In today’s column, Robert Smith has penned a special edition of Rewind to coincide with tonight’s festivities connected with the famous O’Brien Awards. His piece takes a bit of a nostalgic look back at the now-37-year history of these prestigious awards, and also a bit about the award’s namesake.
Tonight is a very special night on the calendar of Canadian harness racing. The very prestigious O’Brien Awards will be handed out to a precious few owners, drivers, trainers, and various others who have stood at the head of their class during the 2025 racing season.
They have been privileged in some way to be associated with greatness. It is an honour that is not taken lightly, and one that places the award receiver in very special company; for some, it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Along with each award goes a trip into the long and colourful history of our sport.
Double O'Briens
Joe O’Brien appears with Armbro O’Brien, a horse that he campaigned for one of his famous owners, the Armstrongs of Brampton.
Way back some 37 years ago, in 1989, the O’Brien Awards were conceived, and in 1990 the first group of recipients felt the thrill of holding one of these prestigious awards based on the events of the 1989 season. The first-ever gathering was held on Jan. 20, 1990. Thankfully, some of those folks are still with us; a number are still actively involved, probably striving to add yet another trophy to their case.
The O'Briens Are Born
After a long and in-depth study, the name for these awards was chosen to commemorate an extremely great horseman named Joseph Cyril O’Brien. Mr. O’Brien passed away on Sept. 24, 1984, obviously unaware that his name would live on in such a meaningful way.
“Gentleman Joe,” as he was often called, was a man of humble beginnings, and the early lessons in life and horsemanship stayed with him forever. After leaving home at the age of 18, reportedly with just $6 in his pocket, he eventually molded himself into one of the sport’s most memorable and accomplished performers.
Joe O’Brien signing an autograph for a young fan.
Joseph Cyril O’Brien entered the world on Monday, June 25, 1917, the youngest of five sons and two daughters born to Harry and Jennie (Foley) O’Brien. Farming and racing harness horses was a part of the O’Brien family way back, dating to as long as they had inhabited Prince Edward Island.
It was an obvious throwback to their roots in County Kilkenny, Ireland. Four of the five O’Brien sons pursued a career in the sport. In addition to Joe, brothers Claude, Raymond and Lloyd followed the horses. Only William, the eldest, remained on the sidelines.
Sisters Doris and Agnes loved racing, but only as fans of the family horses. Harry (whose actual name was Michael Joseph), the family’s modern-day patriarch, was a pretty interesting man. He was a self-taught veterinarian, a fox farmer, and a builder of racetracks, to name just a few of his many talents.
At the age of three, “Little Joe” began his lengthy career amid the horses as he began to ride the tamer ones around the farm. By the age of seven, he started jogging alongside his father and brothers. At 13, he won his first race with a horse named after then-famous hockey player Ace Bailey, a $40 purchase by his father. While most children his age followed other interests, the young O’Brien thought only of a career with horses.
It was a long and arduous journey. He saw a lot of tough times and low “paydays,” but he persevered and eventually rose to the top in a very tough field of competitors.
Joe O’Brien is shown with a short list of some of the many horses he was associated with during his lengthy career.
Joe O’Brien is shown rather early in his career chatting with the European horseman Charlie Mills (right), who did most of his racing in Germany. From an early age, O’Brien liked to discuss all aspects of the sport with a wide range of personalities.
Unlike the most successful drivers of today, in Joe O’Brien’s era, to make it you broke and trained a lot of horses. At the peak of his “glory years,” he operated a 90-acre farm at Shafter, Calif., and on it stood stabling for at least 100 horses.
Most often the stalls were full. In most cases, he had personally selected each horse based on his vast knowledge, and his advice was often sought even by other owners. Additionally, each year at Lexington when time trials were held, O’Brien literally jumped from one mount to the next, as his uncanny talents for rating a horse made him the busiest man at The Red Mile.
From the small dusty tracks of Prince Edward Island and other Maritime locales emerged not only a great horseman, but an equally fine and upstanding man. From a time when a few dollars was considered a successful day’s work to the pomp and frills of winning races like the Little Brown Jug and the Hambletonian came Joseph O’Brien, the ultimate professional.
The decision to name Canada’s top awards after him was a fitting choice, and one that will surely stand the test of time. It is based on his overall superb combination of talent, endurance, and lifetime dedication to his chosen profession.
Best wishes to everyone involved in this year’s O’Brien Awards!
The first-ever O’Brien Award was presented on January 20, 1990, to Ilene O’Brien, widow of Joe O’Brien. The presenter was Stan Bergstein, Executive V.P. of Harness Tracks of America, and a long-time close friend of the O’Briens.
Quote for the Week: “Some people talk in their sleep. Lecturers talk while other people sleep.” — Albert Camus
An O’Briens Quiz Session
I have posted a few older photos of O’Brien Award winners and another photo from years past. See how many you can get.
# 1 – These folks were part of the very first O’Brien Awards nights. Can you name any or all of them? The presenter is Tracey Lang of TROT Magazine, and she is in the very centre.
# 2 – These folks were part of the very first O’Brien Awards nights. Can you name any or all of them?
# 3 – These folks were part of the very first O’Brien Awards nights. Can you name any or all of them? Harold Howe (far right), former editor of TROT Magazine, was the presenter.
# 4 – These folks were part of the very first O’Brien Awards nights. Mrs. O’Brien was the presenter. Can you name the two recipients?
# 5 – Can you identify this jockey? I don’t think he won too many races on horseback.
(The correct answers will be posted here by Robert as a comment in a few days.)
A Bit Of History
An early-years photo of Joe O’Brien taken back in P.E.I. during Old Home Week (Hoof Beats photo).
Almost 45 years before the first O’Brien Award was handed out, the following piece appeared in the Sept. 5, 1946 issue of Hoof Beats magazine. That was published nearly 80 years ago.
“There is one driver on Prince Edward Island who, though only 29 years old, is considered one of the best anywhere. He is Joseph O’Brien of Alberton, P.E.I., and at the Charlottetown Old Home Week meeting he stuck out like a sore thumb. He led the drivers and at the conclusion of the meeting was given the handsome trophy donated by the British Consuls.
Joe, who is skinny faced and does not tip the beam at over 125 pounds, is fearless. He races into the turns like Ralph De Palma used to rip into the turns at old Sheepshead Bay. He does not throw the reins away in a close finish, but guides the trotter or pacer cleverly and gives his mount a lot of help. Much will be heard about O’Brien in the future, and if he goes to any of the tracks in the United States he will be a great favorite, for he never gives up on a horse and can rate one as good as anyone in the sport.”
Joe O’Brien (left) accepts his Hall of Fame book from CTA President Allan Dickenson at the time of his induction in 1976.