LLC, Piscataway, NJ
Hannelore Hanover
Owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC, Fredericktown – Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Canonsburg, PA – Frank Baldachino, Clarksburg, NJ – J And T Silva Stables LLC, Long Beach, NY
Older Trotting Horse
Flanagan Memory
Owned by Liette Flanagan, Repentigny – Rene Dion, Saint-Lazare, QC
Musical Rhythm
Owned by Santo Vena, Brampton – Nunzio Vena, Bolton, ON – Claude Hamel, Ayer’s Cliff, QC – Ben Baillargeon, Guelph, ON
People Awards
O’Brien Award of Horsemanship
Travis Cullen, Rockton, ON
Rick Zeron, Oakville, ON
Armstrong Breeder of the Year
Marvin Katz, Toronto, ON / Al Libfeld, Pickering, ON
Seelster Farms, Lucan, ON
Driver of the Year
Sylvain Filion, Milton, ON
Bob McClure, Elora, ON
Trainer of the Year
Casie Coleman, Cambridge, ON
Richard Moreau, Puslinch, ON
Future Star Award
Brett MacDonald, Embrun, ON
Louis Philippe Roy, Mont-Joli, QC
-edited release (Standardbred Canada)