Canadian Thoroughbred racing's champions for 2004 were announced on Friday night at the 30th annual Sovereign Awards dinner. To qualify, equine nominees must have made three starts in Canada, while human nominees need ten starts in this country. This differs significantly from the U.S. Eclipse Awards, where many European-based horses have won championships off of just one start. Winners receive a trophy depicting St. Simon, an undefeated colt who raced in England in the 1880's and then went on to an illustrious career at stud.
Once again, the Sovereign Awards stage was the Tammy Samuel-Balaz show, as Sam-Son Farm racked up five trophies on the night, led by Horse of the Year Soaring Free. Soaring Free was also named champion turf horse, winning five races in a row including the Atto Mile, with career earnings just short of $2 million. His stablemate, Woodbine Oaks winner Eye of the Sphynx, was named champion 3-year-old filly, and Sam-Son Farm was named champion owner and breeder.
Quite fittingly, Sam-Son Farm's regular rider Todd Kabel was honored with the award for champion jockey for the second year in a row. He was the runaway leader with 156 wins at Woodbine in 2004, and tied the great Avelino Gomez for number of stakes victories in a single season with 36, a record that has gone unbroken in 38 years. As he did last year, he honored his father who passed away before the start of the 2003 season.
However, Sam-Son's trainer Mark Frostad was denied the champion trainer award for the fourth year in a row, as Bob Tiller took the honor for the third time in four years. Tiller commented on the "tough year" his team had, after he was diagnosed with a tumor in his kidney requiring him to be away from the track for six weeks. Tiller's trainee Simply Lovely took the award for champion 2-year-old filly off runaway victories in the Muskoka, Victorian Queen, and Fanfreluche stakes.
Dual classic winner A Bit O'Gold was named champion 3-year-old male, off of wins in the Plate Trial, Prince of Wales Stakes, Breeders' Stakes, and the Ontario Derby. A close second in the Queen's Plate denied him a Triple Crown. Trainer Catherine Day-Phillips accepted the award for winning ownership group Two Bit Racing Stable.
Annasan was named champion broodmare of 2004. This is a lifetime achievement award, requiring a Canadian-bred stakes winner in the current year and a different stakes winner in a previous year. In her case, she is the dam of champion 3-year-old male A Bit O'Gold, and also of 2002 stakes winner Arco's Gold.
27-year-old Woodbine rider Corey Fraser received honors as Canada's top apprentice jockey, after a 66-win season including one stakes event. He was particularly thankful to his agent, Lorne Spearman, and his mother, who died of lung cancer 3 years ago.
Blonde Executive may not have won the 3-year-old filly category, but she did beat the boys for the Sovereign Award as Canada's champion sprinter for 2004. She won four stakes races, two on the main track and two on the turf.
The recently retired mare Inish Glora repeated as champion turf female off her two stakes wins in the Nassau and Victoriana. The connections of 2003 Horse of the Year Wando were back, this time with Mobil, the 2004 champion older horse. One For Rose was also a repeat winner, taking champion older female for the second year in a row after winning the 1 1/4 mile Maple Leaf Stakes by 6 1/2 lengths. Three-time stakes winner Wholelottabourbon captured the 2-year-old male award for his ownership group, the M.A.D. Racing Stable, and trainer Nick Gonzalez.
