TOP OF THE HILL

SEALY HILL (photo by Cindy Pierson Dulay)

Good morning. The morning after the 33^rd SOVEREIGN AWARDS, another lavish dinner and ceremony put on by the Jockey Club of Canada and the very nice Westin Harbour Castle hotel.

The evening started off with a lovely cocktail hour followed by sea bass for dinner and some cool video footage of the year’s highlights from British Columbia to Ontario.

By now, most of you will know the winners of the awards…this morning I have added some opinion – strictly my opinions – and some thoughts about the night.

Here goes..

(Winners of the 33rd Annual Sovereign Awards presented last night at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto, Ontario by Jockey Club of Canada)

SPECIAL SOVEREIGN AWARD

LOUIS ROMANET

Romanet played a role, as the director of France Galop, in the Jockey Club of Canada and its establishing of the Canadian Graded Stakes Committee. The SEPCIAL SOVEREIGN is not given out much, Awesome Again a few years back and Romanet’s father before that.

No question the honour was deserved, but why not present it next year and give JAMBALAYA, the first Canadian-bred winner of the Arlington Million recognition in 2007? (Since that horse raced just twice in Canada and was not eligible for a Sovereign).

HORSE OF THE YEAR/CHAMPION FEMALE TURF HORSE/3-YEAR-OLD FILLY

Sealy Hill

We saw a lot of the Sealy Hill team last night from Eugene and Laura Melnyk and Mark Casse, Pat Husbands, Iris and Bill Bristow and their daughter Cheryl.

Sealy Hill (Point Given) was also presented with the Triple Tiara trophy last night since her sweep was not official until the Ontario Racing Commission undid a stewards DQ of the champion in the Bison City Stakes.

CHAMPION TWO-YEAR-OLD FILLY

Dancing Allstar 118-114 over Officer Cherrie

Head scratcher here – and only 4 voting points separated her from OFFICER CHERRIE, the more logical winner. The B.C. bred won 5 of 7, just one modest stake at Woodbine. The Cherrie won 3 of 4 including 2 stakes, one graded (oh yes, and she BEAT Dancing Allstar the ONE time they met.

CHAMPION TWO-YEAR-OLD MALE

KODIAK KOWBOY

Logical winner 159-75. Benefitted from rule change that 2yo’s only need to race twice in Canada to be eligible.

CHAMPION THREE-YEAR-OLD MALE

Alezzandro

Hard to figure this one but he beat his stablemate LEONNATUS ANTEAS 109-102 only. Won the Prince of Wales, was 2^nd in Plate. Not a bad winner.

CHAMPION OLDER FEMALE

ON MAIN TRACK/ CHAMPION SPRINTER

Financingavailable

The ole grey mare is retired now. She won 149-81 voting points for older mare (her 2^nd such score) and won a dreadful Sprint category 109-63 over Stradivinsky.

CHAMPION OLDER MALE ON MAIN TRACK

True Metropolitan

Owner Bob Cheema was the best. He said ‘thanks’ in his acceptance speech.

CHAMPION MALE TURF HORSE

Cloudy’s Knight

Funny stuff last night as excited owner Jerry Schwartz got his notes mixed up and his acceptance speech was all over the place.

OUTSTANDING JOCKEY

Patrick Husbands

Another lengthy speech, his 5^th Sovereign win for top jockey and the first time he attended in several years after boycotting.

OUTSTANDING APPRENTICE JOCKEY

Tyler Pizarro

OUTSTANDING TRAINER

Mark Casse, 166-45-44 over Terry Jordan, Reade Baker

A VERY, VERY lengthy speech that ended with a very emotional Casse thanking his father Norm, who came up to join him. Similar to his speech when he won last year.

OUTSTANDING OWNER IN CANADA

Eugene Melnyk

Should have won owner and breeder and just barely own this category 119-111 over Bob Cheema.

OUTSTANDING BREEDER

Adena Springs

Made no sense – Adena won 127-118 over Melnyk. Former bred modest stakes horses in 2007 in Canada, latter bred Sealy Hill, Triple Tiara winner (Horse of the Year) and Marchfield and Arden Belle among others.

Voters looking only at total dollars it seems and not quality.

OUTSTANDING BROODMARE

Lover’s Talk 71-46 over the late Victorious Answer

She’s retired from mommy-hood now and living in Kentucky. David Willmot, her owner, gave her a nice talk-up.

My TORONTO STAR write up today is here…

http://www.thestar.com/Sports/article/285853

Other awards…

OUTSTANDING PHOTOGRAPH

Michael Burns, Jr. 

By Dawn's Early Light

The Toronto Star

OUTSTANDING FILM/VIDEO/BROADCAST

Horse Racing Alberta & WhiteIron Productions 

The Alberta Derby

CTV - Alberta

OUTSTANDING NEWSPAPER STORY

Allan Besson

Graduation Day Celebration 

The Winnipeg Free Press

OUTSTANDING FEATURE STORY

Paul Wiecek

Holding Life by the Reins

The Winnipeg Free Press

VOTE TOTALS

Champion Two-Year-Old Filly

Dancing Allstar 118

Officer Cherrie 114

Authenicat 52

Champion Two-Year-Old Colt

Kodiak Kowboy 159

Bear Holiday 75

Stuck in Traffic 58

Champion Three-Year-Old Filly

Sealy Hill 174

Bear Now 109

Dance to My Tune 19

Champion Three-Year-Old Male

Alezzandro 109

Leonnatus Anteas 102

Mike Fox 46

Champion Older Female on the Main Track

Financingavailable 149

She's Indy Money 81

Monashee 65

Champion Older Male on the Main Track

True Metropolitan 193

Palladio 48

Stonetown 33

Champion Female Turf Horse

Sealy Hill 181

Essential Edge 60

Financingavailable 36

Champion Male Turf Horse

Cloudy's Knight 188

Sky Conqueror 87

Eccentric 35

Champion Sprinter

Financingavailable 109

Stradivinsky 63

She's Indy Money 27

Bear Now 27

Horse of the Year

Sealy Hill 113

Cloudy's Knight 90

True Metropolitan 62

Outstanding Broodmare

Lover's Talk 71

Victorious Answer 46

Fascigrant 42

Outstanding Apprentice Jockey

Tyler Pizarro 193

Matt Moore 58

Dean Deverell 39

Outstanding Jockey

Patrick Husbands 173

Emma-Jayne Wilson 62

Mario Gutierrez 21

Emile Ramsammy 21

Outstanding Trainer

Mark Casse 166

Terry Jordan 45 

Reade Baker 44

Outstanding Owner in Canada

Melnyk Racing Stables 119

Bahadur Cheema 111

Bear Stables 33

Outstanding Breeder

Adena Springs 127

Eugene Melnyk 118

Gustav Schickedanz 31

SOVEREIGN SKETCHES OF WINNERS FROM WOODBINE MEDIA

Dancing Allstar, Champion Two-Year-Old Filly

2007 stats: 7-5-2-0 $299,428

Best Beyer (Daily Racing Form speed rating): 88 (sprint)

Dancing Allstar was excellent both at Woodbine and Hastings in 2007,

winning stakes races out east and west. The Millennium Allstar chestnut

won the My Dear Stakes at Woodbine on July 2 and was second, beaten a

head-bob, to Bear Holiday, a two-year-old colt Sovereign Award

 contender

in the Colin. Bob Cheema's B.C.-bred was three-for-three in Hastings

stakes, taking the CTHS Sales Stakes, the Jack Diamond Futurity and the

Fantasy.

Kodiak Kowboy, Champion Two-Year-Old Colt

2007 stats: 7-4-1-1 $549,991

Best Beyer (Daily Racing Form speed rating): 99 (sprint)

Kodiak Kowboy is a U.S.-based colt which ran at Woodbine twice, winning

the Victoria Stakes, but is best known for his third-place finish in

 the

Breeders' Cup Juvenile. The Posse bay also won the Grade 3 Bashford

Manor Stakes at Churchill Downs and the Grade 2 Saratoga Special at

Saratoga. The Kentucky-bred also finished second in the Grade 2

 Futurity

for trainer Steve Asmussen, and owners Vinery Stables and Fox Hill

 Farm.

Sealy Hill, Champion Three-Year-Old Filly

2007 stats: 8-4-3-0 $958,389

Best Beyer (Daily Racing Form speed rating): 99 (turf)

Sealy Hill won four stakes races in 2007 including all three legs of

 the

Canadian Filly Triple Tiara, the Labatt Woodbine Oaks at Woodbine, the

Labatt Bison City Stakes at Fort Erie (on DQ reversal) and the Wonder

Where Stakes at Woodbine; the first filly to do so. The Ontario-bred,

trained by Mark Casse for Melnyk Racing Stables Inc., also finished

second in the Grade 2 Canadian and the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor on turf. The

Point Given dark bay also won the Grade 3 Bourbonette Breeders' Cup at

Turfway Park.

Alezzandro, Champion Three-Year-Old Male

2007 stats: 6-2-2-1 $551,550

Best Beyer (Daily Racing Form speed rating): 90 (route)

Alezzandro competed in all three legs of the Canadian Triple Crown,

finishing second in the Queen's Plate, but denying Mike Fox a chance at

the Triple Crown with a win in the Prince of Wales at Fort Erie. The

High Yield dark bay colt, trained by Kevin Attard for the Knob Hill

Stable and the Estate of Steve Stavro, also finished second in the

Plate Trial and the Ontario Derby.

True Metropolitan, Champion Older Male on the Main Track

2007 stats: 10-7-1-1

Best Beyer: 102

True Metropolitan is a Trans-Canada superstar. The son of Proud and

 True won multiple stakes at three different Canadian racetracks, Woodbine,

Hastings and Northlands, where he won the Speed to Spare by 10 lengths

at odds of 1-5. The Bob Cheema-owned gelding is about as prohibitive a

favorite to retain his championship title in the category.

Cloudy's Knight, Champion Male Turf Horse

2007 stats: 9-3-3-1

Best Beyer: 105

S J Stables homebred Cloudy's Knight captured three graded stakes in

2007, two in Canada and one in the United States. The seven-year-old

gelding was a hard-luck second to Last Answer in his first journey

northward. The son of Lord Avie followed up with a one-length victory

in the Grade 2 Sky Classic and a narrow score in the Grade 1 Pattison

Canadian International.

Financingavailable, Champion Older Female on the Main Track

2007 stats: 7-5-2-0

Best Beyer: 101

Arguably, K.K. Sangara's most important acquisition ever,

Financingavailable returned to her stakes-winning form, garnering four

added-money titles, including three on Woodbine's Polytrack. The

daughter of Kiridashi retired to the breeding shed shortly after her

Ontario Fashion victory with a record of 15 wins and seven seconds from

28 starts.

Sealy Hill, Champion Female Turf Horse

2007 stats: 8-4-3-0

Best Beyer: 99

After strong performances in the opening two-thirds of the Triple Tiara

(Series for Canadian-bred three-year-old fillies) Mark Casse trainee

Sealy Hill made an effective transition to turf racing in July. The

Point Given filly was a powerful winner of the Wonder Where, closing

from more than a dozen lengths off the pace to win by daylight. The

Melnyk Racing Stables homebred also ran second in the two premiere

late-season turf events for older fillies and mares, the Canadian and

the $1 million E.P. Taylor.

Financingavailable, Champion Sprinter

2007 stats: 7-5-2-0

Best Beyer: 101

The Lorne Richard's trainee had such a well-rounded season in 2007 that

she made the finals in three different categories (Turf Mare, Older

 Dirt

Mare and Sprinter). Five of the six-year-old's seven starts came at

sprint distances. All three of her sprint wins came traveling six

furlongs (two on Polytrack and one on turf), including the Ballade and

her career finale, the Ontario Fashion.

Lover's Talk, Outstanding Broodmare

If any dam is more due to be named Champion Broodmare, it is Lover's

Talk, a 23-year-old daughter of Vice Regent that was bred by none other

than E.P. Taylor. The bay has produced four stakes winners, including

5-for-7 Love Grows, 11-time winner Barley Talk, speedy Wild Whiskey and

triple stakes-winner Torrid Affair. Lover's Talk qualified this year

when Thunder Gulch filly Lyrically finished third to Bear Now in the

Duchess.

Patrick Husbands, Outstanding Jockey

Canadian victories: 149

Canadian stakes: 21 

Graded Canadian stakes wins: 4

Patrick Husbands won races in bunches in 2007, leading all Canadian

riders in total wins (149), total stakes (21) and total purse earnings

($8.8 million). Husbands won at a 20 per cent rate, an impressive

figure considering he rode in over 700 races. Highlights of the season include

a Triple Tiara sweep with Sealy Hill, a Coronation Futurity upset

 aboard Kesagami and an added-money double with rising star Officer Cherrie.

Tyler Pizarro, Outstanding Apprentice Jockey

Canadian victories: 141

Canadian stakes: 0

Tyler Pizarro dominated the Woodbine win column among apprentices.

Scoring at a 13.9 per cent rate, Pizarro won 124 races at the Toronto

oval, good enough for a share of third-place in the standings. His

mounts earned over $5.2 million. He never connected in a stakes event,

though he did guide Executive Flight to runner-up finishes in the

Ballade, Victoriana and Classy n'Smart.

Mark Casse, Outstanding Trainer

Canadian victories: 84

Canadian stakes: 13

Canadian graded stakes wins: 2

Mark Casse enjoyed a career year at Woodbine in 2007. His 84 tallies at

the Toronto oval is 15 more than his previous high for a meet (69 in

2002). He finished with 24 tallies more than his nearest pursuer. He

 was

just as dominant with his stakes runners, winning 13, including the

Labatt Woodbine Oaks with Sealy Hill. This winter, he is racing at the

Fair Grounds. The Indianapolis native is just 45 wins away from 1,000

during his career.

Melnyk Racing Stables, Outstanding Owner in Canada

Canadian victories: 15

Canadian stakes: 6

Canadian graded stakes wins: 1

Even though their Woodbine win total dipped from 22 to 15 in 2007,

Melnyk Racing Stables led all owners at Woodbine with earnings of

$2,030,805, a sharp increase of 31.9 per cent over 2006, when they were

third. The key difference was a stellar season from Point Given filly

Sealy Hill, who earned the lion's share of her $958,389 in Canada,

Where she captured the Labatt Woodbine Oaks, swept the Triple Tiara and was a

runner-up in the $1 million E.P. Taylor Stakes. Gouldings Green,

Sterwins and Breeders' Stakes hero Marchfield added Toronto stakes for

Team Melnyk.

Adena Springs, Outstanding Breeder

A regular finalist in the Outstanding Breeder category, Frank

Stronach's Adena Springs produced nine different stakes winners in

 2007 at its Aurora (Adena North) operation. From 148 starters, 82 Adena-breds

successfully made it to the winner's circle on a total of 132

 occasions. At Woodbine, Awesome Action won the Ontario Jockey Club and Labeeb

Stakes, Executive Choice captured the Steady Growth, Just Rushing

scored in the Vigil and The Niagara Queen won the Flaming Page.