Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

O'Brien Awards Presented

Driver Mark MacDonald & older trotting mare Peaceful Way were each
honored with O'Brien Awards for thier outstanding seasons in 2006.

February 4, 2007

The 2006 O'Brien Awards, Canada's national harness racing awards, are named for the late Hall of Famer Joe O'Brien, and recognize the horses and people who have made the greatest contribution to Canadian harness racing over the past season.

At a sold-out black tie gala held at the Delta Meadowvale Hotel Saturday night, Majestic Son, Canada's richest horse in 2006, was voted Canada's 3-Year- Old Trotting Colt of the Year and Horse of the Year for 2006.

Majestic Son was simply outstanding in 2006, winning an incredible 14 of 19 starts and $1.2 million while racing solely in Canada. One of his most memorable performances was his impressive victory in the Canadian Trotting Classic at Mohawk. Trained and co-owned by Mark Steacy for the Majestic Son Stable, the son of Angus Hall dominated his Ontario Sire Stakes division, swept the Canadian Breeders Championship, and proved he could tangle with North America's best when he swept the elimination and final of the Breeders Crown for 3-year-old trotting colts.

Prince Edward Island native Mark MacDonald, 28, secured his second consecutive O'Brien as Canada's Driver of the Year. MacDonald rewrote the history books in 2006 as he broke his own single season Canadian record for driving wins with 739. He also drove horses to over $10 million in earnings. One of his career milestones came when he piloted the 3-year-old pacing colt Mr Feelgood to victory in the prestigious Little Brown Jug, making that pacer the first ever Canadian-sired horse to win the event.

In 2005 Casie Coleman became the first female in the history of the O'Brien Awards to take home the Trainer of the Year trophy. The British Columbia native successfully defended that honored title for 2006, a year that saw her improve her wins and money stats without the benefit of a top stable star such as American Ideal. Coleman's stable sent 219 winners postward and horses that earned in excess of $3.4 million. One of her most memorable wins of the season came in the Molson Pace, with Our Lucky Killean.

Bob and Dave Anderson's Pampered Princess was voted Canada's 2-Year-Old Trotting Filly of the Year. The Andover Hall filly was seemingly invincible for most of her freshman season as she reeled off a nine-race win streak, all stakes that included the Oakville Stakes at Mohawk, her richest payday of the season. Trained by Jimmy Takter, Pampered Princess' fastest mile of her season came in winning the Bluegrass at Lexington, in 1: 54.4.

For the second consecutive year, trainer Paula Wellwood has trained the winner of the 2-Year-Old Trotting Colt category, proving once again that she inherited the trotting gene from her father, the late Bill Wellwood. This time around the O'Brien winner is Laddie, a winner of six of 10 for the Wellwood Stables, Inc. The Angus Hall colt won the Champlain Stakes and the elim and final of the William Wellwood Stakes.

For the second consecutive year, the voters made a unanimous selection for an O'Brien Award: Pure Ivory was honored with an O'Brien trophy as Canada's 3-Year-Old Trotting Filly of the Year, and in doing so collects her second consecutive O'Brien Award. The daughter of Striking Sahbra enjoyed a very productive campaign, winning 12 of 19 races for owners Jerry VanBoekel, trainer-owner Brad Maxwell, owner-breeder Harry Rutherford, and owner-driver Steve Condren. Some of Pure Ivory's stakes victories included the Canadian Breeders Championship, the Elegantimage Consolation and the Simcoe Stakes, in which she trotted to a career record of 1: 53.1.

The incomparable Peaceful Way, the richest Ontario bred of all-time, collected her fourth straight O'Brien Award and second title in the Older Trotting Mare category. The Angus Hall mare won five of 11 races last season. Without question her most coveted victory came in the prestigious Maple Leaf Trot, in which she trotted to a convincing three and three-quarter length win over Stiletto. Dave Tingley co-owns and conditions the Angus Hall mare, while Trevor Ritchie was the regular driver for Goin My Way Stable, Marvin Katz, Al Libfeld, Sam Goldband, and Angie Stiller.

Stiletto, voted Canada's Older Trotting Horse of the Year, was one of the powerhouses from the Anthony Montini Stable in 2006, winning eight races for Montini, Basil Michele, and Ross Warriner's War Dare, Ltd. He started the season in winning form, taking a leg and the final of the Glorys Comet at Woodbine. He tangled with North America's top trotters in the Maple Leaf Trot, where he put in an impressive runner-up finish. The Mr Vic gelding trotted to a stellar performance in the nation's capital when he posted a gate-to-wire victory in the Frank Ryan at Rideau Carleton, his richest payday of the season.

Luck of Michelle earned an O'Brien as Canada's 2-Year-Old Pacing Filly of the Year. She didn't waste any time in establishing a reputation for herself as a major player in the freshman pacing filly ranks as she reeled off a world record mile at Flamboro Downs on June 24, in her first start of the season. This was the beginning of a seven-race win streak that extended to the Eternal Camnation at Mohawk in August. Trainer John Pentland had the Camluck daughter fit and sharp for every one of her 13 races as she finished off the board only once.

Clay and Scott Horner's Domitian Hanover was named Canada's 2-Year-Old Pacing Colt of the Year. The Camluck colt was at the top of his game in Ontario Sire Stakes and the highlight of his season came in winning the Ontario Sire Stakes Super Final at Woodbine in a season's best 1: 52.3 for trainer James "Friday" Dean.

Canada's 3-Year-Old Pacing Filly of the Year was the talented and versatile Darlins Delight. She enjoyed a stellar season in 2006, not only winning 10 of 15 but also only finishing worse than third in one race. Trained by Jeff Stafford for White Birch Farm, the daughter of Bettor’s Delight won numerous stakes events on both sides of the border, and on different sized tracks, including an impressive victory in the Fan Hanover Stakes Final.

In the glamour division of 3-Year-Old Pacing Colts, the pint-sized Doonbeg was voted Canada's best, giving the Horner-Dean owner-trainer combination their second O'Brien trophy of the evening. Size was never an issue as the diminutive Camluck colt challenged North America's top sophomore colts all season long. Owned and bred by Clay and Scott Horner and Torlando Farms, Doonbeg was conditioned by James "Friday" Dean and driven to eight season wins by Jody Jamieson. Doonbeg won numerous stakes, including an elimination of the North America Cup, the Canadian Breeders Championship, and the Ontario Sire Stakes Super Final.

The 2006 season was a stand out one for the Artsplace mare Glowing Report, and her impressive accomplishments were acknowledged with the O'Brien Award for 3-Year-Old Pacing Fillies. Trained by Jerry Silverman and driven by Dave Miller for Marvin Rounick, Glowing Report won nine of 21. Some of her best performances came on Canadian soil, as she scored back-to-back victories in the elimination and final of the Milton Stakes, en route to a six-race win streak.

Canada's Older Pacing Horse of the Year, Lis Mara, returned to the racing wars in 2006, stronger, faster, and a more seasoned pacer. The Erv Miller trainee was a model of consistency and speed, winning 10 of 17 starts and pacing 11 sub-1:50 miles for MJG Racing Stables and Louis Willinger. His biggest win in Canada came in the Canadian Pacing Derby, when he paced to a track record equaling 1:48.4 for regular driver Brian Sears.

Trainer-driver Carl Jamieson, of Princeton, Ont. was honored with the O'Brien Award for Horsemanship. The 2006 season was a career year in the earnings column for Jamieson, who has built a reputation as one of the country's premier conditioners of young horses. Jamieson's career year included victories in the Battle of Waterloo, Gold Cup and Saucer, and the biggest stake of his training career, with Appleoosa Hanover, in the She’s A Great Lady.

Seelster Farms of Lucan, Ont. won the Armstrong Breeder of the Year O'Brien Award. Seelster has been a major Canadian breeder for decades, and is traditionally near the top of the earnings charts, thanks in large part to Camluck, whose offspring won more than C$16 million in 2006. In addition, 139 Seelster-bred starters, horses including the C$100,000 winners Draconian Promise, Areyouinorout, Luxury Seelster, and Sergei Seelster, earned over C$2.8 million last season. From modest beginnings, Seelster Farms has grown into a prominent fixture in the Canadian Standardbred breeding industry.

The former premier of Alberta, Ralph Klein was the recipient of the 2006 Cam Fella Award, which was presented to Dr. David Reid, chair of Horse Racing Alberta, on behalf of Mr. Klein. The Cam Fella Award honors extreme recent meritorious service to the Canadian harness racing industry.