N.B. Honours Its Best From 2016

Published: March 28, 2017 05:02 pm EDT

The New Brunswick Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association Awards Banquet took place on Saturday, March 25 at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch on Bayside Dr. in Saint John.

Nine-year-old Blissfull Hall ridgling Fall Bliss took home the Horse of the Year hardware after a stellar 2016 campaign in which he won 11 of his 21 starts and added a second-place finish and five thirds. Owned, trained and driven by Dr. Mitch Downey, Fall Bliss banked over $15,000 in purses and pushed his career bankroll to over 193,000. Overall, Fall Bliss made 124 career starts and has recorded 33 wins, 15 seconds and 15 thirds.

Dr. Downey also took home the hardware for both trainer and driver of the year. On the driving side of things, Downey faced the gate 34 times and found the winner’s circle on 14 of those occasions. He also finished second six times and third on five occasions. He drove his mounts to over $14,000 in purses and settled with a dominant UDR of .558. In terms of training, Downey’s stable sent out 35 starters, won 14 races, and recorded eight second-place finishes and five thirds. The stable banked over $15,000 in purses during the 2016 campaign and had a UTR of .574.

The Standardbred Canada Owner of the Year Award went to Roy Dickinson.

There were also some lucky winners during the banquet, as Val Phelan was the cash draw winner of $250, while the $1,000 grand prize was won by Kim Hurley.

A day after the banquet, Dawn Bremner, who was named the recipient of the Ambassador to Horse Racing Award, passed away at her home in Jemseg, N.B. after a brief battle with cancer. For more on Bremner’s passing, click here.

The full list of award winners appears below.

Standardbred Canada Owner of the Year
• Roy Dickinson

Horseman of the Year
• Jeff Lewis

Ambassador to Horse Racing
• Dawn Bremner

Rookie of the Year
• Colin Decourcey

Trainer of the Year
• Dr. Mitchell Downey

Driver of the Year
• Dr. Mitchell Downey

Two-Year-Old Filly
• Kinda Like Her

Two-Year-Old Colt
• Colin N Down

Three-Year-Old Filly
• Ami Right Or Wrong

Three-Year-Old Colt
• Jackson K Down

Aged Mare
• Gwinning Gwen

Aged Horse
• Fall Bliss

Old Time Robbie
• Magical Alex

Claimer of the Year
• Ideal Ticket

Most Improved Horse
• Upstairswithron

Horse of the Year
• Fall Bliss

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