Sunday, February 4, 2018 Canada?s Horse of the Year hardware belongs to Hannelore Hanover Canada?s top honor, which now bears Somebeachsomewhere?s name, goes to majestic mare, while driver Doug McNair and trainer Richard Moreau also celebrate an O?Brien Awards night to remember. by Chris Lomon with files from Standardbred Canada In today?s HRU The NFL is beginning to look a lot like racing page 7 No direct flight from the U.S. to Sweden for 2018 Elitlopp page 9 Speedy Crown At 50 page 12 Eight is enough page 15 Max the Maven page 16 From multiple winners to first-time honorees, to stars on the rise and the biggest names in the standardbred game, the 2017 O?Brien Awards feted the top Canadian horse racing talent ? equine and human ? on a Saturday evening that also recognized the sizable contributions of the legendary Somebeachsomewhere. Standardbred Canada unveiled the winners at the 29th edition of the annual O?Brien Awards Black Tie Gala, which was held in Mississauga, Ont. The O?Brien Awards, which honor Canada?s best in harness racing over the past season, are named after the late Joe O?Brien, an outstanding horseman and member of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. Some familiar and impressive headliners ? both in Canada and the United States ? were crowned champions. Hannelore Hanover was named Canada?s Horse of the Year, and won her second consecutive O?Brien as Older Trotting Mare. The powerhouse mare won 10 of 17 races last season, over $1.1 million in purse money and scored victories against male rivals in an elimination and final of the Harness Racing Update | Page 1 | February 4, 2018 Harness Racing Update Breeders Crown Open Trot, the Allerage, and the Maple Leaf Trot. She also swept the Armbro Flight. ?It means a lot,? said assistant trainer Mickey Burke, Jr. ?She?s special. She went five-for-five up here this year and beat the boys doing it. There?s not much more you can say about her than that. It?s just been a great year for her and it?s a big deal for us.? It could be an even bigger deal come the Dan Patch Awards. ?We came up here and, really, when you?re up against Canadians you don?t expect to win,? offered Burke, Jr. ?But, when we won, that?s a big deal. We?re hoping. That?s the best we can say at this point.? They can also say, proudly, that they are the first to win the Dave Landry Somebeachsomewhere Horse of the Year award in Canada, Older trotting mare Hannelore Hanover (Yannick Gingras - shown after Standardbred Canada announced the renaming of its setting a 1:49.2 world record in Lexington) was named Canada's Horse of the Year for 2017 Saturday at the O'Brien Awards. top prize during the gala ceremony. Trainer Brent MacGrath, driver Paul MacDonell and members of the Schooner Stable, victories and more than $3.7 million in purse earnings. Reg & Louise Petitpas, were on hand at the O?Briens to make Moreau?s stable star, Sandbetweenurtoes, was recognized as the inaugural presentation of the trophy to Jerry and Theresa Older Pacing Mare of the Year. Silva, owners of Hannelore Hanover. ?I am lucky enough to do what I like, so the rest comes The significance of the award bearing easy,? said Moreau. ?I want to show the most respect possible Somebeachsomewhere?s name was not lost on Burke, Jr. to my competition, because we spend every night together ?He was an amazing horse, just watching him and watching and I make sure I say ?hello? to everybody.? his races,? said Burke, Jr. ?Then, what he?s done as a sire is just Moreau also acknowledged his team. an amazing thing also. We?ve had a bunch of Somebeaches ?I don?t have a big family, but let?s say that my staff is that we?ve loved. He?s such a big deal that when everybody almost part of it because we are together all day long.? heard that he had cancer? so you?re thinking, ?OK, he?s never Owner Brad Grant of Milton, Ont. had a phenomenal night, going to breed again, but let?s see how long they can keep taking home three O?Brien bronzes ? for his two-year-old him.? Unfortunately, cancer is cancer, but it?s a big deal. We?ll pacing colt, Stay Hungry, his three-year-old pacing filly always be the first one, so that?s kind of nice. Bettors Up and his pacing mare, Sandbetweenurtoes. It was Richard Moreau, of Puslinch, Ont., won his fifth consecutive an impressive achievement for Grant, who lost several horses O?Brien bronze in the Trainer of the Year category. Moreau in the barn fire at Classy Lane Training Centre in January led all Canadian conditioners in the wins column with 277 2016. Harness Racing Update | Page 2 | February 4, 2018 Harness Racing Update ?I was here the night Bettors Delight won,? recalled Grant. resident of Guelph, Ont., was also a finalist for the 2013 ?My dad was away, so I was there that night. But since I got award. Last year, he topped the charts in earnings for drivers into it on my own, this is the first three wins, so, good night.? in Canada last year with more than $5.9 million in purse Actually, it was great. money, and $6.5 million in earnings in North America while driving 325 winners. McNair was also the regular driver for ?Ah, tremendous, tremendous,? said Grant. ?Stay Hungry, I O?Brien winners Stay Hungry, Bettors Up, and thought, ?Yeah, he?s good enough.? Bettors Up, I?m just happy Sandbetweenurtoes. that I won with my sister. And Sandbetweenurtoes, she?s been a favorite of ours since I bought her. She was the surprise.? ?It?s a big thrill, you know,? McNair told HRU. ?There?s a lot of great drivers out there and so to be number one and win Perhaps the only tough part of the hat trick haul will be the award is a great thrill. Probably since I was five or six finding space for the trophies. years old, I?ve been jogging them. Like being a little kid and ?Tonight, they might sit on the dresser, but my wife will growing up to win the Stanley Cup, that?s what it feels like to figure out where they are going after that,? noted Grant. ?We me. Obviously, I love hockey, too, but I wasn?t much of a might have to buy another cabinet.? player.? Al Libfeld of Pickering, Ont., and Marvin Katz of Toronto, When McNair saw the horses he drove all year winning Ont., took home two O?Briens ? one for Ariana G, voted the O?Briens, did he think it was going to be his night? country?s top three-year-old trotting filly and one as Breeder ?Yes, definitely,? he said. ?You see them nominated and of the Year. you?re not sure which way it?s going to go, but when you see Dr. Ian Moore, a native of Prince Edward Island, and now a them all winning then you know there?s a pretty good resident of Guelph, Ont., trains and co-owns two O?Brien chance. You don?t want to hype yourself up for winners ? Percy Bluechip, the divisional champion as disappointment, though.? Two-Year-Old Filly Pacer and Classic Pro, the Three-Year-Old Marc Campbell of Winsloe, P.E.I. took his second O?Brien Pacing Colt of the Year. Award of Horsemanship after enjoying a career year in 2017, Driver Doug McNair celebrated his first O?Brien as Canada?s which saw him top the charts for training and driving at both Driver of the Year following a sensational 2017. McNair, a Red Shores properties ?- Charlottetown Driving Park and Claus Andersen Doug McNair was named Canada's Driver of the Year for the first time in his career Saturday at the O'Brien Awards in Toronto. Harness Racing Update | Page 3 | February 4, 2018 Harness Racing Update Summerside. Campbell, who won the award in 2012, notched 255 victories and more than $584,000 in purse earnings as a driver. On the training side, Campbell recorded 131 victories and more than $376,000 in earnings last season. Percy Bluechip, Canada?s Two-Year-Old Pacing Filly of the year is co-owned and conditioned by Dr. Ian Moore, who also managed her sire. The Shadow Play filly netted five wins in nine races on the season and racked up more than $440,000 in earnings. Her triumphs included four scores in Ontario Sires Stakes events, including the season-ending Super Final. The talented filly also posted a wire-to-wire win in the Eternal Camnation at Mohawk Racetrack. Stay Hungry, a son of Somebeachsomewhere, won the Two-Year-Old pacing colt division. Last season, he won six of nine races and bankrolled more than $557,000 during a campaign that yielded wins in a Champlain Stakes division, and an elimination of the Metro at Mohawk Racetrack. His crowning moment came in a sweep of the Breeders Crown at Hoosier Park where he eked out a nose victory in his elimination and came back one week later to notch a neck nod in the final. The title of Three-Year-Old Pacing Filly of the Year went to Bettors Up. The daughter of Bettors Delight put together an Iron Horse Photo outstanding season, finishing first or second in 10 of her 17 Richard Moreau won his fifth straight Canadian Trainer of the races while adding more than a half-million dollars to her Year award Saturday at the O'Brien Awards.