The 48th annual Sovereign Awards ceremony, taking place the evening of Thursday, April 13, 2023 at Universal Eventspace in Vaughan, Ontario will be the first event of the year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of The Jockey Club of Canada. Beginning with that evening's Sovereign Awards ceremony, The Jockey Club of Canada will be honoring the legacy of our founding members throughout 2023 with various celebrations of our 50th anniversary.
Chief Steward R. Glenn Sikura notes: “The Jockey Club of Canada is proud to be celebrating its 50th year of existence. Founded by one of the titans of the thoroughbred industry, Mr. E. P. Taylor, master of Windfields Farm and breeder of greats like Northern Dancer and Nijinsky II, the Canadian legacy is rich and accomplished. We tip our caps to those that came before us and will strive to maintain the level of excellence that our predecessors have achieved.”
The Jockey Club of Canada is also pleased to announce two new Masters of Ceremonies for the 2022 Sovereign Awards, Dawn Lupul and Jeff Bratt, who will be reprising the role previously held by Jason Portuondo. Jason has done an exemplary job as host over the years and we are grateful to him for all he has done, and continues to do, for the thoroughbred racing industry in Canada.
Dawn and Jeff are no strangers to working together, having previously cohosted Woodbine's simulcast broadcast. Both bring a wealth of knowledge and respect of Thoroughbred racing throughout Canada to the Sovereign Awards and we are thrilled to have them on board.
Dawn has appeared in numerous network television specials throughout the years and even took her talent as a race caller overseas when invited to call a race at Ascot Racecourse in Perth, Australia in 2020.
You'd be hard-pressed to find shows having aired from Woodbine without Jeff's expertise, be they simulcasts or network programs for such prestigious race days as the Queen's Plate, Woodbine Mile, or Canadian International.
The winner in each of the media and divisional Sovereign Awards categories will be announced during the 48th Annual Sovereign Awards ceremony on Thursday, April 13, 2023 at Universal Eventspace in Vaughan, Ontario.
Please call us at (416) 675-7756 or email jockeyclubcanada@gmail.com for more information and to reserve your tickets today! Tickets can also be purchased online at: https://jockeyclubcanada.com/online-payments/.
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.
The post Sovereign Awards Set For April 13; Jockey Club Of Canada Announces 50th Anniversary Celebrations appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Cristian Torres rode a career-high five winners Monday to extend his lead in the Oaklawn rider standings after Day 31 of the scheduled 68-day 2022-2023 meeting.
Torres won the first race aboard favored Trumpence ($3.20) for trainer Robertino Diodoro, second race aboard favored Hail Columbia ($3.60) for Diodoro, fourth race aboard Arthurian ($9.40) for trainer Coty Rosin, seventh race aboard favored Disc Jockey ($4.60) for Diodoro and the eighth race aboard Run Fearless ($44.80) for trainer Jinks Fires of Hot Springs.
Torres, 25, had a chance to tie Oaklawn's single-day record for victories by a jockey in the ninth and final race, but Aux Arcs finished third, beaten three lengths, in the maiden-claiming sprint. Hall of Famer Pat Day and Larry Snyder – six victories – share the record. Aux Arcs, who went off 9-2, was making his first start since last May for Arkansas owner/trainer Ernie Witt II.
“I knew six (victories) was the record and only two guys had done it,” Torres said following his third-place finish. “The horse hadn't run in nine months and he was kind of nervous. He was sweating a lot, but he ran a good race.”
Torres has ridden four winners on a card six times in his career, including twice at the 2022-2023 Oaklawn meeting (Dec. 10 and Jan. 21).
“I came in today and was studying the races and I knew I could win three or four, but I never imagined winning five,” Torres said. “I've never done it before, but everything worked out perfectly in the races. Like every plan that I had in every single race, everything worked out perfectly.”
Torres' five-bagger came on the heels of his first career graded stakes victory aboard Last Samurai in the $600,000 Razorback Handicap (G3) for older horses Saturday at Oaklawn for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Torres, who recorded a riding double Saturday and a triple Sunday, has 47 victories at the meeting, 13 more than runner-up Francisco Arrieta. Torres also leads all riders at the 2022-2023 Oaklawn meeting in purse earnings ($2,753,300) and stakes victories (five).
“I've got a lot of confidence right now,” Torres said.
A native of Puerto Rico, Torres began riding in 2019 and has 466 career victories, including 88 at Oaklawn, according to Equibase, racing's official data gathering organization. Torres captured his first career riding title last year at Remington Park. He began riding at Oaklawn in 2021.
The post ‘I’ve Got A Lot Of Confidence Right Now’: Cristian Torres Rode Five Winners Monday At Oaklawn appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Correctly matching a horse to a rider is almost an art. Though horses are often bred for specific jobs – like trail riding, racing, or jumping — each horse is an individual and as such may express certain behaviors (temperament) that don't align with what a rider wants in a mount. Often this discrepancy isn't found until the horse is further along in his training.
A rider might have thought she bought a horse to jump, but it really wants to be a dressage horse. Pushing a horse to do a job it doesn't enjoy often leads to unhappiness for the rider and a welfare issue for the horse.
The University of New England in Australia has created a project to try to determine whether there are genetic roots to some equine behaviors. By specifically engaging American Quarter Horse owners, the University hopes that determining these genetic markers might make matching horses with the discipline they enjoy the most more of a science.
Dr. Paul McGreevy, a professor of animal behavior, is collaborating with animal behavior expert Temple Grandin of Colorado State University on the study. The duo hope to identify the genes that make a horse likely to act a certain way under specific conditions. This would establish a scientific foundation that would allow for horses to be bred that have a more reliable temperament for the work they will be asked to do.
The American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), the breed registry for Quarter Horses, is the world's largest equine breed registry and membership organization. It boasts 280,000 members engaged in multiple disciplines. The study team will ask specific horse-behavior questions of Quarter Horse owners involved in six disciplines: cutting, halter, racing, reining, western pleasure, and working cow. Owners will also be asked to submit a tail hair sample.
These will be used in conjunction in an effort to identify highly heritable, relevant differences in Quarter Horse behavior. The data may be able to be used in the future to predict behavioral traits on a genetic level.
Grandin noted that being able to predict behavior could radially enhance breeding programs and advance equine welfare while reducing behavioral issues. Once complete, Quarter Horse owners and breeders will have a basic foundation for a powerful genetic selection system similar to those used in other domestic livestock production spheres.
Read more at HorseTalk. https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2023/02/19/genetic-clues-horse-temperament-citizen-science-project/
The post Future Of Equine Welfare: Quarter Horse Owners Asked To Assist With Genetics, Behavior Study appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
