The Jockey Club of Canada will host the 41st Annual Sovereign Awards Ceremony to honour the Canadian Champions of 2015 and to celebrate Thoroughbred racing in Canada on Friday, April 8, 2016 at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario.

The cocktail-attire celebration awards party will include an opportunity to walk the Sovereign Award Red Carpet upon arriving at the “bubbly” reception followed by a buffet-style gourmet dinner and the presentation of the Sovereign Award Trophies to Canada’s racing Champions of 2015 and Canada’s 2015 Horse of the Year.

Even if you are not a finalist, you’re invited to come and have fun and celebrate with the 2015 Champions of Thoroughbred Racing in Canada.

This year’s event will once again be held on the eve of the start of Thoroughbred racing in Canada with Woodbine Racetrack’s 2016 Thoroughbred season beginning the next day at 1:00 pm (EST), Saturday, April 9.

Tickets to the 41st Annual Sovereign Awards Ceremony are $250 each and tables of 10 are slightly discounted at $2400. All tickets are plus applicable taxes and must be reserved in advance by contacting The Jockey Club of Canada at 416-675-7756 or email: jockeyclub@bellnet.ca

In an effort to promote equal opportunity in determining the winners for 2015 in the 17 race award categories, the voting began January 2, 2016, allowing for statistics for the entire 2015 year to be considered. To be eligible to receive a Sovereign Award in each divisional category a horse must have raced in Canada at least three times for all horses three years-old and up and two times for all two-year-olds. For the Owner, Trainer, Breeder, Jockey and Apprentice Jockey categories, a minimum of 10 starts in Canada must be made. The Outstanding Broodmare Award is a lifetime achievement award. The mare must have a Canadian-bred Stakes horse (by, definition, the horse must have come first, second or third in a Stakes race) in the current year and must have produced a different Canadian-bred stakes horse in a previous year.

Complete Sovereign Awards Eligibility, Selection and Distribution Guidelines

The Jockey Club of Canada is proud to announce the top four finalists in each category as determined by the online ballots of 41 knowledgeable voters across Canada and in the United States.

The 2015 Sovereign Award Finalists, listed alphabetically in each category, are:

Champion Two-Year-Old Filly:
Ami’s Mesa
Caren
Catch a Glimpse
Gamble’s Ghost

Champion Two-Year-Old Male:
Amis Gizmo
Conquest Daddyo
Riker
Shakhimat

Champion Three-Year-Old Female:
Academic
Brooklynsway
Don’t Leave Me
London Tower

Champion Three-Year-Old Male:
Breaking Lucky
Danish Dynaformer
Lucky Lindy
Shaman Ghost

Champion Older Female:
Cactus Kris
Miss Mischief
Touching Promise
Uchenna (Ire)

Champion Older Male:
Are You Kidding Me
Golden Sabre
Melmich
Stacked Deck

Champion Female Turf Horse:
Button Down (GB)
Catch a Glimpse
Habibi (NZ)
Strut the Course

Champion Male Turf Horse:
Are You Kidding Me
Danish Dynaformer
Interpol
Reporting Star

Champion Female Sprinter:
Cactus Kris
Caren
Miss Mischief
Skylander Girl

Champion Male Sprinter:
Bye Bye Bernie
Calgary Cat
Stacked Deck
Tower of Texas

Outstanding Broodmare:
Awesome Lass
Rare Opportunity
Star Guest
Uproar

Outstanding Breeder:
Adena Springs
Eugene Melnyk
Sam-Son Farm
Tall Oaks Farm

Outstanding Owner:
Conquest Stables, LLC
Ivan Dalos
Riversedge Racing Stables Ltd.
Sam-Son Farm

Outstanding Trainer:
Kevin Attard
Roger Attfield
Josie Carroll
Mark Casse

Outstanding Apprentice Jockey:
Fanny Crausaz
Kayla Pizarro
Erika Smilovsky
Isabelle Wenc

Outstanding Jockey:
Luis Contreras
Eurico Da Silva
Patrick Husbands
Rico Walcott

The four finalists for 2015 Horse of the Year honours will be announced on the evening of the awards ceremony.

Media Award Categories:
The judging for the 2015 Media Sovereign Award categories will be performed by the Journalism Professors at Humber, School of Media Studies & Information Technology, in Toronto, Ontario. The three finalists in each of the three media categories will be announced before February 29.

The Jockey Club of Canada was founded in 1973 by E.P. Taylor to serve as the international representative of the Canadian Thoroughbred industry. The mission of The Jockey Club of Canada is to promote and maintain a high standard for Thoroughbred racing and breeding in Canada at a level which is recognized internationally for the benefit of all those interested in the sport including the general public by operations and services such as, but not limited to: evaluating all Graded, Listed and Black-type races in Canada annually; conducting the annual Sovereign Awards for outstanding achievement in Thoroughbred racing and breeding in Canada; maintaining a field office in Canada for the Jockey Club of the United States and the Jockey Club Registry Service; and by representing Canada as a Member of the IFHA.