Standardbred Canada announced the winners of the 2024 O’Brien Awards, honouring Canada’s best in harness racing over the past season, at the Black Tie Gala on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025 in Mississauga, Ont.
The event marked the 36th edition of the O’Brien Awards, named in honour of the late Joe O’Brien, an outstanding horseman from Prince Edward Island and member of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.
Chantilly and her connections took centre stage at the 36th O'Brien Awards, as the Two-Year-Old Pacing Filly of the Year was also named the Somebeachsomewhere Horse of the Year. She became just the fifth two-year-old — and only the third pacing filly — to be named Canada’s Horse of the Year, joining the likes of Emilie Cas El, Whenuwishuponastar, Somebeachsomewhere and JK Shesalady. Chantilly’s breeder and owner, Millar Farms, earned its third Armstrong Breeder of the Year award and was also recognized as the leading owner at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The celebrations continued for her connections, with Nick Gallucci securing his first Trainer of the Year title and James MacDonald collecting his fourth consecutive Keith Waples Driver of the Year award.
Continuing his dominance, James MacDonald became the first driver to win the Keith Waples Driver of the Year award four years in a row since Doug Brown (1993-1996). In 2024, MacDonald set a career-high as he drove horses to purse earnings totalling $12,329,313, becoming the first Canadian-based driver to surpass $12 million in a single season. He also drove winners of more than 400 races for the third consecutive year (444 in total) and was the regular driver of four O’Brien Award winners — Chantilly, Its A Love Thing, Willys Home Run and Monalishi. MacDonald's remarkable season included stakes victories in the Meadowlands Pace, Cane Pace, Peaceful Way, Fan Hanover and Shes A Great Lady in addition to two Breeders Crown finals.
Nick Gallucci received the O’Brien Award for Trainer of the Year, his first individual O’Brien after being nominated previously in 2021 and being a finalist for the Future Star award a decade ago. The Stouffville, Ont. resident had a standout season anchored by the Somebeachsomewhere Horse of the Year, Chantilly, former O’Brien Award winners Silver Label and Prohibition Legal, and two-year-old stakes winner Allstar Maniac. His stable earned $1,822,167, the second-highest total of his career, with a UTRS of .396, also the second-best of his career. Gallucci’s season was highlighted by Chantilly's victory in the $532,000 Shes A Great Lady Stakes, the largest purse he has won to date, along with wins in multiple Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) Gold Series divisions and Mid-Season Finals. He also maintained an impressive strike rate, winning more than 26 per cent of the time he entered a horse.
Millar Farms, owned by George Millar, has been recognized for the third time with the Armstrong Breeder of the Year award. In 2024, horses bred by Millar Farms won 106 races and earned $2,208,681. The Somebeachsomewhere Horse of the Year, Chantilly, led the Stouffville, Ont. farm's progeny for the season with $761,000 in earnings, along with three other earners exceeding $100,000, including former O’Brien Award winners Prohibition Legal and Silver Label.
Guy Gagnon, who won the O’Brien Award of Horsemanship in 2018, received this award once again in 2024. With a dominant season at Rideau Carleton Raceway, Gagnon was once again among the top trainers at the Ottawa, Ont. oval. Stable stars I Ama Rocket, The Light Speed and All Wrapped Up ruled the national capital region's Preferred ranks. Gagnon developed multiple stakes-placed youngsters, such as Jenny Longlegs and Wild Dream Men. He finished the season with a personal best 100 training wins and his stable earning more than $600,000 for the second time in his career. His UTRS was one of the highest of his career (0.434) in a season with more than 250 starts.
Todd Ratchford took home the Future Star award in his second year as a regular driver. Surpassing the $1 million mark in seasonal earnings while driving 95 winners, Ratchford’s most notable achievements were in rein to three-year-old trotting filly Winning Alliance. As the regular pilot for the Matt Bax trainee, Ratchford scored his biggest win of the season in a $79,589 New York Sire Stakes event at Vernon Downs.
Chantilly won the O’Brien Award as the country’s Two-Year-Old Pacing Filly of the Year. During her freshman season, she accomplished a perfect record of nine wins in nine starts for trainer Nick Gallucci. The homebred daughter of Big Jim-Shiraz Seelster recorded wins in an elimination and the final of the Shes A Great Lady Stakes and a division of the Eternal Camnation Stakes at Woodbine Mohawk Park, along with six OSS victories. Chantilly dominated her competition in the OSS Super Final, winning by 6-1/2 lengths and stopping the clock in 1:50.2, equalling her lifetime mark and concluding her perfect season with $761,000 in purse earnings. Her flawless freshman campaign earned her the honours of Two-Year-Old Pacing Filly of the Year and the Somebeachsomewhere Horse of the Year title.
Stonebridge Wizard received the O’Brien Award in the Two-Year-Old Pacing Colt category. The Dancin Lou-Odds On Magic gelding had his winner’s circle photograph taken five times from nine starts as a rookie for trainer Jared Bako. Stonebridge Wizard was a stalwart in the OSS from start to finish, claiming wins in both the season's first and last Gold legs. Sandwiched between those Gold triumphs was his biggest payday, which came in a hard-fought victory in the $245,400 Battle of Waterloo at Grand River Raceway, where he earned his lifetime mark of 1:51.2.
The winner in the Three-Year-Old Pacing Filly category is Its A Love Thing. The daughter of Bettors Delight-Love For Sail had an impressive freshman season, earning $560,656 and an O'Brien nomination. The filly's sophomore season was even more successful. The Dave Menary trainee visited the winner’s circle seven times from 14 starts, never failing to collect a cheque. Her richest victory was in the $425,000 Fan Hanover Stakes at Woodbine Mohawk Park, where she recorded a lifetime best of 1:48.2, tying the Canadian divisional record. With three OSS victories and the Jerry Silverman Memorial among her stakes success, Its A Love Thing finished the 2024 season with $843,884 in earnings.
With just one win as a freshman, Nijinsky was en pointe as a sophomore and was awarded the O’Brien as Three-Year-Old Pacing Colt of the Year. Conditioned by Anthony Beaton, the Bettors Delight-Pirouette Hanover son was victorious in 11 of his 17 sophomore starts, highlighted by the $1 million North America Cup, with his earnings reaching $1,665,887 for the year. His stakes victories also included divisions of the Somebeachsomewhere and Simcoe as well as the Monument Circle. Nijinsky had a perfect OSS season, capped off by winning the Super Final. He took his lifetime mark of 1:47.3 in an elimination of the Meadowlands Pace before finishing second in the final, and he was also a runner-up in the Breeders Crown and Progress Pace.
In the Older Pacing Mare category, Twin B Joe Fresh has added another trophy to her impressive collection for 2024. The Roll With Joe-Fresh Breeze daughter was utterly dominant as a four-year-old, winning 11 of her 13 starts, including nine consecutive wins, eight of which were stakes finals. The Chris Ryder trainee collected $1,231,252 through her campaign, achieving her lifetime best of 1:47.3 at The Meadowlands in the Dorothy Haughton Memorial. She secured victories in both the Rose Are Red and Milton stakes at Woodbine Mohawk Park, with her largest payout coming from winning the $555,556 Breeders Crown.
Taurasi received the O’Brien Award for Older Pacing Horse of the Year. The gelded son of Racing Hill-Voluminous emerged as a powerhouse in the Preferred ranks at Woodbine Mohawk Park during his five-year-old season in 2024. He predominantly raced at Mohawk, securing 11 Preferred Pace victories, including an impressive streak of nine consecutive wins. The pacer was trained by Richard Moreau, Tony Alagna and Gregg McNair. His biggest payday of the year was when he finished second by a head in the $100,000 Mohawk Gold Cup in the nation's fastest mile of the season, clocked in 1:47.2.
Monalishi earned the Two-Year-Old Trotting Filly of the Year honours. Under trainer Blake MacIntosh’s guidance, this daughter of Green Manalishi S-Pretty Phylly G achieved six wins from 10 starts and $562,811. She won a division of the Champlain Stakes and boasts a near-perfect record in the OSS program, with four wins and one second from five starts. Her biggest victory of the season was in the $390,000 Peaceful Way Stakes at Woodbine Mohawk Park, where she took her lifetime mark of 1:52.2, making her Canada's fastest two-year-old trotter in 2024.
The regally-bred Maryland received the award in the Two-Year-Old Trotting Colt division. The Marcus Melander trainee stood out in his division, winning most of the marquee stakes events for his age and gait. Among his wins, the Chapter Seven-Crucial son collected the William Wellwood Memorial and Mohawk Million at Woodbine Mohawk Park, as well as the Peter Haughton Memorial and Breeders Crown at The Meadowlands, where he took his lifetime mark of 1:51.4. Ending his season with six wins from nine starts, Maryland made a remarkable $1,675,697 to become the richest freshman trotter of all time.
The reigning Two-Year-Old Trotting Filly champion, Willys Home Run, won her second O’Brien Award as Canada’s Three-Year-Old Trotting Filly of the Year in 2024. The Archangel-Rite Outa The Park daughter had another successful campaign, enjoying eight top-two finishes from her 13 starts. She took her lifetime mark of 1:53 at Woodbine Mohawk Park in her second OSS Gold Series win of the season and her largest cheque was earned in the $300,000 Super Final, where she repeated as champion for trainer Kyle Fellows. Willys Home Run finished her sophomore campaign with earnings of $431,311.
Highland Kismet won the O’Brien Award in the Three-Year-Old Trotting Colt category. Though unraced as a two-year-old, the Mark Etsell trainee impressed many from the start of his racing career and eventually earned $727,850 in his debut season. The Father Patrick-Highland Top Hill gelding won the Goodtimes Stakes at Woodbine Mohawk Park in 1:51.3, equalling the stakes record, in only his fifth pari-mutuel start. He also secured victories in divisions of the Simcoe Stakes and the Bluegrass Stakes. Despite the rainy conditions for the $1,458,333 Hambletonian, Highland Kismet's hard-earned second-place finish resulted in his biggest paycheque of the year.
Call Me Goo, conditioned by Jason Skinner and Ake Svanstedt, won the O’Brien Award in the Older Trotting Mare division. As a four-year-old, she won half of her 14 starts, including the Armbro Flight Stakes at Woodbine Mohawk Park and the $688,889 Breeders Crown at The Meadowlands, marking the largest single payday of her career with a 1:50.3 career-best effort. The Googoo Gaagaa-Callmemza mare's victories also included the Allerage Farms Mare Trot and a leg of the Miss Versatility Series, ultimately ending her season with $729,869 in earnings.
Logan Park clinched the Older Trotting Horse title for the second consecutive year. At six years old, he had his most successful year yet, earning $940,240 and surpassing $2 million in lifetime earnings. Trained by the father and son team of Rob and Kyle Fellows, Logan Park achieved major victories in the Dayton Derby and the $457,746 FanDuel Open Trot Championship, the latter being his richest win of the season. Notably, he set a record at The Red Mile as the fastest Canadian-sired trotter with a 1:49.2 winning time in the Allerage Farms Open Trot. In Canada, he also won the Earl Rowe Memorial Invitational Trot at Georgian Downs and multiple Preferreds at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The son of Archangel out of Rite Outa The Park is a full brother to the Fellows' award-winning trainee Willys Home Run.
The Media Excellence Awards, the Outstanding Groom Award and Cam Fella Award were also presented at the O’Brien Awards Gala.
John Rallis won his first Media Excellence Award in the Outstanding Written Work category for his feature, “A ‘Moment’ So Well Deserved.” The story, published in the September 2024 edition of TROT Magazine, chronicles driver Yannick Gingras’s tumultuous journey to the Hambletonian winner's circle that year with Karl.
Cujo Entertainment won its first Media Excellence Award in the Outstanding Video, Film or Broadcast category for the excerpt of the "CBS Hambletonian Show," a one-hour broadcast covering the 99th edition of the Hambletonian from The Meadowlands. The broadcast was produced and executed by a talented team of only nine individuals, including producer Curtis MacDonald, technical producer Cameron Chick and co-producer/director Luke Van Belkom. It was hosted by the trio of Greg Blanchard, Emily Gaskin and Michael Carter.
Defending champion in the Outstanding Photography category, Clive Cohen earned his ninth Media Excellence Award for his photograph, "Fiery Sunset." Captured on June 29, 2024, at Woodbine Mohawk Park, the image was published the same day across the track’s Facebook, Instagram and X feeds.
The Outstanding Groom Award was presented to Mike Rivet, a Dundas, Ont. resident originally from Montreal, Que. Rivet's lifelong passion for the sport began in his youth, fostered by his father's involvement in racing. He relocated to Ontario following the end of racing in Montreal, working for trainers Dustin Jones, Ashley Lendvoy, and presently, Blake MacIntosh. Rivet manages the daily care of up to eight horses and is known for his expertise with challenging horses and his eagerness to assist with tasks like fixing shoes or transporting horses. Throughout 2024, he has cared for notable horses, including O’Brien Award winner Monalishi, Medley Seelster and Go Ahead Makemyday.
Kent Oakes, a native of North Wiltshire, P.E.I., was posthumously honoured with the Cam Fella Award. Oakes dedicated over 30 years of his career to partnering with harness racing organizations at all levels, leaving a significant mark on Prince Edward Island's harness racing scene. He served on numerous committees, including the Atlantic Harness Racing Development Council and the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, and held crucial positions such as CEO of the Prince Edward Island Lotteries Commission, Director of Racing at the Maritime Provinces Harness Racing Commission, and Racing Manager at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino. Oakes also represented the provincial government on the redevelopment committee for Charlottetown Driving Park. He bred several stakes-winning horses with his brother Wayne, including the 2004 Governor's Plate champion Igoddago. Oakes was the former Chair of Standardbred Canada and a longtime Director. He passed away on June 28, 2024, at the age of 64.
Established in 1989, the O’Brien Awards honour the people and horses that made the greatest contribution to Canadian harness racing over the past season.
For the first time at the O'Brien Awards Gala, Standardbred Canada recognized the season's leading owners at tracks across the country with a special presentation as part of the association's Leading Owner Recognition Program. Each honouree received a bouquet and a presentation photo with members of the Standardbred Canada Board of Directors, and they will also be sent personalized plaques. Among the recipients, Randy Getto, the leading owner at Northside Downs, travelled from Nova Scotia with his wife, Susan MacSween. The couple kicked off the evening on the Red Carpet, where Getto was interviewed by Natasha Day.
A full list of the 36th O’Brien Award winners and connections follows.
PACERS
Two-Year-Old Pacing Filly
CHANTILLY
Owner: Millar Farms, Stouffville, ON
Breeder: Millar Farms, Stouffville, ON
Two-Year-Old Pacing Colt
STONEBRIDGE WIZARD
Owner: David Kryway, Amherstburg, ON
Breeder: Angie Stiller, London, ON
Three-Year-Old Pacing Filly
ITS A LOVE THING
Owners: Eric Good, Davidsonville, MD
Thomas Biederman, Lexington, KY
Josh Green, Midway, KY
Rich Lombardo Racing LLC, Solon, OH
Breeders: Marvin Katz, Toronto, ON
Lynn Katz, Toronto, ON
Al Libfeld, Pickering, ON
Three-Year-Old Pacing Colt
NIJINSKY
Owners: West Wins Stable, Wellington, FL
John Fielding, Scarborough, ON
Mark Dumain, Pine Bush, NY
Breeder: Jeffrey Snyder, New York, NY
Older Pacing Mare
TWIN B JOE FRESH
Owners: Chris Ryder, Allentown, NJ
Dexter Dunn, Millstone, NJ
Peter Trebotica, Bordentown, NJ
Barry Spak, Thornton, PA
Breeder: Brittany Farms LLC, Versailles, KY
Older Pacing Horse
TAURASI
Owners: Brad Grant, Milton, ON
Alagna Racing LLC, Jackson, NJ
Breeders: M T Pockets Stables, Pompano Beach, FL
Victoria Howard, Delray Beach, FL
TROTTERS
Two-Year-Old Trotting Filly
MONALISHI
Owners: Tim Klemencic, Trenton, ON
Blake MacIntosh, St. George, ON
Breeder: Shmuel Farhi, London, ON
Two-Year-Old Trotting Colt
MARYLAND
Owners: Courant Inc., Delray Beach, FL
PCW Racing LLC, Delray Beach, FL
Holly Lane Stud East Ltd., Vero Beach, FL
Sstewartrthorn Stable, Paris, KY
Breeder: Hanover Shoe Farms Inc., Hanover, PA
Three-Year-Old Trotting Filly
WILLYS HOME RUN
Owners: Dr. Sara Gatchell, Strathroy, ON
Jake Higgs, Strathroy, ON
Reg Higgs, Ilderton, ON
Yolanda Fellows, Rockwood, ON
Breeder: Reg Higgs, Strathroy, ON
Three-Year-Old Trotting Colt
HIGHLAND KISMET
Owner: Highland Thoroughbred Frm, Inglewood, ON
Breeder: Highland Thoroughbred Frm, Inglewood, ON
Older Trotting Mare
CALL ME GOO
Owners: Graham Grace Stables LLC, Clifton, VA
Ake Svanstedt Inc., Wrightstown, NJ
Breeder: William Roberts, Brandywine, MD
Older Trotting Horse
LOGAN PARK
Owners: Outofthepark Stable, Rockwood, ON
Reg Higgs, Ilderton, ON
Arpad Szabo, Bradford, ON
Breeders: Reg Higgs, Denfield, ON
Donna Higgs, Denfield, ON
Somebeachsomewhere Horse of the Year
CHANTILLY
Owner: Millar Farms, Stouffville, ON
Breeder: Millar Farms, Stouffville, ON
PEOPLE AWARDS
O’Brien Award of Horsemanship
GUY GAGNON
Gatineau, QC
Armstrong Breeder of the Year
MILLAR FARMS
Stouffville, ON
Keith Waples Driver of the Year
JAMES MACDONALD
Guelph, ON
Trainer of the Year
NICK GALLUCCI
Stouffville, ON
Future Star Award
TODD RATCHFORD
Caledonia, ON
CAM FELLA AWARD
KENT OAKES
Charlottetown, PE
OUTSTANDING GROOM AWARD
MIKE RIVET
Dundas, ON
MEDIA EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Outstanding Written Work
JOHN RALLIS
"A 'Moment' So Well Deserved"
Outstanding Film, Video, Broadcast
CUJO ENTERTAINMENT
"CBS Hambletonian Show"
Outstanding Photography
CLIVE COHEN
"Fiery Sunset"
LEADING OWNERS
Century Downs: Rod Starkewski & Clauzette Byckal
Century Mile: Brinsley Brooking Lutz & Harvey Jaeger
Charlottetown Driving Park: Danny Birt
Clinton Raceway: Larry Lane
Dresden Raceway: Cameron McQueen
Flamboro Downs: Triple S Equine
Fraser Downs: Rod Therres
Georgian Downs: A1Stable
Grand River Raceway: Gino Toscani
Hanover Raceway: Robert Jenkins Jr., William Burgess & Jeffrey Kelly
Hiawatha Horse Park: Colonel Schneider Jr.
Hippodrome 3R: Alain Carrier
Inverness Raceway: Donald Beaton
Kawartha Downs: Amanda Riley
Leamington Raceway: Michael Stamp & Janet Larcombe
Northside Downs: Randy Getto, Wayne Hardy & Susan MacSween
Rideau Carleton Raceway: 9096 9205 Quebec Inc.
Summerside Raceway: Douglas R. & Douglas E. Polley
The Loop: Laverne Turnbull
The Raceway at Western Fair District: Colonel Schneider Jr.
The Track On 2: Harvey Jaeger & Brinsley Brooking Lutz
Truro Raceway: Michelle Lyn Patriquin
Woodbine Mohawk Park: Millar Farms
Woodstock Raceway / Connell Park: Jennifer Ritchie
(Standardbred Canada)