Minnesota 2012 champions: Multiple awards for breeders Bremer, Sprick

Richard Bremer and Cheryl Sprick swept the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and Charles Bellingham awards for breeders of the year during the Minnesota Thoroughbred Association’s annual awards dinner Saturday night to honor the champions of 2012.

Bremer and Sprick’s homebreds Bet Your Life and Badge of Glory were also voted top 2-year old male and female, respectively.

Owner/breeder Camelia Casby was another multiple winner, taking home the awards for top 3-year old Minnesota-bred filly with Minnesota Oaks winner Keewatin Ice and top Minnesota-owned horse with Prairie Bayou Stakes champion and graded stakes-placed Night Party. Keewatin Ice was a repeat award winner, having captured the 2-year old female award in 2011.

Another back-to-back winner was the undefeated Heliskier. Bred by the late Robert Colvin and still owned by his widow Marlene, 3-year-old male horse of the year Heliskier was 4 for 4 at Canterbury Park last year, winning all four races by a combined 33 ¾ lengths. Heliskier captured the Victor Meyers Stakes, the MTA Stallion Laddie Stakes, as well as the Minnesota Derby.

Sugar Hills Miss, winner of the 1997 Minnesota Distaff Sprint Championship, was named broodmare of the year. Her son, Sugar Business, won the 2012 Northern Lights Futurity. Of her other five offspring to race, all are winners, including 2005 Princess Elaine Stakes winner Grand Rapids Miss. Sugar Hills Miss died while foaling in 2011.

The career of long time sire Demidoff, who died last year, was celebrated with his repeat win in the top Minnesota stallion category. Demidoff stood in Kentucky and Illinois before settling in Minnesota, where he quickly became the leading sire on the general sire list.

Mack’s Blackhawk captured the award for top older male horse while Princess Elaine winner, Tickleyourfancy, was voted top older female.

Canterbury Park begins its most anticipated season since perhaps the reopening of the track in 1985 on Friday, May 17 with purses double in size from 2011 due to the cooperative marketing agreement between the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and Canterbury Park signed last year.