Voting For The 2025 O’Brien Awards Now Open

Voting for the 2025 O’Brien Awards is officially open, and fans and members are invited to take part!

Online voting will remain available until Friday, Dec. 12 at 5 p.m. (EST).

Ballots have been sent to O’Brien Award voters across the country, including race secretaries, track announcers, track communications staff, harness racing journalists and broadcasters.

To access the online voting package, click the following link: O'Brien Awards Voter Documentation. Please review the eligibility criteria carefully.

Here’s what you need to know about the voting process:

1. Vote for a first, second and third-place horse in each divisional category.
2. Vote for a first, second and third-place person from the five candidates provided for:
   - O’Brien Award of Horsemanship
   - Armstrong Breeder of the Year
   - Future Star Award
3. Vote for a first, second and third-place horse in the Somebeachsomewhere Horse of the Year category.
4. Vote for a first, second, third, fourth and fifth-place person in the Trainer of the Year category (points assigned will be 5/4/3/2/1 from first to fifth).
5. Vote for a first, second, third, fourth and fifth-place person in the Keith Waples Driver of the Year category (points assigned will be 5/4/3/2/1 from first to fifth).

There will be a second round of voting for the Trainer and Driver of the Year categories. After the ballots are tallied, a shortlist of candidates will be compiled based on point totals from the first-round votes, creating a new ballot for the second round.  Voters in Round 1 will receive a link for the second-round ballot no later than Dec. 14 and will be asked to select a first, second and third-place choice in these categories. The deadline for the second-round ballot is 12 p.m. (EST) on Tuesday, Dec. 16.

All fan votes received will be complied and count as one vote towards the final results of the O’Brien Awards. There is a limit of one vote per person (based on IP address or email address). 

Votes will be tallied as follows:

• Horses/people receiving a first-place vote will receive three (3) points.
• Horses/people receiving a second-place vote will receive two (2) points
• Horses/people receiving a third-place vote will receive one (1) point.

The top three point earners in each category will be the finalists, with the number of first-place votes serving as a tiebreaker.

Voters are tasked with selecting the horses and individuals who MADE THE GREATEST CONTRIBUTION TO CANADIAN HARNESS RACING IN 2025.

Eighteen O'Brien Awards will be presented for the 2025 racing season. Thirteen of these awards honour the premier horses from the past racing season, including the highly coveted Somebeachsomewhere Horse of the Year award. The horse awards are divided by age, sex and gait. 

In addition, there are five awards for people:

• Keith Waples Driver of the Year
• Trainer of the Year
• Armstrong Bros. Farm Breeder of the Year
• O’Brien Award of Horsemanship
• Future Star Award

The O’Brien Awards/Cam Fella Nominating Committee at Standardbred Canada determines the five candidates for the O’Brien Award of Horsemanship, the Armstrong Breeder of the Year Award and the Future Star Award. The 2025 candidates are listed below.

O’Brien Award of Horsemanship

• Kevin Benn
• Jamie Gray
• Lindsey Kerr
• Carl Jamieson
• Dr. Ian Moore

Armstrong Breeder of the Year Award

• Glengate Farms
• Seelster Farms
• Tara Hills Stud
• Winbak Farms
• Windemere Farms

Future Star Award

• Landon Campbell
• Mark Macdonell
• Damian Maclellan
• Mary Ratchford
• Jacob Roberts

Three finalists in each category will be announced on Friday, Dec. 19. 

The 2025 O’Brien Award winners will be announced and honoured at the Awards Gala, which will be held on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026 at the J-AAR Expo Centre at Western Fair District.

To reserve your tickets and/or program ads for the O’Brien Awards, complete the O’Brien Awards ticket reservation form and email to Jessica Street at [email protected].

(Standardbred Canada Press Release)