2019 O'Brien Awards - Fan Ballot

Racing fans, here’s your chance to have a say in Canadian harness racing's year-end awards!

Voting for the 2019 O’Brien Awards for fans and SC members is now open! The online voting is available until Friday, December 13 at 12:00 p.m. (EST).

Ballots have been sent to O’Brien Award voters across the country which includes race secretaries, publicity directors, trade writers and broadcasters.

To access the online voting package, click the following link: O'Briens Voter Documentation.

Please Note:

  • Manchego is not eligible due to Class III positive.

  • Horses that have lines through them on the Top 20 earnings lists and alpha lists are not eligible because they don’t meet the minimum three start requirement in addition to Breeders Crown starts.

Fans can vote for the first and second place horse/person in each category (exception is Horse of the Year where only one name is required). All of the fan votes received will count for one vote towards the voting results of the O’Brien Awards. There will be a limit of one vote per person (ie. IP address or email address).

The horses/people who receive a first place vote will receive two (2) points and those that receive a second place vote will receive one (1) point. The top two point earners will be the finalists in each category. The number of first place votes will be used as a tie breaker.

The mandate given to the voters is to vote for the horses and people who MADE THE GREATEST CONTRIBUTION TO CANADIAN HARNESS RACING IN 2019.

Eighteen O'Brien Awards will be given out for the 2019 racing season. Thirteen of these honour the premier horses over the past racing season including the most coveted trophy, Canada's Somebeachsomewhere Horse of the Year. The horse awards are divided by age, sex and gait.

In addition there are five awards for people, one each for Driver of the Year, Trainer of the Year, Armstrong Bros. Farm Breeder of the Year, the O'Brien Award of Horsemanship and the Future Star award.

Standardbred Canada has an O’Brien Committee that determines the candidates for the O’Brien Award of Horsemanship, the Armstrong Breeder of the Year Award, and the Future Star Award.

Here are the candidates for Horsemanship:

  • Mario Baillargeon of Acton, ON

  • Gilles Barrieau of Saint John, NB

  • Rod Hennessy of Falun, AB

For the Armstrong Breeder of the Year, the committee has put forward the following candidates for the voters to choose from:

  • Al Libfeld of Pickering, ON / Marvin Katz of Toronto, ON

  • Robert McIntosh Stables Inc., of Windsor, ON

  • Seelster Farms Inc., of Lucan, ON

The candidates for the Future Star Award are:

  • Kyle Bossence of Arthur, ON

  • David Kelly of Rocky View County, AB

  • Austin Sorrie of Montague, PE

The finalists will be announced on Wednesday, December 18.

The O’Brien Award winners will be announced and honoured at the annual awards banquet on Saturday, February 1, 2020 at the Hilton Mississauga / Meadowvale (formerly the Delta Meadowvale Hotel) in Mississauga, Ontario.

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