Sovereign Award nominees announced

The Jockey Club of Canada will host their 38th Annual Sovereign Awards

Ceremony, to honor the Canadian champions of 2012, at Woodbine Racetrack in

Toronto on the eve of the start of their live Thoroughbred race meet, which is

still to be determined.

The elegant, cocktail-attire celebration will include a champagne reception,

a buffet-style gourmet dinner, and tropical entertainment along with the

evening's feature event, the presentation of the Sovereign Award Trophies to

Canada's racing champions of 2012 and Canada's Horse of the Year.

Tickets are each $250 plus applicable taxes (tables of 10 are $2500) 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 of the

17 race award categories, the voting began January 2, 2013, allowing for

statistics for the entire year to be considered. The finalists and eventual

winner were determined using a computerized points system based on each voter's

first, second and third choice in each category.

The 2012 Sovereign Award Finalists, listed alphabetically in each category,

are:

Champion Two-Year-Old Filly: Nipissing, Spring in the Air, Spring

Venture

Champion Two-Year-Old Male: Dynamic Sky, River Seven, Uncaptured

Champion Three-Year-Old Filly: Dixie Strike, Evelyn's Dancer, Irish

Mission

Champion Three-Year-Old Male: Delegation, Strait of Dover, Toccetive

Champion Older Female: Magic Broomstick, Roxy Gap, Stars to Shine

Champion Older Male: Hunters Bay, Pender Harbour, Taylor Said

Champion Turf Female: All Star Heart, Irish Mission, Roxy Gap

Champion Turf Male: Forte Dei Marmi, Hunters Bay, Riding the River

Champion Female Sprinter: Atlantic Hurricane, Magic Broomstick, Roxy

Gap

Champion Male Sprinter: Bear Tough Tiger, Essence Hit Man, Taylor Said

Outstanding Broodmare: Captivating, Misty Mission, Uproar

The three finalists for Horse of the Year honors will be announced on the

evening of the awards ceremony.

Outstanding Breeder: Adena Springs, William D. Graham, Sam-Son Farm

Outstanding Owner: Melnyk Racing Stables, NA Thoroughbred Horse

Company, John C. Oxley

Outstanding Trainer: Reade Baker, Mark Casse, Troy Taylor

Outstanding Apprentice Jockey: Skye Chernetz, Jennifer Reid, Scott

Williams

Outstanding Jockey: Luis Contreras, Eurico Da Silva, Patrick Husbands

The judging for the 2012 media 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 in mid-February.

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