Red McKenzie to receive Special Sovereign Award

The Jockey Club of Canada announced Thursday that Robert “Red” McKenzie will be presented with the Special Sovereign Award during the Sovereign Awards ceremony in April.

Selected unanimously by The Jockey Club of Canada’s stewards, the Special Sovereign Award recognizes a particular achievement within a given year. The honor will be bestowed upon McKenzie for becoming the oldest trainer to saddle a winner in Canada, doing so at age of 96 on June 23, 2023, when his mare, Entitled Star, won the second race at Century Mile.

Michelle Armata has been named the 2023 Outstanding Groom, and Jennifer Buck will be honored as Outstanding Off-track worker, a new Sovereign Award for 2023.

The finalists in the digital audio/visual broadcast category are Santino Di Paola, Ontario Racing, and Woodbine Entertainment Group.

:: Get the Inside Track with the FREE DRF Morning Line Email Newsletter. Subscribe now.

The photography category finalists are Patricia Burns, Allan de la Plante, and Jason Halstead.

The finalists in the writing category are Mark Colley, Jennifer Morrison, and Curtis Stock.

The winner in each of the three media categories will be announced, along with the other Sovereign Award winners and Canada’s Horse of the Year, during the 49th annual Sovereign Awards ceremony on April 18 at the Paramount Eventspace in Woodbridge, Ontario.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.