On Wednesday, January 19, the Jockey Club of Canada announced the finalists for the 2010 Sovereign Awards, Canadian thoroughbred racing's year-end championships, the equivalent to the Eclipse Awards in the United States and the Cartier Awards in Europe. Winners will be announced at the 36th Annual Sovereign Awards ceremonies on Friday, April 1, 2011, on the third floor of Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto. Voting closed on January 14, 2011, allowing the entire calendar year of 2010 to be included. In past years voting closed as early as mid-November. Winning connections receive a statue of English sire St. Simon.
The legendary breeder E.P. Ttaylor founded The Jockey Club of Canada in 1973 by E.P. Taylor to serve as an international representative of Canada's Thoroughbred sport and to promote improvements to Thoroughbred horse racing and breeding both in Canada and internationally. To that end the Jockey Club of Canada organizes and hosts the annual Sovereign Awards to honor outstanding achievements in all areas of Thoroughbred sport - from media coverage to Horse of the Year.
Below are all the finalists in all the categories (except Horse of the Year, whose finalists are not revealed until immediately before the winner is announced), as well as links (where available) to the nominees in the media categories. This year my husband and I were fortunate enough to both be finalists in the photography category, my second time and his first time to be nominated. I have included a link to both our photos as well as the one by the other finalist, Tod Marks. All three Outstanding Photograph finalists appeared in Canadian Thoroughbred magazine.
Champion Two Year Old Female
Delightful Mary
Roxy Gap
Wyomia
Champion Two Year Old Male
Blue Laser
Madman Diaries
Rockin Heat
Champion Three Year Old Female
Biofuel
Free Fee Lady
Roan Inish
Champion Three Year Old Male
Big Red Mike
Hotep
No Hesitation
Champion Older Female
Hooh Why
Impossible Time
Simply Splendid
Champion Older Male
Sand Cove
Southdale
Stunning Stag
Champion Female Turf Horse
Mekong Melody (IRE)
Miss Keller (IRE)
Perfect Shirl
Champion Male Turf Horse
Grand Adventure
Rahy's Attorney
Windward Islands
Champion Male Sprinter
Essence Hit Man
Hollywood Hit
Smokey Fire
Champion Female Sprinter
Hooh Why
Indian Apple Is
Sugar Again
Outstanding Breeder
Adena Springs
Eugene Melnyk
Sam-Son Farm
Outstanding Broodmare
Destroy
Enchanted Spell
Eye of the Sphynx
Outstanding Trainer
Roger Attfield
Reade Baker
Mark Casse
Outstanding Owner
Bear Stables Ltd.
Melnyk Racing Stables Inc.
Sam-Son Farms
Outstanding Jockey
Eurico Rosa Da Silva
Patrick Husbands
Chantal Sutherland
Outstanding Apprentice Jockey
Brian Cheyne
Omar Moreno
Ryan Pacheco
Outstanding Newspaper Story
Perry Lefko, Memories of the King of Claiming, Down The Stretch Newspaper, December 17, 2010
Jennifer Morrison, Da Silva will have crowd on his side at Prince of Wales, Toronto Star, July 23, 2010
Beverley Smith, Silky Smooth, Not Without the Colour Man, The Globe and Mail, August 17, 2010
Outstanding Feature Story
Perry Lefko, Horse Hugs, Down The Stretch Newspaper, December 17, 2010
Keith McCalmont, Julia Brino: I'm coming back to ride, Down The Stretch Newspaper, January 2010
Jennifer Morrison, Mission Accomplished, The Blood Horse, January 6, 2010
Outstanding Photograph
Terence Dulay, Hang on Big Red Mike, Canadian Thoroughbred, August/September 2010
Tod Marks, Miss Keller and her Bunny, Canadian Thoroughbred, December 2010
Cindy Pierson Dulay, Catching Seeking The Title, Canadian Thoroughbred, August/September 2010
Outstanding Film/Video/Broadcast
CBC Television Network Sports, 2010 Queen's Plate, CBC Sports, July 4, 2010
ESPN Inc., 2010 Breeders' Cup Challenge Series, ESPN2, October 16, 2010
Horse Racing Alberta and Whiteiron Productions, 81st Anniversary of the Canadian Derby, TSN, August 21, 2010
