History
At the 1997 O'Brien Awards a very special award for Canadian harness racing was introduced. It was The Cam Fella Award and fittingly the inaugural winner was Cam Fella. It is a rare horse who is a champion, but to be one three times - on the racetrack, as a stallion and an ambassador as Cam was, is an incredible feat.
Criteria
The Cam Fella Award will be given to recognize extreme effort and dedication to Canadian harness racing by an individual or group who through their efforts have displayed some of those same qualities that made Cam Fella one of the greatest names in harness racing. The establishment of the Cam Fella Award is the harness racing industry's way of ensuring that Cam's unparalleled contributions to the sport are never forgotten.
The Cam Fella Award is to honour recent extreme meritorious service to the Canadian harness racing industry.
Voting Process
A National Election Committee of 16 representatives of the Standardbred community vote by secret ballot on those nominees put forward by the Nominating Committee. A candidate must receive 75% of the yes votes to win the award. There is no restriction upon nominees – they can be individuals, a group or organization, a horse, etc. The winner of the Cam Fella award will be presented with their award at the annual O'Brien Awards.
Past Winners
1997 - Cam Fella
2000 - The Honourable Michael D. Harris
2003 - The Honourable Mitchell Murphy
2004 - Armstrong Bros. Farm
2005 - Dr. David C. Reid
2006 - Ralph Klein
2007 - Ann Curran
2008 - Somebeachsomewhere
2009 - Ross Galbraith
2010 - Admirals Express
2015 - Bill Andrew
2019 - Anthony MacDonald
2022 - Bulldog Hanover
2023 - Hon. Dennis King