Charalambos Christoforou

Charalambos Christoforou breeds a small number of mares each year choosing to focus on quality, not quantity, and in 2009 that group posted some impressive stats with their offspring.

The Campbellville, Ontario-based breeder bred 44 starters who netted over $1.8 million in earnings for a solid average of $42,771 per starter.

Christoforou had three $100,000+ starters in 2009. O’Brien nominee Equity, a winner of almost a half million led the group and was very productive in Ontario Sires Stakes events. He also bred pacer Raw Energy, a top level pacer at Woodbine and the sophomore Kadabra trotter Parlay, who won several stakes events throughout his $143,000 season.

Diane Ingham & Harry Rutherford

For over 15 years, Diane Ingham and Harry Rutherford’s boutique breeding operation, Cool Creek Farm, has been producing some of the country’s top trotting horses. It’s been a labour of love for the couple who have bred top trotters Casual Breeze, Elegantimage, and Pure Ivory at their Mount Pleasant, Ontario farm.

In 2009, Ingham and Rutherford had 17 starters that amassed over $1.2 million for an average of over $70,000 per starter. That group was led by O’Brien nominee, Il Villaggio, a winner of almost a half million dollars. Three-year-old trotting filly Raising Rachel banked over $452,000 last season and won an elimination of the Hambletonian Oaks before finishing second in the final. Freshman trotting colt Reach Higher, another product of Cool Creek, had some success in the Ontario Sires Stakes and earned over $114,000 for the season.

Who do you think will win? If you haven't voted yet, head over to the 2009 O'Brien poll.