In celebration of the most exceptional achievements from last year’s season of harness racing, Grand River Raceway is proud to announce the winners of the

2010 Top Performer Awards. Last year marked the half-mile track’s seventh anniversary and all seven months of racing, from April to October, were packed with action and exciting achievements.

The list of the 13 recipients includes both two and four-legged winners, from drivers and horses to trainers and owners. Some are veteran award-winners while others are just beginning their rise to fame in the industry.

The award for Top Claiming Pacer in the Fillies and Mares division has been given to six-year-old mare Panastasia. Owned by 15-year-old Rachel Oenema and trained by her older brother Terry, Panastasia scored four wins and four second-place finishes in 10 starts last season. Five-year-old Mission Seelster claimed the prize in the Horses and Geldings division. He marked three wins, three second-place and four third-place finishes for trainer Ricky Montgomery and owners William and Samuel Thompson.

Girlsruleboyslose earned the award for Top Claiming Trotter in the Fillies and Mares division for trainer Wayne Henry, driver Trevor Henry and co-owner Glenview Livestock Ltd. She captured first in seven of her 12 starts and raced her fastest mile ever in 1:59.4 at Grand River. Eleven-year-old trotter Bay Point Park is the winner in the Horses and Geldings division, having scored four wins and a pair of second place finishes for co-owners Erin Appleby and AJ Moore.

Jazzman Hall has been named the Top Condition Trotter of 2010. Owned by Elton Hall, the nine-year-old gelding earned purses to the tune of $43,000 and won five races in a row for trainer Shawn Irwin. Ill Call U Back has been named Top Condition Pacer and played a key role in two other award-winners’ quests for success. The eight-year-old gelding rang up nine wins for The Merks Stable, a New-York based operation that is the winner of the Top Owner award, presented by Standardbred Canada. Ill Call U Back is also trained by Joe Pereira, the winner of the award for Top Percentage Trainer. With 18 wins in fewer than 70 races, Pereira led the training ranks at Grand River with a UTR of .390.

Rene Allard has earned his second consecutive award for Top Trainer by having the most wins of any other trainer, with 20 victories in fewer than 80 races last season. Twenty-three-year-old Allard was also one of Canada’s top trainers last year, with 221 wins totaling over $2 million in purse earnings.

Chinnys Wings has been crowned Trotter of the Year and Wantsomeofthis has been awarded the prize for Pacer of the Year. Chinnys Wings soared his way to the top with five wins, including one track record-setting mile in 1:56.2 at Grand River for co-owners Doug Bowins and Donald Brinkman. Wantsomeofthis scored seven wins and also set a new record. He beat the best time for aged horses and geldings at Grand River by winning in 1:55.1 for owner Cesar Kowalski and trainer Mark Herlihy.

Finally, Doug McNair and Mark MacDonald have both earned Top Driver awards. McNair scored the highest number of wins last season, appearing in the Grand River winner’s circle 102 times in 2010. MacDonald’s Universal Driver Rating of .349 was the best of the bunch. The 32-year-old driver won 21 percent of all his races at Grand River, with 40 wins totaling over $320,000 in purses.

The 2010 award-winners will be recognized with a series of special presentations to take place between the races during the May 2 broadcast at Grand River Raceway. Short videos detailing each recipients’ accomplishments are available below.

(Grand River Raceway)