The Standardbred Canada Board of Directors has approved changes to the O’Brien Awards eligibility criteria.
The new Integrity Policy is as follows:
O’Brien Awards Eligibility Clause
An O’Brien Award will not be presented to any individual or entity, including trainers, drivers, owners and breeders, who has served or is currently serving a penalty for a continued period of 180 days or more during the calendar year. If the penalty continues through any part of the following calendar year, said individual is also ineligible for an O’Brien Award in the second year of the penalty.
Any trainer who receives a Class I, II, III or TCO2 positive during the calendar year, or at any time prior to the presentation of the O'Brien Awards, is not eligible for the O’Brien Award for Trainer of the Year, the O’Brien Award of Horsemanship or the Keith Waples Driver of the Year. Any trainer who receives two or more Class IV or Class V positives during the calendar year, or at any time prior to the presentation of the O'Brien Awards, is not eligible for Trainer of the Year, the O’Brien Award of Horsemanship or the Keith Waples Driver of the Year.
Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, Standardbred Canada reserves the right to determine the eligibility of any horse, individual or entity at its sole discretion.
The new Future Star Award criteria is as follows:
Future Star Award
- Must have made the majority of his/her starts in Canada in the year of consideration (over 50 per cent).
- Does not have to be a Canadian citizen.
- Cannot win this award more than once.
- Cannot be over the age of 30 as of Dec. 31.
- Must be within the first five full-time years of the person’s career as either a trainer or driver.
- The full-time requirement for trainers is a minimum of 75 starts (per calendar year). (For 2020, it was reduced to 50.)
- The full-time requirement for drivers is a minimum of 150 starts (per calendar year). (For 2020, it was reduced to 100.)
- The following candidates will be excluded from consideration for the Future Star Award:
- Any candidate who has any one or a number of suspensions totalling 60 days or more in any of the five years of eligibility or carrying over into the year of presentation.
- Any trainer who has received a positive test for a Class I, II, III drug or a TCO2 positive in any of the five years of eligibility, or any trainer who receives two or more Class IV or Class V positives during the calendar year, or at any time prior to the presentation of the O'Brien Awards, is not eligible for the Future Star Award.