Page 14 - January 2005 The Game

14 The Game, January 2005 Your Thoroughbred Racing Community Newspaper
30th Annual Sovereign Awards - December 17, 2004
Hugh Mitchell, Woodbine Entertainment Group’s Senior Vice-President of Racing (right), presents Tammy Samuel-Balaz and her brother Mark Samuel of Sam-Son Farms with the 2004 Sovereign Award for Outstanding Owner. Jockey Todd Kabel (second from right) was aboard for the majority of Sam-Son’s 37 wins this season at Woodbine which included thirteen Stakes wins and more than $4.6 million in purse earnings in 2004.
Sam-Son Farm was also the recipient of the Sovereign Award for Outstanding Breeder in 2004. They were the breeder of seven different Stakes winners in 2004 including: Soaring Free, winner of the Gr.1 Atto Mile, Gr. 3 Play the King Handicap, Gr.3 Scotts Highlander Handicap at Woodbine and the Gr. 3 Shakertown Stakes at Keeneland; and Eye of the Sphynx, winner of the Gr.2 Selene Stakes and the Labatt Woodbine Oaks.
Also nominated for Outstanding Owner this year were Eugene & Laura Melnyk and Stronach Stable. Also Nominated for Outstanding Breeder this year were Frank Stronach’s Adena Springs and Gustav Schickedanz.
Michael Byrne, Chairman of the Jockey Club of Canada (second from left/front) makes the presentation to the Sam-Son Farm connections for Soaring Free who was named Canada’s 2004 Horse of Year. The five-year- old son of Smart Strike - Dancing With Wings, by Danzig had 6 wins in 8 starts including wins in the Gr.1 Atto Mile, Gr.3 Play the King Handicap, and the Gr. 3 Highlander Stakes at Woodbine. His 2004 earnings totalled $1,113,862 for owner/breeder Sam-Son Farms and trainer Mark Frostad with jockey Todd Kabel as the regular rider.
Jockey Todd Kabel was named Canada’s Outstanding Jockey for the second consecutive year. This year’s award is Todd’s fifth Sovereign title being named Outstanding Apprentice Jockey in 1986 and earning the Outstanding Jockey trophy in 1992, 1995 and last season in 2003.
Todd finished off the season at Woodbine as leading rider with 156 wins, topping his previous bests in 1992, 1995, 2001 and 2003. Todd also tied the 38 year old record held by the late Avelino Gomez of 36 Stakes wins in a season.
The other two nominees for Outstanding Jockey were: Patrick Husbands, a four time Sovereign Award winner based at Woodbine; and Quincy Welch, a Barbados native based in Alberta who has made the nomination list on two previous occasions.
HBPA of Ontario President, Conrad Cohen (right), presents Robert Tiller with the 2004 Sovereign Award for Outstanding Trainer. This is the third Sovereign for Robert having won the award last year and in 2001.
Robert finished off the 2004 season at Woodbine with 68 wins and was ranked second behind trainer Sid Attard who had five more wins at 73. Robert had fifteen stakes winners and more than $3.8 million in purse earnings.
The other nominees for Outstanding Trainer were: Sid Attard, who was leading trainer at Woodbine this season; and Mark Frostad, who has been a finalist in this category every year since 1996 and has won the award first in 1997, then 1999 and 2000.
The Game’s own Stacie Roberts had the pleasure of presenting Corey Fraser with the 2004 Sovereign Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey. Corey finished off the 2004 season at Woodbine as the leading apprentice finishing eighth in the overall jockey standings. He had 66 wins and more than $2.3 million in earnings which included his biggest win of the season aboard the Robert Tiller trained Velvet Snow in the Ontario Damsel Stakes.
Apprentices Shannon Beauregard, based in Manitoba, and Jillian Scharfstein based at Woodbine were the other two finalists for Outstanding Apprentice this year.
Fun with the Legends at this Year’s Awards
photo right: Horse Owner and HBPA Director, Sam Lima, was brought up on stage by the Legends’ Cher look-a- like at this year’s Sovereign Awards. “Cher” dressed Sam up like Sonny and the pair entertained the crowd with a rendition of “I’ve Got You Babe”. Other Legends’ look-a-likes, Shania Twain and Mick Jagger also performed throughout the evening.
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Complete List of Sovereign Winners Page 29
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