The Jockey Club of Canada is pleased to announce that the E. P. Taylor Award of Merit will be presented to Roger Attfield during the 50th Annual Sovereign Awards ceremony on the evening of Thursday, April 24, 2025 in Woodbridge, Ontario. Selected unanimously by the Jockey Club of Canada's Stewards, the E. P. Taylor Award of Merit is a lifetime achievement award honouring those who have made significant contributions to the thoroughbred industry in Canada and accomplished outstanding individual achievements in Canadian thoroughbred racing and breeding. An honoured member of both the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame and National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Mr. Attfield has experienced decades of success, including having trained three Canadian Triple Crown winners in Izvestia, With Approval, and Peteski, and is a well-respected ambassador for Canadian horse racing and breeding.
The Jockey Club of Canada is pleased to announce that there will be two winners of the Special Sovereign Award; both Emma-Jayne Wilson and Moira will be recognized during the 50th Annual Sovereign Awards ceremony. Selected unanimously by the Jockey Club of Canada's Stewards, the Special Sovereign Award recognizes a particular achievement within a given year. The honour is being bestowed upon Emma-Jayne for surpassing Julie Krone's purse earnings record and continuing to be a bold ambassador for Canadian horse racing, and Moira for her outstanding achievements on the race course and in the sales ring in 2024.
The Jockey Club of Canada is proud to present Victor James with the 2024 Outstanding Groom Award sponsored by OLG and Ian Dick with the Outstanding Off-track Worker Award. Both Victor and Ian are spoken of very highly by their nominators, Josie Carroll and Colleen Dalos, respectively.
With over twenty-five years as a groom for trainer Josie Carroll, Victor James exhibits outstanding loyalty and dedication. Groom for champions such as Ami's Gizmo, Serenading, and Tyson, Victor has also overseen the running of trainer Josie Carroll's barn.
A veteran of the thoroughbred racing scene in Ontario, Ian Dick has been the manager of Buttigieg Training Centre for many years after taking a position there as assistant manager in 2013. Some of the outstanding runners which have benefited from his time and care include Paramount Prince, Patches O'Houlihan, and Pink Lloyd.
The Jockey Club of Canada is also pleased to announce the finalists for the 2024 Sovereign Awards and 2024 Media Sovereign Awards categories.
2024 Sovereign Awards Finalists
The finalists in each of the following categories are listed in alphabetical order.
Champion Two-Year-Old Female
Aristella
Nitrogen
Souper Supreme
Champion Two-Year-Old Male
Dream On
He's Not Joking
Scorching
Champion Three-Year-Old Female
Avana
Caitlinhergrtness
Kin's Concerto
Stormcast
Champion Three-Year-Old Male
August Rain
Dresden Row
My Boy Prince
Champion Older Main Track Female
Big Hug
Elysian Field
Fashionably Fab
Champion Older Main Track Male
Apprehend
Paramount Prince
Wicked Django
Champion Female Turf Horse
Fev Rover (Ire)
Full Count Felicia
Stormcast
Champion Male Turf Horse
Cruden Bay
Filo Di Arianna (BRZ)
Patches O'Houlihan
Champion Female Sprinter
Gal in a Rush
Play the Music
Stormcast
Champion Male Sprinter
Filo Di Arianna (BRZ)
My Boy Prince
Patches O'Houlihan
Outstanding Broodmare
Dancing Allstar
Executive Affair
Platinum Steel
Outstanding Breeder
Adena Springs
Anderson Farms Ont. Inc.
Chiefswood Stables Limited
Outstanding Owner
Barber, Gary
Chiefswood Stables Limited
Schickedanz, Bruno
Outstanding Trainer
Attard, Kevin
Carroll, Josie
Casse, Mark E.
Outstanding Apprentice Jockey
Aebly, Fraser
Moran, Pietro
Vives, Sofia
Outstanding Jockey
Civaci, Sahin
Hernandez, Rafael Manuel
Husbands, Patrick
Horse of the Year
The Horse of the Year finalists will be announced during the 50th Annual Sovereign Awards ceremony.
Judging for the Media Awards is performed by media professionals within the industry selected from across North America and the United Kingdom.
Listed in alphabetical order, the Media finalists are:
Digital Audio/Visual and Broadcast Category
Peter Gross -- Podcast Episode 233
Horse Racing Alberta -- Women in Thoroughbred Racing
Goh Iromoto -- The Long Run
Photograph Category
Skip Dickstein -- Magnificent Moira, Winner's Jubilation
Barbara D. Livingston -- Moira
Mary Jane Sibbitt -- Right Way/Wrong Way
Writing Category
Mike McIntyre -- Resolve and Reinvention at a Gallop
Jennifer Morrison - Trials, Tears and Canada's Queen of Racing
Joe Nevills - 'She Means Everything': Attard Team Says A Long, Short Goodbye To Moira At Fasig-Tipton November Sale
The winner of each category, along with Canada's Horse of the Year for 2024, will be announced during our milestone the 50th Annual Sovereign Awards Ceremony on the evening of Thursday, April 24, 2025 at Paramount Eventspace in Woodbridge, Ontario.
Please call or email us for more information and to reserve your tickets today! Tickets can also be purchased online at: https://jockeyclubcanada.com/online-payments/.
This press release has not been edited by BloodHorse. If there are any questions please contact the organization that produced the release.
