Owner and breeder Bruno Schickedanz accepted three awards for his colt Wake At Noon, including Horse of the Year

Wake At Noon, who dominated the sprint division at Woodbine this year, was honored as Canada’s Horse of the Year at the 28th annual Sovereign Awards at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto on Saturday. These awards are given for outstanding achievement in Canadian racing and are their equivalent of the Eclipse Awards in the United States. For a horse to be eligible to win, he or she must have started at least three times in Canada.

Bruno Schickedanz and his chestnut colt Wake At Noon were the big winners for the evening, bringing home who not only won Horse of the Year but also Champion Older Male and Champion Sprinter. Owner and breeder Bruno Schickedanz was obviously delighted by the success of the 5-year-old son of Cure the Blues and commemorated his Horse of the Year victory by reading a poem he wrote in his honor (see box on below right). He also said, "I'd like to thank Wake At Noon for giving me four years of racing thrills. At 2, 3, 4, and 5 he's provided years of racing that are some of the most exciting moments of my life. Watching him come down the stretch and then kicking to a supersonic explosive burst of speed." Quoting track announcer Dan Loiselle, "'The Millennium Monster strikes again!' this is the sweetest monster I have ever met."

The Sam-Son Farms group with the permanent Sovereign trophy.

Sam-Son Farms also brought home two awards for Outstanding Breeder and Champion Turf Horse for their 3-year-old colt Portcullis. Their runners were so dominant on the turf this year that all three nominees for Champion Turf Male were from their barn. Tammy Samuel-Balaz said, "It's a great thrill, but not to take away from his teammates. Full of Wonder and my sentimental favorite Quiet Resolve are very special." She mentioned that Quiet Resolve is "doing really well" after retiring due to injury late in the season. "We're not long in numbers and we're certainly not long in people but we have such a dedicated crew with us."

Prince of Wales Stakes winner Le Cinquieme Essai was named champion three-year-old male. Owner William J. Scott said, "From now on I'm naming every horse I own in French." To the entire team including jockey Brian Bochinski, trainer Paul Nielsen, and the grooms, "I thank you for this moment."

Trainer Roger Attfield accepts his Sovereign Award.

Roger Attfield won his sixth Sovereign Award as champion trainer. He said, "I'd like to thank the all the voters who put me on the top of the list. Tough group out there, you've got all these young guys taking shots at me." Referring to the runners-up, " I have a Mark on this side (Casse) and a Mark on that side (Frostad), I'm a marked man!"

There have only been 9 Special Sovereigns awarded in the 28-year history of the Awards. This year, Roland (Roly) Morris was named as the recipient. The long-time supporter of Canadian racing served as vice-president of the Ontario Jockey Club (now known as the Woodbine Entertainment Group), treasurer of Racetracks of Canada, and a founding director of the Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association. Currently he is a horse owner through his successful Very Dry Stable racing syndicate.