Post-O'Briens Interviews

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Published: January 29, 2013 07:27 pm EST

Interviews with some of the big winners from Saturday night's 2012 O'Brien Awards are now available online.

It was a spectacular night for Casie Coleman, 32, of Cambridge, Ontario. She stole the show, taking home four O’Brien Awards for herself and her connections. Coleman secured her fifth trophy as Canada’s Trainer of the Year. In addition, two horses that she trained, one of which she shares ownership in, emerged winners in their categories. Older pacing horse Betterthancheddar won an O’Brien trophy, as did Michaels Power in the Three-Year-Old Pacing Colt division. And to put the icing on the cake, Michaels Power was also voted Canada’s Horse of the Year.

Casie Coleman

Canada’s Two-Year-Old Trotting Colt of the Year, Wheeling N Dealin, was invincible in nine starts, earning $683,544 in purse money. His victories included three legs of the Bridger Trotting Series, the Champlain, the William Wellwood elimination and final, and an elimination and final of the Breeders Crown.

Dustin Jones

Anndrovette successfully defended her title as Canada’s Older Pacing Mare of the Year. A winner of seven of 23 races and more than $696,000, the highlight of her 2012 season was a dazzling 1:48.1 world record performance in the Roses Are Red Stakes at Mohawk Racetrack. She also racked up victories in three legs of the Blue Chip, the Overbid Series Final, an elimination of the Milton Stakes and the Breeders Crown.

Jeff Bamond

Frenchfrysnvinegar secured her second consecutive O’Brien trophy as Canada’s Older Trotting Mare. In 2012 she continued to deliver top notch performances, winning eight races and more than $430,000. She took the Masters at Georgian Downs, the Miss Versatility final at Delaware and posted a lifetime best 1:52 in the Allerage Mares Trot. She also eclipsed the $1 million mark in lifetime earnings.

Stablemate Mister Herbie’s name was added to the list of O’Brien Award Champion Older Trotters. His season included a stakes record 1:51.3 in the Glorys Comet Trotting Series Final at Woodbine, where he defeated the great San Pail by a nose. Another impressive effort of the 2012 season was a Canadian record mile of 1:50.4 in the Maple Leaf Trot. He also added wins in the Cutler and the Frank Ryan Memorial and was the runner-up in the Nat Ray, the Allerage and Breeders Crown.

Jeff Gillis

I Luv The Nitelife was voted Two-Year-Old Pacing Filly of the Year. She finished the season with a record of 4-4-1 from 10 races and bankrolled $682,574 in earnings. The Rocknroll Hanover filly paced to a world record 1:50.1 in an elimination of the Shes A Great Lady at Mohawk Racetrack. Her other stakes wins included the Shes A Great Lady Final, the Eternal Camnation and a division of the Bluegrass Stakes.

Chris Ryder

Sylvain Filion, 43, a native of Saint-Andre-D'Argenteuil, Quebec, who now resides in Milton, Ontario, took home his first O’Brien trophy as Canada’s Driver of the Year following an exceptional season that included 434 wins and a personal best $8.6 million in purse earnings. Filion was the regular driver for Wheeling N Dealin, voted Canada’s Two-Year-Old Trotting Colt of the Year, and topped the charts for drivers in the Ontario Sires Stakes last year. Hailing from one of the most accomplished harness racing families, some of Filion's 2012 accomplishments include victories in the Breeders Crown with the undefeated juvenile trotting colt Wheeling N Dealin, the Golden Girls with Rebeka Bayama, the Masters Stakes with Sparky Mark, and numerous Ontario Sires Stakes events with Prestidigitator. He teamed up with Panther Hanover for wins in the Simcoe Stakes and New Jersey Classic, and guided Toocool Forschool to a Champlain Stakes victory. He also scored two Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final victories with Prestidigitator and Smarty Pants which helped to secure him the Lampman Cup as the leading driver in the Ontario Sires Stakes program for 2012.

Sylvain Filion

Winning an O’Brien trophy as Canada’s Three-Year-Old Trotting Colt of the Year was a perfect ending to Intimidate’s Cinderella season that saw him trot from relative obscurity into the harness racing record books. From 17 starts in his three-year-old campaign, he recorded 13 wins, three second-place finishes and finished with more than $415,000 in purse earnings. The son of Justice Hall ended the season with five straight wins highlighted by his victories in the elimination and final of the Breeders Crown Championship.

Luc Blais

The event was covered live on the SC website and the official list of winners is available here.

The gallery of 2012 Presentation Shots is now available. Click here to view the winners. (photos courtesy Iron Horse Photo)

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