Luis Contreras and his sons accept the Champion Jockey trophy from Hall of Fame jockey Sandy Hawley.
The Sovereign Awards
Date: 04/19/2012
The 37th annual Sovereign Awards, saluting outstanding achievement in Canadian Thoroughbred racing and breeding in 2012, were handed out at a ceremony on Friday night at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto. Unlike their U.S. equivalent, the Eclipse Awards, horses must have started at least 3 times in Canada to qualify (2 for juveniles). Winning connections are presented with a trophy which is a replica of English racing great St. Simon. Jason Portuondo, who hosts Woodbine's telecasts, was the master of ceremonies.
Jim Lawson, Chief Steward of the Jockey Club of Canada, presents the Horse of the Year award to Uncaptured's owner John Oxley and his wife Debby with trainer Mark Casse beside him.
The Horse of the Year title went to Uncaptured, who was also named Champion Two-Year-Old Male. Bred by Bill Graham, who earlier in the night was named Outstanding Breeder, the son of Lion Heart out or Arch mare Captivating was 6 for 7 for trainer Mark Casse (earlier named Outstanding Trainer) with wins in the Clarendon, Vandal, and Swynford at Woodbine, and the Iroquois (G3) and Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs. Owner John Oxley, who came up on stage (climbing a steep series of steps) to collect the last four trophies awarded on the night, quipped, "Next time I win a race, the purse money will be dedicated to replacing these stairs with an escalator! Hats off to the Jockey Club of Canada, Nick Eaves, and everybody in the Canadian racing industry for moving forward to perpetuate racing in this country. Mark Casse and I could race anywhere in the United States, but we come to Woodbine which we feel represented the very best of North American racing. (Uncaptured) is my favorite two-year-old in my 40 years in racing. What a great record. He's been a fabulous horse to be partnered with. Mark Casse delivered for me again."
Nick Eaves, CEO of Woodbine Entertainment, presents the Outstanding Owner award to John Oxley. This was the first of four awards won by Oxley.
Oxley swept the last four trophies on the night. He started off by taking Outstanding Owner honours, off a season where he won 28 of 101 starts and earned $2,834,689, followed by Uncaptured's award for Champion Two-Year-Old Male award, then the Champion Two-Year=Old Filly award for Spring in the Air. The daughter of Spring at Last out of Unbridled mare Unbridled Run won the Darley Alcibiades (G1) at Keeneland and was second in the Shady Well and Natalma (G2) at Woodbine. She finished her season with a distant 5th place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Santa Anita.
Eugene Melnyk accepts the Champion Older Female award for Roxy Gap from author Beverley Smith. Roxy Gap also won Champion Female Sprinter.
Owner Eugene Melnyk's homebred Roxy Gap took home both the Champion Female Sprinter and Champion Older Female award. The daughter of Indian Charlie out of Saint Ballado mare Harts Gap was 3 for 9 in 2012, including wins in the Whimsical (G3), Hendrie (G2), and Royal North (G3) Stakes. Melnyk said, "Roxy Gap is one of the rarities in our industry. What's forgotten in our industry are the cheap claimers, hurt horses, hurt horses that never make it to the racetrack. People forget about them. There are organizations across North America, including LongRun here in Canada, and I really would like to acknowledge everything they do for the racehorses. If you have room for a horse to adopt please do, when (organizations) come to you please help. It's great to have a Roxy Gap but I have to think about the horses out in the fields that never get a chance for the glory, photographs, trophies, everything else, and they also deserve a great retirement."
Mark Casse accepts the Outstanding Trainer award from Yvonne Schwabe a Director of the CTHS of Ontario.
The tightest result went to the Outstanding Jockey category where Luis Contreras nosed out Patrick Husbands by just one vote. He won 195 races out of 1027 starts, with 169 seconds, 151 thirds, and $9.3 million in purse earnings. Accompanied on stage with his two sons, he said, "I was so happy to win the jockey title. I want to thank all the hard-working people who work with these horses every morning and never win awards, but who all make this possible for me." In 2012 he won 17 stakes races in Canada, many of which were with trainer Mark Casse. The Apprentice award was won by Scott Williams, the third generation of a family of jockeys. The son of Danny Williams, top apprentice at Hastings in 1978 and now a jockey agent, and the grandson of Ronnie Williams, a member of the British Columbia Horse Racing Hall of Fame, won 100 out of 440 starts, mostly at Northlands Park in Edmonton, Alberta. Among his six stakes wins, he won the Alberta Oaks aboard Pumpkin Hollow.
Charles Overland, a Steward of the Jockey Club of Canada, presents the Champion Turf Female award for Irish Mission to trainer Mark Frostad (right). Irish Mission also won Champion 3-year-old Female.
The most emotional moment of the night came when Essence Hit Man was named Champion Male Sprinter for the second year in a row. His co-owner, co-breeder, and trainer Audre Cappucitti passed away in November 2012 at the age of 75. Audre's husband Gordon Cappucitti said, "On behalf of AC Racing Stables and the Cappucitti family, we proudly accept this Sovereign Award. Audre would have been so proud to receive this award here tonight in a room full of her family in racing. We thank the racing community for their warm wishes in our time of mourning this past November. We know that you are here tonight Audre."
Outstanding Apprentice Jockey winner Scott Williams and his father Danny, a retired rider, pose with the permanent Sovereign Award trophy.
In the media categories, Michael Burns Jr. won the Outstanding Photograph award for a record ninth time, and the 16th win for the Burns family overall. Denise Ryan won her first Sovereign in the Outstanding Writing category, for her article in the Vancouver Sun about Mario Gutierrez, and Horse Racing Alberta and WhiteIron Productions won their fifth Sovereign for Outstanding Broadcast, for their coverage of the Canadian Derby at Northlands Park.
Here are the vote totals for the top three finalists for all the awards along with photos for several of the equine winners. Votes were cast for the top three choices, 4 points for first, 2 for second, and 1 for third, in each category by voters and the top point getters were named the finalists. The voters are individuals serving in industry positions such as senior racing officials, racing journalists and commentators, as well as provincial representatives of the Breeding and Horsemen's organizations. The judging for the 2012 media categories was performed by the Journalism Professors at Humber College, School of Media Studies & Information Technology, in Toronto, Ontario.
Uncaptured was Champion 2-year-old Male and Horse of the Year
Spring in the Air was Champion 2-Year-Old Filly
Irish Misson was Champion 3-Year-Old Filly and Champion Turf Female
Roxy Gap was Champion Older Female and Champion Female Sprinter
Riding the River was Champion Turf Male
Strait of Dover was Champion 3-Year-Old Male
Hunters Bay was Champion Turf Male
The permanent Sovereign Award trophy is a sculpture of Saint Simon
Riding the River was Champion Turf Male
Essence Hit Man was Champion Male Sprinter
Bill Graham won for Outstanding Breeder
The pipers carry in the permanent Sovereign Awards trophy
Horse of the Year:
Uncaptured 91
Hunters Bay 38
Strait of Dover 31
Champion Two Year Old Filly:
Spring in the Air 124
Spring Venture 93
Nipissing 38
Champion Two Year Old Male:
Uncaptured 164
Dynamic Sky 37
River Seven 33
Champion Three Year Old Filly:
Irish Mission 138
Dixie Strike 86
Evelyn’s Dancer 42
Champion Three Year Old Male:
Strait of Dover 123
Delegation 107
Toccetive 16
Champion Older Female:
Roxy Gap 111
Magic Broomstick 103
Stars to Shine 18
Champion Older Male:
Hunters Bay 138
Taylor Said 60
Pender Harbour 42
Champion Turf Female:
Irish Mission 95
Roxy Gap 56
All Star Heart 49
Champion Turf Male:
Riding the River 100
Forte Dei Marmi (GB) 97
Hunters Bay 40
Champion Female Sprinter:
Roxy Gap 124
Magic Broomstick 88
Atlantic Hurricane 35
Champion Male Sprinter:
Essence Hit Man 121
Bear Tough Tiger 47
Taylor Said 43
Outstanding Broodmare:
Misty Mission 72
Captivating 70
Uproar 29
Outstanding Breeder:
William D Graham 107
Sam-Son Farms 63
Adena Springs 54
Outstanding Owner:
John C. Oxley 133
North American Thoroughbred
Horse Company Inc. 65
Melnyk Racing Stables Inc. 32
Outstanding Trainer:
Mark Casse 151
Reade Baker 56
Troy Taylor 32
Outstanding Apprentice Jockey:
Scott Williams 156
Jennifer Reid 68
Skye Chernetz 33
Outstanding Jockey:
Luis Contreras 109
Patrick Husbands 108
Eurico Da Silva 47
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