Outlawguns N Roses did it all last year paving a relatively easy path to being named 2024 Horse of the Year at Saturday’s Alberta Standardbred Horse Association’s awards dinner in Calgary.
Owned by Clauzette Byckal and trainer Rod Starkewski, Outlawguns N Roses, who was also a runaway choice as Champion Three-Year-Old Filly, only lost twice in 13 starts last year. She ended her 2024 season with six straight wins, including the $80,000 Super Final on Nov. 2 at Edmonton’s Century Mile and a 1:51.3 eight-length track record victory in the $122,200 Gord & Illa Rumpel Memorial Stakes at Balzac’s Century Downs. The record time was one second and two-fifths quicker than the boys raced in the Ralph Klein the same day.
“An incredible mile,” regular driver Dave Kelly said afterwards.
“Shocked and overwhelmed,” concurred Starkewski.
Prone to drifting out in the stretch -- much to the consternation of the betting public -- but so good that it didn’t make a difference, Outlawguns N Roses banked $285,270 last year to bring her career earnings to a fat $380,810. Able to win on the lead or come from off the pace, Outlawguns N Roses -- bred by Connie Kolthammer’s Outlaw Stable and out of her prodigious unraced mare Gunslingin Gal -- also won the $131,720 Century Casino Filly Pace on Oct. 12, $53,900 Alberta Sires Stakes Princess final on the Aug. 31 when she paced her last half in :54.4, and the $56,900 ABSS Diamond final on May 25 by 10 gaping lengths.
Simply sensational and almost unbeatable, Outlawguns N Roses’ two losses came when she broke stride at the start of the July 13 ABSS Marquis final and before that -- by a length -- in the $118,000 Shirley McClellan Breeders Stakes on June 15 in a scintillating stretch drive at the hands of Byby Baby Byby, who got the pocket trip.
“She’s a pretty incredible filly,” Starkewski told Horse Racing Alberta last year. “She’s a happy horse. She’s on a different wave.”
“I’ve never driven anything like her,” Kelly was also quoted as saying. “She likes going fast and she’s got a big idle that allows her to carry her speed really well. She’s a lot of fun to drive.”
In other awards, Shark Week was the obvious choice as Aged Horse of the Year.
“He’s a freak of nature,” trainer Rod Hennessy said of the now seven-year-old monster he co-owns with Lorne Duffield.
At one point in his career, Shark Week won 17 straight races. Two years ago he paced in 1:49.2 at Century Downs to become the first Standardbred to go in under 1:50 in either Alberta or British Columbia.
Last year, the 2023 Horse of the Year won nine of a limited 10 starts.
The connections of Shark Week, Aged Male Horse of the Year
Another superstar feted on Saturday night was Grey Horizon as Champion Three-Year-Old Colt. A winner of nine of his 14 outings in 2024, Grey Horizon took all the ‘biggies’ including winning Alberta’s most prestigious sophomore harness race, the $107,030 Western Canada Pacing Derby on Oct. 12 at Century Mile, as well as the $80,000 Alberta Sires Stakes Super Final on Nov. 2 for his seventh consecutive triumph and the $105,570 Ralph Klein Memorial on Aug. 10 at Century Downs despite having his left hopple hanger come loose at the start and then throwing in some bad steps exiting the final turn.
“I thought I was going to lose him,” trainer/driver Brandon Campbell said at the time. “He just lost his footing. I wasn’t sure if I could keep him on stride. It was 50-50. I almost lost him.”
Grey Horizon’s portfolio last year also included the $54,500 Alberta Sires Stakes Plainsman final on Aug. 31 when he left out of the trailing position and had to come from far back before winning going away. On June 15, he won the $90,000 Moore’s Mile Breeders Stakes by nine lengths.
The connections of Grey Horizon, Three-Year-Old Colt of the Year
Grey Horizon was sold for an undisclosed price to Kellogg Racing Stables out of New York last November following the Super Final. Kellogg Racing also bought 20-race winner Virtual Horizon from the Campbell barn in 2023.
Before being sold Grey Horizon, who was the 2023 Champion Two-Year-Old Colt, won $340,725 for his previous owners, Jodi Loftus, Raymond Henry and George Rogers.
Custard Dolce, a winner of eight of her nine starts, was named Alberta’s Champion Two-Year-Old Filly for trainer Jamie Gray and his co-owners Jackson Wittup, Max Gibb and Derek Wilson.
The connections of Custard Dolce, Two-Year-Old Filly of the Year
Outlawminutbyminut was named the Open Two-Year-Old Colt of the Year while Momas Work Of Art was named the Champion Alberta-Bred Two-Year-Old Colt.
Outlawminutbyminut won four of his eight starts -- all stakes -- for trainer/driver Logan Gillis and his co-ownr Todd Teolis while Momas Work Of Art was out of the top three just once in his eight starts with victories that included a $27,400 Alberta Sires Stakes Rising Star division for trainer Shelly Arsenault and her partners Don M Jr. Stables and Wittup.
The connections of Outlawminutbyminut, Two-Year-Old Colt of the Year
Stash The Cookies defended her title as Champion Aged Mare, Cheese Whiz emerged as Champion Female Claimer of the Year and Came A Cavalier is Champion Male Claimer of the Year.
Stash The Cookies won 11 of her 17 outings -- all at the Mares Preferred level -- for trainer John Chappell and owner Derek Gilbert.
Cheese Whiz had 10 wins and 10 seconds for trainer Nathan Sobey and his co-owners Glenn Pinel and Glenda Winkleman, moving from the $7,000 claiming ranks to Preferred company.
Came A Cavalier had nine wins and 14 seconds for trainer Kelly Hoerdt and his co-owner Fred Gilbert, also moving all the way from $7,000 claiming races to Preferred company.
Rummys Command is the Champion Broodmare of 2024.
In individual awards, Travis Ellis was named Trainer of the Year; Chris Lancaster was Trainer of the Year with less than 200 starts; Mike Hennessy is Driver of the Year while Thomas Miller was top driver with less than 200 starts; Starkewski and Byckal were named Owners of the Year; Outlaw Stable was named Breeder of the Year; Amber Campbell was chosen as Caretaker of the Year; and Jamie Gray was awarded the coveted and newly named Keith Clark Horsemanship trophy.
Mike Hennessy (left), Driver of the Year, and Travis Ellis (right), Trainer of the Year
Jamie Gray (middle with trophy), winner of the Keith Clark Horsemanship Award
A photo gallery from the ASHA Awards by Orianna Scheck is available by clicking here.
(With files from Curtis Stock / thehorses.com)