Nominations for The Cam Fella Award are now being accepted and must be received by November

30, 2009 to be considered for the 2009 award.

The Cam Fella Award was introduced at the 1997 O’Brien Awards. The award was designed to honour the kind of extreme meritorious service that Cam Fella himself provided to the nation’s harness racing industry and, fittingly, he was the first recipient.

Being a champion is a rare feat, but to earn the titles on three fronts – on the racetrack, in the breeding shed and as an ambassador to the sport – is something very unique. Cam Fella died in May of 2001 at the Kentucky Horse Park where he had lived for several years and served as an ambassador of the standardbred breed.

World Champion pacer Somebeachsomewhere was the 2008 recipient of the Cam Fella Award. Beach renewed a lot of people’s passion for the industry with his ability on the racetrack and the great story of how his owners, The Schooner Stables came together to purchase and race a horse of world champion stature.

In 2008, the son of Mach Three won the hearts of Canadian racing fans and all but rewrote the history books as he set a seasonal earnings record with more than $2.5 million, while winning 14 of 15 races and pacing to three World Record miles. He was the sport’s richest and fastest in ‘08, pacing to a 1:46.4 World Record effort at The Red Mile in a division of the Bluegrass Stakes with regular driver Paul MacDonell at the helm. In 2008, Somebeachsomewhere made O’Brien Award history as he was unanimously voted Canada’s Horse of the Year for the second straight season, as well as receiving the award for three-year-old pacing colt of the year.

Other past winners of the Cam Fella Award include:
2005 - Dr. David C. Reid
2006 - Ralph Klein
2007 - Ann Curran
2008 - Somebeachsomewhere

The Cam Fella Award is not a lifetime achievement honour as the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame serves that distinct function. The award is given out when warranted, not necessarily annually, to recognize extreme effort and dedication to Canadian harness racing by an individual or group who, through their efforts, displays some of the same qualities that made Cam Fella one of racing’s greatest names.

Criteria
The Cam Fella Award honours extreme recent ­meritorious service to the Canadian harness racing industry and is awarded when warranted, not ­necessarily annually.

Voting Process
A National Election Committee comprised of 16 representatives of the standardbred community, vote by secret ballot on those nominees put forward by the Nominating Committee. To win the award, a potential candidate must receive the majority of the Election Committee’s votes. There is no restriction upon nominees – they can be individuals, a group or organization, a horse, etc. In a year when there is a winner, the honour will be presented at the annual O’Brien Awards.

To Nominate
To submit a nomination, please send a detailed ­explanation of why you feel your nominee meets the criteria outlined above. Nominations are kept confidential in order to avoid disappointment should the nomination not be successful. Submissions should be ­directed to:

Kathy Wade Vlaar ([email protected]) at
Standardbred Canada
2150 Meadowvale Blvd.,
Mississauga, ON, L5N 6R6
Fax: (905) 858 3089

Nominations must be received by November 30, 2009 to be considered for the 2009 award. Nominations ­without supporting ­documentation will not be ­considered.