Standardbred Canada will present the Virtual O’Brien Awards Gala on Sunday, January 31 and the evening will kick off with the Red-Carpet Show, hosted for the fourth consecutive year by Kelly Spencer of True Nature Communications.

Grand River Raceway is the proud sponsor of the 2020 Red Carpet Show, to be streamed live on standardbredcanada.ca and SC’s Facebook page, starting at 5:30 p.m. (EST) on Sunday, January 31.

Celebrating the accomplishments of Canadian harness racing participants in a pandemic year requires an extra serving of levity. Spencer recently reached out to a handful of O’Brien Award finalists for some comedic inspiration to open this year’s Red-Carpet Show.

In this segment, Driver of the Year finalist Doug McNair weighs in on the funniest drivers at Woodbine Mohawk Park (while on a tractor); O’Brien Award of Horsemanship finalist Kelly Hoerdt finds a balmy nook in 'Alberta' from which to discuss his winning bet against Bill O’Donnell and his favourite Katy Perry meme; and Scott Young, the co-pilot of finalist On A Streak, explains how he became an internet comedy sensation.

The 2020 Virtual O’Brien Awards Gala takes place on Sunday, January 31, 2021 and will be available for viewing on standardbredcanada.ca from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. (EST).

(Video provided by Kelly Spencer, True Nature Communications and produced by SC's Rachel Oenema)