My Boy Prince, Patches O'Houlihan head 2023 Sovereign Award finalists

Accomplished 2-year-old My Boy Prince and crack sprinter Patches O’Houlihan are finalists in two categories in the 2023 Sovereign Award voting, The Jockey Club of Canada announced Monday.

The 49th annual Sovereign Awards ceremony takes place April 18 at the Paramount Eventspace in Woodbridge, Ontario, during which the award winners will be announced along with the 2023 Canadian Horse of the Year.

My Boy Prince is a finalist for champion 2-year-old male and champion male turf horse. My Boy Prince – the 2022 Canadian premier yearling sale topper – won two stakes, finished second in the Grade 1 Summer, and third in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

Joining My Boy Prince in the juvenile category are Babbo and Two Ghosts. His Mark Casse-trained stablemates, Lucky Score and Palazzi, are the other finalists for male turf runner.

Patches O’Houlihan is a finalist for champion male sprinter and champion 3-year-old male. Trained by Robert Tiller, Patches O’Houlihan won 6 of 7 starts in 2023, including four stakes, two of them graded.

Also up for champion 3-year-old male honors are King’s Plate winner Paramount Prince and Breeders’ Stakes victor Touch’n Ride. The remaining male sprinter finalists are Dream Shake and Lucky Score.

The champion 3-year-old filly category came up tough and could be a showdown between Woodbine Oaks winner Elysian Field and Grade 3 Selene winner Solo Album. Four-time restricted stakes winner Fashionably Fab is the other worthy finalist.

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The champion female turf horse category figures to include the Horse of the Year. Two-time Grade 1 winner Fev Rover, Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf third-place finisher Moira, and Our Flash Drive are the finalists.

Champion older main-track male comes down to Treason, Tyson, and Wolfie’s Dynaghost.

The finalists for champion older main-track female are Il Malocchio, Infinite Patience, and Millie Girl.

Grade 3 Mazarine winner Witwatersrand is a finalist for champion 2-year-old filly, along with Tripolina and Living Magic.

Champion female sprinter will be determined among Fashionably Fab, Loyalty, and Our Flash Drive.

The outstanding broodmare finalists are Game, Mendocino Beano, and Sunday Affair.

Casse, Kevin Attard, and Marty Drexler are up for outstanding trainer, an award that Casse has won 15 times.

Kazushi Kimura is odds-on to prevail for outstanding jockey, over Sahin Civaci and Rafael Hernandez.

Eclipse Award finalist Sofia Vives heads the outstanding apprentice jockey category that also includes Fraser Aebly and Amanda Vandermeersch.

Gary Barber, Chiefswood Stables, and Bruno Schickedanz vie for outstanding owner.

Due to a tie in the voting, there are five outstanding breeder finalists – Adena Springs, Anderson Farms, Chiefswood Stables, Sam-Son Farm, and Sean Fitzhenry.

The media finalists, outstanding groom, outstanding offtrack worker, the E.P. Taylor Award, and special Sovereign Award winners will be announced in coming days.

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