THERE’S A BIG HASTINGS FLAVOUR TO THIS YEAR’S SOVEREIGN AWARDS
Posted: December 08, 2006
ancouver, B.C. (Dec. 8/06) -- The Jockey Club of Canada has named the finalists for its 2006 Sovereign Awards and Hastings Racecourse is beaming with pride that no fewer than seven categories include representation from British Columbia. Winners will be announced at the 32nd annual Sovereign Awards ceremonies at the Inter-Continental Toronto Centre on Saturday, December 16.
Bahadur (Bob) Cheema, top owner at Hastings this year with 20 wins, is in the running for a Sovereign Award in the Outstanding Owner Category. Terry Jordan, who enjoyed an outstanding season at Hastings highlighted by True Metropolitan’s heroics, is a nominee in the Outstanding Trainer category. Mario Gutierrez, who finished his rookie Hastings season as top apprentice jockey with 27 victories with the bug and 91 wins overall, is one of three finalists for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey.
Four horses with B.C. connections have been recognized as finalists in the following categories:
Champion Older Female: Financingavailable owned by K K Sangara; winner of five races and over $490,000 in 2006. For Sangara, a Sovereign Award would cap an outstanding season, having won 26 races and more than $1.2 million. Monashee owned by Olie Nielsen’s Canmor Farms; named B.C. horse of the year in 2005; won B.C. Cup Distaff and City of Edmonton Stakes at Northlands.
Champion Female Turf Horse: Arravale owned by Bob Costigan; winner of $1.05 million including the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks in California.
Champion Older Male Horse: True Metropolitan owned by Bob Cheema; caught the attention of eastern racing fans by winning the Woodbine Slots Cup Handicap; winner of seven stake races in 2006, including the Sir Winston Churchill and B.C. Premiers at Hastings Racecourse. (True Metropolitan makes his final start of the year in the Valedictory Stakes at Woodbine this weekend: Sunday, Dec. 10).
The Jockey Club of Canada was founded in 1973 by E.P. Taylor to serve as an international representative of Canada’s Thoroughbred sport and to promote improvements to Thoroughbred horse racing and breeding both in Canada and internationally.
