On Tuesday, January 24, the Jockey Club of Canada announced the finalists for the 2011 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 37th Annual Sovereign Awards ceremonies on Thursday, April 5, 2011, on the third floor of Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto. Voting closed on January 20, 2012, allowing the entire calendar year of 2011 to be included. Prior to 2010, voting closed as early as mid-November. Winning connections receive a statue of English sire St. Simon which is on permanent display in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame and gets updated to include each new Horse of the Year.
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.
Champion Two Year Old Female
Hard Not to Like
Northern Passion
Tu Endie Wei
Champion Two Year Old Male
Excaper
Maritimer
Prospective
Champion Three Year Old Female
Inglorious
Marketing Mix
Smart Sting
Champion Three Year Old Male
Freedoms Traveller
Moonshine Mullin
Pender Harbour
Champion Older Female
Ariana D
Embur's Song
Stars to Shine
Champion Older Male
Don Cavallo
Fifty Proof
James Street
Champion Female Turf Horse
Marketing Mix
Miss Keller (IRE)
Never Retreat
Champion Male Turf Horse
Musketier (GER)
Pender Harbour
Stormy Lord
Champion Male Sprinter
Essence Hit Man
Gypsy Ring
Signature Red
Champion Female Sprinter
Atlantic Hurricane
Classic Alley Kat
Embur's Song
Outstanding Breeder
Adena Springs
Eugene Melnyk
Sam-Son Farm
Outstanding Broodmare
Embur Sunshine
Noble Strike
Rahy's Hope
Outstanding Trainer
Roger Attfield
Reade Baker
Mark Casse
Outstanding Owner
Bear Stables Ltd.
Donver Stable
Melnyk Racing Stables Inc.
Glen Todd and Patrick Kinsella
Note: There was a tie for one of the top three positions
Outstanding Jockey
Luis Contreras
Patrick Husbands
Emma-Jayne Wilson
Outstanding Apprentice Jockey
Ryan Pacheco
Betty-Jo Williams
Scott Williams
Outstanding Newspaper Story
Allan Beeson, Hard work no problem, mon, Winnipeg Free Press, August 26, 2011
Keith McCalmont, Emma’s great Excaper, WoodbineEntertainment.com, November 2, 2011
Beverley Smith, Rahy’s Attorney goes out as a contender, The Globe and Mail, August 16, 2011
Outstanding Feature Story
Peter Gross, Fern Chretien’s Stretch Drive, Down The Stretch Newspaper, April 2011
Jennifer Morrison, Glorification, Canadian Thoroughbred, August/September 2011
Beverley Smith, Training Daze and Casse Ready (Two-part Series), The Globe and Mail, September 14 and October 1, 2011
Outstanding Photograph
Dave Landry, Filly Wins! Oaks and Plate, Canadian Thoroughbred, August/September 2011
Janis Maine, Stallion at Attention, Canadian Thoroughbred, August/September 2011
Erika Rusnak, Bunny, Horse-Canada.com/Thoroughblog, May 12, 2011
Outstanding Film/Video/Broadcast
The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, Celebrating Northern Dancer's 50th Birthday, Broadcast on Score Television Network, September 18, 2011
Horse Racing Alberta & Whiteiron Productions, 2011 Canadian Derby. Broadcast on Canadian Television Network, August 20, 2011
Tom Wolski, Sport of Kings. Broadcast on Shaw TV Vancouver, October 7, 2011
