The best of Alberta's 2023 harness racing season were honoured at the annual Alberta Standardbred Horse Association (ASHA) Awards during a night of glitz and glam on Saturday, March 9 at the Best Western Calgary Plaza Hotel.

The star of the night was Shark Week (Vertical Horizon-Shark Gone Bad), who was named Alberta's Horse of the Year following a 20-win campaign in 2023 including his historic 1:49.2 mile last June at Century Downs that landed him in the records books as the first sub-1:50 pacer in Western Canada. Some of his connections were also recognized individually as trainer Rod Hennessy was named Horseperson of the Year and Meridian Farms was awarded Breeder of the Year.

Brandon Campbell swept both the Trainer and Driver of the Year categories after putting up career-best numbers all around. It was a big night for the Calgary horseman, whose stable stars Virtual Horizon, Grey Horizon and Metaki were also among the award winners.

The full list of winners appears below.

Two-Year-Old Alberta Sired Filly
Byby Baby Byby

Two-Year-Old Filly
Outlawguns N Roses

Two-Year-Old Alberta Sired Colt/Gelding
Come On Santana (tie)
Grey Horizon (tie)

Two-Year-Old Colt/Gelding
Come On Santana

Three-Year-Old Alberta Sired Filly
GTs Skyla

Three-Year-Old Filly
GTs Skyla

Three-Year-Old Alberta Sired Colt/Gelding
Virtual Horizon

Three-Year-Old Colt/Gelding
Virtual Horizon

Champion Aged Mare
Stash The Cookies

Champion Aged Horse
Shark Week

Champion Claimer (Fillies/Mares)
Metaki

Champion Claimer (Colts/Geldings/Horses)
Captain Fireball

Fastest Girl(s)
Daisy Corvette (1:51.4 at Century Mile)
Senga Nightmare (1:51.4 at The Track On 2)

Fastest Boy
Shark Week (1:49.2 at Century Downs)

Rising Star (Trainer/Driver)
Scott McGinn

Trainer Under 150 Starts
Gerry Hudon

Trainer of the Year
Brandon Campbell

Driver Under 150 Starts
Chris Brown

Driver of the Year
Brandon Campbell

Owners of the Year
Jodi Loftus, George Rogers and Raymond Henry

Breeder of the Year - Six or under mares
Nancy Tamblyn

Breeder of the Year
Meridian Farms - Bill and Denise Andrew

Horseperson of the Year
Rod Hennessy

Breeders Award of Recognition
Doug Stout

Ron McLeod Award of Recognition
Shelley Arsenault

Caretaker of the Year
Emma LaForce

Horse of the Year
Shark Week

(Standardbred Canada; Photo of Shark Week with driver Mike Hennessy and trainer Rod Hennessy)