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Canada’s Sovereign Awards Finalists Named

The Jockey Club of Canada has announced the finalists for the 2020 Sovereign Awards, which christens Canada's champions. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 46th Annual Sovereign Awards Ceremony will be held virtually in April. The winners of 12 horse categories and five human categories will be crowned.

Finalists in each category follow. Champion 2-year-old female: 'TDN Rising Star' Alda (Munnings), Dreaming of Drew (Speightster), and 'TDN Rising Star' Lady Speightspeare (Speightstown); champion 2-year-old male: Gretzky the Great (Nyquist), Master Spy (Silent Name {Jpn}), Ready to Repeat (More Than Ready), and Stephen (Constitution); champion 3-year-old female: Artie's Princess (We Miss Artie), Curlin's Voyage (Curlin), and Merveilleux (Paynter); champion 3-year-old male: Belichick (Lemon Drop Kid), Mighty Heart (Dramedy), and 'TDN Rising Star' Shirl's Speight (Speightstown); champion older main track female: Painting (Distorted Humor), Souper Escape (Medaglia d'Oro), and Summer Sunday (Silent Name {Jpn}); champion older main track male: Mr Ritz (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), Pink Lloyd (Old Forester), and Skywire (Afleet Alex); champion female turf horse: Elizabeth Way (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), Rideforthecause (Candy Ride {Arg}), and Theodora B. (Ghostzapper); champion male turf horse: Count Again (Awesome Again), Say the Word (More Than Ready), and Silent Poet (Silent Name {Jpn}); champion female sprinter: Artie's Princess, Boardroom (Commissioner), and Lady Grace (Kantharos); and champion male sprinter: Not So Quiet (Silent Name {Jpn}), Pink Lloyd, and Silent Poet.

The outstanding broodmare category includes Count to Three (Red Ransom), Danceforthecause (Giant's Causeway), and Include Katherine (Include). Horse of the Year finalists will be announced and a winner anointed at the ceremony.

Finalists for outstanding breeder are Anderson Farms Ont., Inc, Sam-Son Farm, and Tall Oaks Farm; while outstanding owner is between Gary Barber, Live Oak Plantation, and Sam-Son Farm. Kevin Attard, Josie Carroll, and Mark Casse are up for outstanding trainer. The outstanding jockey honored will be either Rafael Manuel Hernandez, Patrick Husbands, or Justin Stein; and outstanding apprentice jockey is a three-way battle between Nikki Alderson, Maurcio Malvaez, and Edgar Zenteno.

Media award finalists will be announced later this month and crowned at the ceremony. Also announced later in February will be the winner of the outstanding groom award and a special Sovereign Award winner.

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Pennsylvania Governor Again Seeks to Raid Race Horse Development Fund

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf unveiled a budget plan on Wednesday that called for moving $199 million from the state's Race Horse Development Trust Fund into a program to help Pennsylvania students pay for colleges. Should Wolf succeed, purses at the Pennsylvania tracks would have to undergo dramatic cuts and to a degree that would decimate the state's racing and breeding industries.

“This proposal would result in the end of horse racing, which supports 20,000 jobs, delivers an annual $1.6-billion economic impact, and preserves hundreds of thousands of acres of open space,” said Pete Peterson, spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Equine Coalition.

The development fund receives its money from a share of slot machine revenue at state casinos. The total fund adds up to about $230 million a year that goes to purses and breeding funds.

Wolf unveiled a similar proposal last year, but it never gained needed support. It may have stalled because the focus in the state government turned almost exclusively to the coronavirus. It's also likely that it stalled because a number of political leaders in the House of Representatives and the Senate, particularly those in the Republican Party who represent rural areas, made it clear they were not on board.

“Last year, this was proposed and there was, basically, no traction at all,” said Brian Sanfratello, the executive secretary of the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association. “It was not only the Republicans. There was a lot of bipartisan agreement not to do this. We feel confident that the Race Horse Development Trust Fund language will hold up again. We're going to do everything we can to spread the word in the legislature.”

Wolf is looking to develop a scholarship program, which he has dubbed the Nellie Bly Scholarship Program, that would allow Pennsylvania residents to attend state colleges at a reduced price. Annual scholarships would cover as many as 20,000 students with as much as $5,700 going toward their tuition.

“Let's bet on our kids instead of bankrolling racehorse owners,” Wolf said when announcing his budget proposal in 2020.

“While the racing industry is important to Pennsylvania, it is time for the industry to support itself and continue to build upon the unprecedented generous economic investment made by the commonwealth to this single industry,” Elizabeth Rementer, a spokesperson for Wolf, told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “The industry survived long before the subsidy began and it has had 16 years and $3 billion to develop what, by now, should be a self-sustaining industry.”

Sanfratello said the focus should be on the number of jobs that would be lost if Wolf succeeds in emptying the fund.

“We understand that education is important, but you don't fund education by putting 20,000 of their parents out of work,” he said. “Why Governor Wolf thinks this is a good idea is beyond me.”

While confident that the money will not leave the fund, Sanfratello pointed out that Wolf's proposal will affect the state's breeders this year. It may be difficult to convince people to breed in Pennsylvania when a possibility exists that the industry might soon have to deal with what would be a devastating blow.

“The breeding farms will be the ones hurt the most by this.” he said. “Whether this goes through or not, and we don't think that it will, the people who are getting ready to breed want to make sure that the money will be there when it's time to run. I am very, very confident that we are up for the task and will beat this. But it's a shame that the breeders have to go through this again.”

The Pennsylvania Equine Coalition and others will also be making the argument that taking the money away from racing would be illegal. In 2017, the General Assembly voted to put the development fund money into a trust. Wolf signed the measure into law. Placing the money into a trust appeared to guarantee that the money did not belong to the state and could not be used for anything other than programs that supported racing and breeding in the state.

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Aftercare, Slaughter Ban Bill Passes NY Senate

A bill relating to the aftercare of retired racehorses passed the New York State Senate with bi-partisan support and is expected to pass the N.Y. State Assembly in this legislative session. The bill, Senate Bill 1442, sponsored by State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr., prohibits the slaughter of race horses and breeding stock or transfer of horses intended for slaughtered or the transfer of horses where one knows or who should have known that the horse would be slaughtered. Violators will be denied Gaming Commission licenses and be barred from receiving breeding awards.

The bill mandates that all racehorses be microchipped, requires breeding organizations to have a dedicated fund set-aside for aftercare programs, and provides that monies generated by enforcement will be dedicated to the cost of aftercare.

The bill will also increase Gaming Commission insight into transfers of horses and ownership, as all microchipping information will go to the Gaming Commission as well as to The Jockey Club.

Finally, the bill establishes a tax check-off on individual and corporate franchise tax returns that will bring awareness and more funding for the ongoing care of retired race horses.

“The reason why I love this bill is that it came from the industry itself and we flushed out the details,” said Addabbo. “We worked with the breeders and the horsemen. They were all a part of the initial draft of the bill. All around the industry, we found support and those in the animal rights groups all support it as well.”

On the bill's chances in the New York State Assembly, Addabbo said he sees no roadblocks.

“I can't image who can be against the ban of horse slaughter and more funds to care for the retired horses,” said Addabbo. “Importantly, there is no cost to the state involved.”

The bill goes beyond other what other states have passed on the same issue.

“In doing our due diligence, we did find this was quite unique and somewhat ground-breaking which did entice the animal advocates to embrace it,” said Addabbo. “Maybe we do become the model for other states. I'm only hopeful. The aftercare of our horses is essential so maybe we do pave the way for others.”

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Essential Quality Tops 326 Early Triple Crown Nominees

Led by 2-year-old champion and two-time Grade I winner Essential Quality (Tapit), a total of 326 3-year-olds were made eligible to compete in this year's Triple Crown during the early nomination phase, which closed Jan. 23. Each of the 326 horses from the 2018 foal crop were made eligible through a $600 payment to compete in any leg of the Triple Crown series. The 2021 Triple Crown opens Saturday, May 1 with the 147th running of the GI Kentucky Derby at Churchill, continues with the 146th GI Preakness S. at Pimlico May 15 and closes with the 153rd running of the GI Belmont S. Saturday, June 5.

Essential Quality, owned by Godolphin, is scheduled to make his 3-year-old debut in the GIII Southwest S. Feb. 15 at Oaklawn, according to his trainer Brad Cox. The champion 2-year-old of 2020 was one of 14 horses Cox nominated to this year's Triple Crown series. Todd Pletcher led all conditioners with 45 horses nominated to the Triple Crown followed by Bob Baffert (23), Steve Asmussen (22) and Chad Brown (18). Godolphin led all individual owners with 11 horses nominated followed by Brad Kelley's Calumet Farm with 10. A total of 42 stakes winners were nominated as well as 13 fillies, led by champion Vequist (Nyquist). Into Mischief topped all sires with 20 nominees, followed by Curlin (14), Uncle Mo (14) and Constitution (13).

Horses not nominated during the early phase can be made eligible until Monday, Mar. 29 with a $6,000 payment. Any horse not nominated during the early or late phases can become Triple Crown eligible through payment of a supplemental nomination fee due at the time of entry for each Triple Crown race: the Kentucky Derby ($200,000), Preakness ($100,000) and Belmont ($50,000).

For a full list of nominees, click here.

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