Alberta's outstanding horses and horsepeople from the 2025 harness racing season were celebrated at the annual Alberta Standardbred Horse Association (ASHA) Awards Banquet on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026 at the Best Western Premier Plaza in Calgary, Alta.

Jamie Gray capped off an incredible evening with his former trainee Custard Dolce repeating in her division and taking Alberta Horse of the Year honours after a standout three-year-old season. Owned by Gray and partners Jackson Wittup, Max Gibb and Derek Wilson prior to a private sale last December, the Custard The Dragon-Blue Star West filly earned $242,488 and won eight of her 12 sophomore starts, including Alberta Sires Stakes Diamond and Marquis finals, the Grade 3 Gord & Illa Rumpel Memorial Stakes and the Century Casino Filly Pace. She received national recognition as an O'Brien Award finalist, along with her trainer.

Gray received the Keith Clark Horsemanship Award for the second straight season it has been offered and was recognized as top trainer with less than 150 starts. The veteran Sturgeon County, Alta. horseman also campaigned the two-year-old Alberta-sired award winners, filly B A Dragon and gelding Ruler Of Dragons, who was also feted in the two-year-old male open division.

Another Sturgeon County horseman, Nathan Sobey was named Trainer of the Year after his stable won 61 races and earned just shy of $800,000 in purses. Sobey, who won this award in 2022, campaigned finalists Mademechangemymind, Hurrikane Alley, Hands Off Harry and Matts A Mystician. Kayla Baxter from the Sobey stable was named Caretaker of the Year.

Mike Hennessy defended his title as Driver of the Year with the 2025 season even better than his last as he won a career-best 163 races and drove winners of more than $1.4 million in purse earnings. The Lacombe, Alta. resident was called upon to drive the likes of Western Canada Pacing Derby winner Hands Off Harry and Shirley McClellan Breeders Stakes champion Mademechangemymind when Sobey was injured in a racing accident. Hennessy was also the regular reinsman of Shark Week, four-time Older Male Pacer of the Year, trained by his father Rod.

Stash The Cookies, conditioned by John Chappell, also continued her reign in the older pacing ranks as Champion Aged Mare.

James Rhodes won the Breeder of the Year award while Don Howlett was named Owner of the Year.

The full list of winners appears below.

Two-Year-Old Alberta-Sired Filly
B A Dragon

Two-Year-Old Filly
Blue Star Strike & Faith And Grace

Two-Year-Old Alberta-Sired Colt/Gelding
Ruler Of Dragons

Two-Year-Old Colt/Gelding
Ruler Of Dragons

Three-Year-Old Alberta-Sired Filly
Custard Dolce

Three-Year-Old Filly
Custard Dolce

Three-Year-Old Alberta-Sired Colt/Gelding
Outlawminutbyminut

Three-Year-Old Colt/Gelding
Momas Work Of Art

Aged Mare
Stash The Cookies

Aged Horse/Gelding
Shark Week

Fastest Boy
Midnight Mover (1:50.4)

Fastest Girl
Bares All (1:52)

Claiming Mare
Baby Bager

Claiming Horse/Gelding
Litizor

Trainer - Under 150 Starts
Jamie Gray

Trainer of the Year
Nathan Sobey

Driver - Under 150 Starts
Ryan Grundy

Driver of the Year
Mike Hennessy

Owner of the Year
Don Howlett

Breeder - Six Mares & Under
Rod Starkewski

Breeder of the Year
James Rhodes

Keith Clark Horsemanship Award
Jamie Gray

Caretaker of the Year
Kayla Baxter

Horse of the Year
Custard Dolce

(Standardbred Canada)