Going into the 2025 O'Brien Awards black tie gala this past Saturday, Jan. 31 at the J-AAR Expo Centre in London, Ont., Luc Blais had a good feeling that he and his entourage might be making an appearance on stage to accept an award.
That he and his team made two appearances on stage was a 😮 welcome surprise.
While he wasn't a finalist for any individual awards, the Quebec native and current resident of Campbellville, Ont. posted career-best totals in seasonal earnings ($3.3 million) with his fourth best annual win total (66).
Two of the horses that contributed to Blais' successful season, taking his overall O'Brien Awards haul from horses to 10, were older trotting mare Emoji Hanover and three-year-old trotting colt Emoticon Legacy.
Emoji Hanover was voted Older Trotting Mare of the Year at the 2025 O'Brien Awards following a productive season for trainer Blais and owner Determination of Montreal, Que. From 13 starts, the Greenshoe - Emmylou Who mare won four races and finished second twice en route to earning $118,475 on the year, ending her campaign with a sharp fourth in the Breeders Crown Mares Open.
"It's a good honour. She's not a bad mare, but she had a bit of issue racing against the aged mares," noted Blais. "She came back strong at the end of the year, but to win the O'Brien tonight was a surprise."
That fourth-place effort in the Breeders Crown will now likely stand as Emoji Hanover's swan song appearance, as the half-sister to standout Emoticon Hanover has now joined her sibling in the Determination broodmare ranks.
"We've booked her to Walner. "I believe that mare will make a great broodmare. She's a worker, and she gives everything she's got. And she's got attitude, but in a good way."
It was a change in attitude that helped Emoticon Legacy — the nephew of the aforementioned Emoji Hanover — fulfill his destiny and deliver on power-packed pedigree. The son of Walner - Emoticon Hanover was a Grand Circuit standout with five graded stakes wins, including three on home soil. The homebred for Determination of Montreal, Que. became the first three-year-old to trot a mile in under 1:50 in Canada when he won the Canadian Trotting Classic in 1:49.4 at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Sept. 20. The colt then shaved another two fifths off his lifetime mark in the Kentucky Futurity at The Red Mile on Oct. 5 when he made an extended early march to the lead from post 10 and held off the likes of Maryland and Super Chapter in 1:49.2.
"I know at two he showed lots of speed, everybody saw that. But the horse was anxious, he was aggressive. And I was worried about that. To race at that level, you need to be in control. Louie did a good job with him," said Blais with a :) in reference to the colt's driver, Louis-Philippe Roy. "I knew he was a tough horse...you know when you're there, sometimes."
In this interview with Standardbred Canada's Jeff Porchak, Blais also discusses the growing Determination broodmare band and looks ahead to Emoticon Legacy's four-year-old campaign. The interview is the fifth in a series of interviews sponsored by Horse Racing Alberta.
(Standardbred Canada; photos courtesy New Image Media)