The annual Standardbred Breeders of Ontario Association (SBOA) Awards Banquet was held on Saturday night at the Sheraton Toronto Airport honouring those breeders responsible for the top money-earning horses in the 2012 Ontario Sires Stakes program.
The evening featured a gourmet dinner, silent auction and stallion auction, along with the awards ceremony, hosted by Greg Blanchard. The award winners were:
Two-Year-Old Filly Pacer
Kims Royal Day p, 2, 1:55.2h—OSS Earnings-$292,800
Royal Mattjesty-Kims Caper-Badlands Hanover
Owners—Stuart McIntosh, Essex, ON & Blake McIntosh, Cambridge, ON
Breeder—Winbak Farm, MD
Two-Year-Old Colt Pacer
Mach Pride p, 2, 1:51.4s—OSS Earnings-$338,700
Mach Three-Cyber Wave-Fighting Major
Owner—Gerald Mijal, MI
Breeder—Ken Rucker,WI
Three-Year-Old Filly Pacer
Mach A Wish p, 3, 1:50.2s–OSS Earnings-$271,500
Mach Three-Belinda Hanover-Cams Card Shark
Owners—Tony O’Sullivan & David Goodrow Stable, Cambridge, ON
Breeder—30 Plus Stable, Trenton, ON
Three-Year-Old Colt Pacer
Michaels Power p ,3, 1:48.1s-OSS Earnings-$417,500
Camluck-Michelles Jackpot-Artsplace
Owner-Breeder—Jeffrey Snyder, NY
Two-Year-Old Filly Trotter
Bee A Magician 2, 1:53.4s-OSS Earnings-$392,500
Kadabra-Beehive-Balanced Image
Owners- Mel Hartman, Ottawa, ON, Herb Liverman, David McDuffee, FL
Breeder—White Birch Farm, NJ
Two-year-Old Colt Trotter
Creampuff MacDaddy 2, 1:56.2s-OSS Earnings-$274,220
Ken Warkentin-Celebrity Cream-Muscles Yankee
Owners-Howard Taylor, PA, Theodore Gewertz, NY, Ed Gold and Judith Taylor, PA
Breeder—Spring Haven Farm, OH
Three-Year-Old Filly Trotter
Miss Paris 3, 1:54.2f-OSS Earnings-$277,900
Kadabra-Pizza Dolce-Conway Hall
Owners—Mel Hartman, Ottawa, Herb Liverman and David McDuffee, FL
Breeders—Steve Stewart, KY, John Schmucker, IN and Donald Robinson, OH
Three-Year-Old Colt Trotter
Prestidigitator 3, 1:52.2s-OSS Earnings-$375,000
Kadabra-Shesa Priority-Catch A Thrill
Owner- Ecurie Synergie, Montreal, QC
Breeders—Mary Smith and Richard Uhle, MI
Other award winners based on the 2012 OSS season are Sylvain Filion, whose 483 points topped all drivers to win the Lampman Cup, and Gregg McNair, who earned the Johnston Cup title as top trainer with 308 points.
The Lampman Cup is named for publicist extraordinaire Jim Lampman, and the Johnston Cup commemorates the former publisher of the Canadian Sportsman magazine, Bruce Johnston.
Always an anticipated highlight of the awards evening are the citations remembering two pioneers of the modern-day Ontario breeding industry -- Chris Van Bussel and Lloyd Chisholm. The Van Bussel Award is for exemplary service to both SBOA and the industry, while the Chisholm Award commemorates meritorious service.
Jim Bullock (pictured to the right) won both the Van Bussel Award and the Lloyd Chisholm Award. Anna Meyers also won the Lloyd Chisholm Award.
Masterfeeds also presented its annual Broodmare of the Year awards to the owners of the designated outstanding dams for each gait. Independent Lassie was named the Trotting Broodmare of the Year while the Pacing Broodmare of the the Year title went to Art Of Design.
(With files from SBOA)