On the evening of January 18, Denitza Petrova had a great time in her relatively new harness racing career.

That evening, which was the Hippodrome 3R Championship Gala Banquet, Denitza saw her efforts recognized and celebrated by the people of her adopted land.

"It was an extraordinary moment," said Petrova, "since it is I as the person we celebrated and not the prowess of one of my horses. It was very moving and very rewarding."

From distant Bulgaria, Denitza brought to Quebec something she still has and always has: her passion for horses.

"At the time, in the mid-2000s and 2010s, my passion was for horses in general, but when I discovered Standardbred horses, it was mainly towards them that my interest and my passion fell. By chance, I had the opportunity to get to know Mr. André Dagenais, a Standardbred breeder, a trainer and a driver. We are in the Mirabel region and the gentleman really piqued my curiosity.

"It was with him that I took my very first lessons on the art of caring for a racehorse and making it perform well,” Petrova explained. “I will never forget the first time when he allowed me to jog my very first horse. An electrifying moment that I will never forget and I must emphasize today that I owe a lot to this gentleman."

Fans who have been following the harness races in Quebec for more than 10 years probably remember André Dagenais and his "NO", a name which he grafted on all the horses he bred. Some familiar names include Gogetno, Martialno, Mcno, and Promissingno.

“For the past few months, I have been busy preparing, like all my colleagues, for the future season,” said Petrova about the upcoming year. “If my plans hold, I plan to start my three-year-olds in Ontario this spring, a filly like Kinnder High Class and a foal like Kinnder Big Boss, plus another who didn't really race in 2019 at two.

“This is the plan at the moment but obviously it could change,” Denitza added. “I will continue to prepare my two-year-olds here on the farm in Melbourne. I have Kinnder Dangerous's full brother by Northern Escort by the name of Kinnder Dangerzone as well as a brother from the Kinnder Jackson family.

"I also brought back Kinderunbelievable, who raced there in a few series for the team of Chantal Mitchell,” Denitza said, “The mare did well in 2019 with nearly $44,000 in earnings and a great victory in the [Coupe des Eleveurs] final in September.

“In addition,” Denitza added. “I have sold Kinnder Jackson to the Ron Burke stable over the past few weeks. He’s a good horse, he’s been good to me but I’m sure that in this advanced stable, the horse will perform even better.”

The latest news is that Kinnder Jackson had a first and second in two starts for Burke at Pocono and Yonkers, the victory over Pocono in a lifetime best 1.52.3.

As for the other pillar of the Kinnder team, Kinnder Dangerous, Denitza remained evasive about his future.

From this memorable gala evening of January 18, fans will also remember the great generosity of Denitza, who was the winner for the Personality of the Year award, who during her award presentation brought her good friend Cassandra Lecourt, also a finalist, on stage.

The two young women attracted praise from everyone.

Cassandra and Denitza, both breeders and owners -- Petrova is Quebec's breeder representative on the Board of Standardbred Canada -- represent a very positive outlook for the future of racing in Quebec and their brilliance as much as their endearing personality has not gone unnoticed.

In 2019, horses trained by Petrova won just over $90,000 in purses in just 45 starts, for an average of $2,000 per start. This statistic alone speaks volumes for the success of this determined young woman. 2020 looks just as promising.

(with files from the Quebec Jockey Club)