Alberta's outstanding horses and horsepeople from the 2025 harness racing season were celebrated at the annual Alberta Standardbred Horse Association (ASHA) Awards Banquet on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026 at the Best Western Premier Plaza in Calgary, Alta.
Jamie Gray capped off an incredible evening with his former trainee Custard Dolce repeating in her division and taking Alberta Horse of the Year honours after a standout three-year-old season. Owned by Gray and partners Jackson Wittup, Max Gibb and Derek Wilson prior to a private sale last December, the Custard The Dragon-Blue Star West filly earned $242,488 and won eight of her 12 sophomore starts, including Alberta Sires Stakes Diamond and Marquis finals, the Grade 3 Gord & Illa Rumpel Memorial Stakes and the Century Casino Filly Pace. She received national recognition as an O'Brien Award finalist, along with her trainer.
Gray received the Keith Clark Horsemanship Award for the second straight season it has been offered and was recognized as top trainer with less than 150 starts. The veteran Sturgeon County, Alta. horseman also campaigned the two-year-old Alberta-sired award winners, filly B A Dragon and gelding Ruler Of Dragons, who was also feted in the two-year-old male open division.
Another Sturgeon County horseman, Nathan Sobey was named Trainer of the Year after his stable won 61 races and earned just shy of $800,000 in purses. Sobey, who won this award in 2022, campaigned finalists Mademechangemymind, Hurrikane Alley, Hands Off Harry and Matts A Mystician. Kayla Baxter from the Sobey stable was named Caretaker of the Year.
Mike Hennessy defended his title as Driver of the Year with the 2025 season even better than his last as he won a career-best 163 races and drove winners of more than $1.4 million in purse earnings. The Lacombe, Alta. resident was called upon to drive the likes of Western Canada Pacing Derby winner Hands Off Harry and Shirley McClellan Breeders Stakes champion Mademechangemymind when Sobey was injured in a racing accident. Hennessy was also the regular reinsman of Shark Week, four-time Older Male Pacer of the Year, trained by his father Rod.
Stash The Cookies, conditioned by John Chappell, also continued her reign in the older pacing ranks as Champion Aged Mare.
James Rhodes won the Breeder of the Year award while Don Howlett was named Owner of the Year.
The full list of winners appears below.
Two-Year-Old Alberta-Sired Filly
B A Dragon
Two-Year-Old Filly
Blue Star Strike & Faith And Grace
Two-Year-Old Alberta-Sired Colt/Gelding
Ruler Of Dragons
Two-Year-Old Colt/Gelding
Ruler Of Dragons
Three-Year-Old Alberta-Sired Filly
Custard Dolce
Three-Year-Old Filly
Custard Dolce
Three-Year-Old Alberta-Sired Colt/Gelding
Outlawminutbyminut
Three-Year-Old Colt/Gelding
Momas Work Of Art
Aged Mare
Stash The Cookies
Aged Horse/Gelding
Shark Week
Fastest Boy
Midnight Mover (1:50.4)
Fastest Girl
Bares All (1:52)
Claiming Mare
Baby Bager
Claiming Horse/Gelding
Litizor
Trainer - Under 150 Starts
Jamie Gray
Trainer of the Year
Nathan Sobey
Driver - Under 150 Starts
Ryan Grundy
Driver of the Year
Mike Hennessy
Owner of the Year
Don Howlett
Breeder - Six Mares & Under
Rod Starkewski
Breeder of the Year
James Rhodes
Keith Clark Horsemanship Award
Jamie Gray
Caretaker of the Year
Kayla Baxter
Horse of the Year
Custard Dolce
(Standardbred Canada)