This past Saturday the Fredericton Horsemen’s Association celebrated the 2014 racing season during its annual awards banquet and Wall of Fame inductee held at the Fredericton Motor Inn.
It was a great evening with a good group of horsemen and fans attending. Master of Ceremonies Gary Beattie kept everyone entertained throughout the evening, and guest speaker Dawn Bremner enlightened the audience with her words of wisdom.
One of the highlights of the evening was the induction of Joe and Jennie Chippin, long-time supporters of harness racing at Fredericton, to the Wall of Fame. The Chippin family continues to support harness racing through their sponsorship of the annual Joe & Jennie Chippin Memorial race, which attracts the best free-for-all horses in Atlantic Canada to Fredericton Raceway.
The big winner this year was the Mike Campbell stable, with Campbell himself taking the award for top trainer. Campbell’s stable produced the Three-Year-Old Filly of the Year, R Es Confusion, and Mare of the Year, Rose Valley, both for owners Dawn and Ted Bremner. Another Campbell trainee, American Captain, was selected the top Aged Horse for owner Ron Roy, who was named Owner of the Year.
Others winner during the evening were:
Two-Year-Old Filly - Miss Oromocto, for owners Mel Land, Sharon and Richard Burchill
Two-Year-Old Colt - City Of The Year, owned by Dr. Mitchell Downey
Two-Year-OldColt - Spots Shadow, owned by Gary Beattie
Four-Year-Old - American Terror, owned by Ed and Kathy Harvey
Most Improved - Milliondollar Jewel, for owners Stefan and Colin Decourcey
Three horses received hardware as Unsung Heroes: Terra Cotta Lad for owners Charlie Miles, Ralph Miles, and Mark Taylor; Contact Jones for owner Tina Dunphy; and Couleur Magnifique for owner Eric Lakes.
Driver of the Year went to Todd Trites and Rookie Driver of the Year was Kent Beattie.
Congratulations to all of our 2014 winners and good racing luck to all of our friends in 2015.
(Fredericton Horsemen’s Association)