January 7 is the deadline to nominate someone for the Outstanding Groom Award, sponsored by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG).

Standardbred Canada (SC) is accepting submissions and they can be emailed to Kathy Wade Vlaar at [email protected].

Please click here for a nomination form.

Do you know a groom who has worked in the industry for over five years, puts their horses’ health and welfare first; treats their horses with kindness and outstanding care, regardless of the horse or its ability? The candidate should have a strong work ethic, be dependable, a good sportsman and be based in Canada. Candidates must be over the age of 19. If you know or work with someone with these qualities, consider nominating him / her for this award.

Grooms, often the unsung heroes of harness racing, are critical to the success of any horse in any stable. Their relationship with the horse is by far the closest. Grooms provide the daily care and attention to the equine athletes, keeping them physically and mentally healthy and sometimes working seven days a week to make sure their horses are properly cared for.

Past winners of the Outstanding Groom Award include: Cindy Acton (2015), Teesha Symes (2016), Chantel Gillis (2017), co-winners Scott Lecain and Trevor Forgie (2018), Rachel Dupuis (2019) and Brady Jackson (2020).

A selection committee will review the submissions. Two finalists will be announced on January 13, 2022 and the presentation to the winner will be made at the O’Brien Awards Virtual Gala on Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022.