The 2025 Youth Derby Awards Night, presented by the Bill Galvin Racing Alliance (BGRA), provided finalists an unforgettable experience with exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the world of harness racing at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Saturday, Oct. 4.
The BGRA welcomed 20 finalists and their families for an action-packed day celebrating the young writers and artists. The top three finalists in each of the seven categories were invited to attend. Along with dinner and the awards presentations, guests enjoyed a true VIP experience at the Campbellville, Ont. oval, including paddock tours, a harnessing demonstration, rides in double-seated jog carts, and the Virtual Reality Harness Driving experience.
Driver Jody Jamieson joined the finalists at the VR “Drive to Win” station to share tips and encouragement, while trainer/driver Natasha Day met with finalists in the winner’s circle to talk with them as they prepared for their jog cart rides.
“It was wonderful to meet the talented, creative minds behind the literary and art entrant finalists," said Karen Hauver, founding director of the BGRA. "They were an enthusiastic group, eager to take part in every experience — it truly made for a special afternoon and evening.”
For the third consecutive year, the contests were held thanks to the generous sponsorship of owner/breeder Tom Rankin of St. Catharines, Ont. The awards were presented after dinner. Finalists aged 13 and over also received certificates for Equine Guelph’s online Youth Horse Behavior and Safety courses, and all category winners were awarded a complimentary Junior Membership from Standardbred Canada. The evening culminated with the group making a blanket presentation to the winner of the fifth race, pacing gelding Figment driven by Scott Young.
Below is the list of winners in their respective categories. The winners’ entries will be posted on the BGRA website at bgracingalliance.ca
Youth Literary Derby
Short Story - Junior (Grades 3-5)
- Larissa Thompson of Guelph for "Thunder’s First Race"
Short Story, Intermediate (Grades 6-8)
- Hailey Jeffery of Rodney for "A Little Girl’s Hope"
Poem - Junior (Grades 3-5)
- Olivia Schiedel of Ayton for "The Great Race"
Poem - Intermediate (Grades 6-8)
- Sophia Zheng of Richmond Hill for "Heart of A Horse"
Youth Art Derby
Junior
- Queenie Tan of Hamilton for "Dreams In Full Speed"
Intermediate
- Alyssa Yu of Ancaster for "The Spirit of Bill Galvin"
Senior
- Kailing Bao of Hamilton for Racing Freedom
The BGRA would like to extend their sincere appreciation to everyone who contributed to a very successful event:
- Owner/breeder Tom Rankin for sponsoring the prize money for the third consecutive year;
- The Central Ontario Standardbred Association for sponsoring the dinner for the finalists and their guests, along with the Drive With Us program, and President Bill O’Donnell for attending the dinner;
- Equine Guelph for donating the Youth Horse Behavior and Safety Courses to finalists 13 years of age and over;
- Standardbred Canada for providing complimentary Junior Memberships to the category winners and to Jade Regina for attending the dinner and awards;
- Drive With Us - Reverend Hanover driven by Mario Dumas and groomed by Angie Corby;
- Michael Whelan for providing the two horses: McLatte and Speed Writer;
- Evan Stephenson for taking finalists on the double-seated jog cart with Speed Writer, assisted by groom Olivia Marion;
- Justin Whelan for taking finalists on the double-seated jog cart with McLatte, assisted by groom Britney Booth;
- Jim Whelan for providing a double-seated jog cart;
- Parade Marshall Joanne Colville and her parade pony Jay;
- Trainer Emma Christoforou and her horse The Painted Pony for the harnessing demonstration;
- Woodbine Mohawk Park for all their contributions with providing the venue, and Heather Flaherty, General Manager of Woodbine Mohawk Park;
- Natasha Day and Jody Jamieson for answering questions from the finalists and providing insight into being a harness driver;
- Customer service representatives Mori White and Lori Jennex for the paddock tours;
- BGRA volunteers Karen Hargrave, Nancy Milcz and Melisa Hamilton, and staff members Nancy Campbell and Robin MacKay.
(Bill Galvin Racing Alliance)