The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame (CHRHF) announced on Wednesday, April 8 the organization's 2026 inductees, marking the 50th year of honouring the best in Canadian racing.
This 50th Anniversary Class features six Standardbred, six Thoroughbred and two Legend inductees, all of which can be described as accomplished industry leaders, skilled horsepeople and horses that have thrilled fans.
Class of 2026 - Standardbred Inductees
Builder - Dr. Maurice Stewart
Male Horse - Majestic Son
Veteran Horse - Western Dreamer
Female Horse - Put On A Show
Trainer - Doug Arthur
Driver - Mike Saftic
Dr. Maurice "Mo" Stewart, a 1974 Graduate of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, was described by Canadian Racing Hall of Fame inductee Keith Clark as a "tireless worker trying to improve Alberta racing." Further, "he is a respected veterinarian, successful breeder/owner and a relentless advocate for Alberta on the national scene." During his 35+ years of service to Canadian racing, Stewart has volunteered with numerous industry organizations on boards, committees, as a delegate and a leader in the industry to meetings, functions, galas, conferences and seminars at the provincial, national and international level, all for the betterment of the sport.
Majestic Son’s racing career consisted of 38 starts, including 22 wins, a mark of 1:52.2 and $1,993,157 in purse earnings. A son of CHRHF inductee Angus Hall out of the King Conch mare, Celtic Contessa, Majestic Son was trained by Mark Steacy for the Majestic Son Stable. His career was highlighted by wins in premiere stakes for sophomore trotters including the Champlain, Goodtimes, Canadian Trotting Classic and Breeders Crown en route to winning Horse of the Year honours in Canada. As a sire, his North American progeny have earned $25.4 million including millionaires Charmed Life and Perfetto among six $750,000 winners, nine $500,000 winners, 31 winners of $250,000 and 66 winners of $100,000. Now standing stud in the Southern Hemisphere, Majestic Son was New Zealand’s Trotting Stallion of the Year in 2024 for the seventh season and he’s topped the charts among trotting stallions in Australia nine times.
Western Dreamer’s resume includes 27 victories and earnings of $1.8 million. In 1997, he was voted Horse of the Year in Canada and Pacer of the Year the United States for owners Mathew, Patrick and Daniel Daly following wins in the Art Rooney Memorial Pace and the U.S. Pacing Triple Crown. The son of Western Hanover-Fits Of Fun holds the distinction of being the only gelding to win a Pacing Triple Crown. He resided at the Hall of Champions at the Kentucky Horse Park since July 2001 until his passing in March 2026 at the age of 32.
Put On A Show, a daughter of Rocknroll Hanover, earned more than $2.4 million, with 31 wins in 50 starts. On Canadian soil during her two-year-old season, she won the Eternal Camnation Stakes as well as an elimination and the final of the Shes A Great Lady, and was second in both the two-year-old filly pace elimination and final of the Breeders Crown at Woodbine Racetrack. As a broodmare, Put On A Show has produced six foals of racing age with three winners, including Pepsi North America Cup and Little Brown Jug winner Its My Show ($1,814,958; 1:46.4) and Meadowlands Pace winner Best In Show ($763,119; 1:48).
Doug Arthur had a reputation in harness racing as a “developer of champions” after taking Cam Fella, a $19,000 yearling purchase, and developing him into the Harness Horse of the Year in 1982 and 1983. The legacy of Cam Fella as a racehorse, a sire and a foundation to the Standardbred breed, relates directly to his original purchaser and developer, Doug Arthur. Over time, Arthur was deemed by his peers as an astute judge of horseflesh and being able to identify a yearling’s potential talent, spending a significant amount of time inspecting a vast number of yearlings.
Mike Saftic started his harness race career as a driver in 1981 in his hometown of Sudbury, Ont., before moving to the Ontario Jockey Club circuit, where he began working with Garth Gordon. His first big break came in 1989 driving Free-For-All pacer Soft Light, who took Saftic across North America winning multiple Can-Am races, the Monctonian Pace and his first Meadowlands driving victory. Among the standout horses driven by Saftic is CHRHF inductee and Horse of the Year Ellamony, who Saftic guided to victory in the Breeders Crown. Other notable horses and victories include Metro Pace champion Sir Luck, Jugette winner Pleasure Chest and Gold Cup & Saucer winner Nuclear Flash. In 1995, he represented Canada in the International Driving Championships in Russia. Over a 40+ year career, Saftic's stats include $102 million in purse earnings.
Class of 2026 - Thoroughbred Inductees
Builder - John Burness
Trainer - Dale Saunders
Communicator - Michael Burns Jr.
Jockey - Richard Dos Ramos
Female Horse - One For Rose
Male Horse - Rahy's Attorney
John Burness (Brnjas) has been involved in the Thoroughbred breeding and racing industry for over 50 years and continues to operate his Ontario-based Colebrook Farms, which is currently standing five stallions. The 350-acre facility provides complete cycle of breeding services extending to foaling out mares, weaning, breaking, boarding and state-of-the-art, on-site training facilities. His operation extends from Canada to the United States, purchasing and claiming horses. He is a co-owner of Grade 1 stakes winner Johnny Bear. In 2025, Colebrook Farms celebrated its 700th career victory.
Alberta-based Dale Saunders began his career as a Thoroughbred trainer in the mid-1960s, racking up 2,177 wins in 12,915 starts and purse earning of more than $17.5 million. Named the E.P. Taylor Award of Merit winner by the Jockey’s Club of Canada in 2022, Saunders was Alberta’s leading trainer a total of eight times and was named that province’s Horseperson of the Year in 2012. Some of his victories came from many of the top Thoroughbreds in Alberta racing history, including Dark Hours, Shady Remark, Highland Leader, Fair March and Mandalero, to name a few.
Following in the footsteps of his father, CHRHF inductee Michael Burns Sr., Michael Burns Jr. joined his father's photography business in the late 1970s. He is the official photographer of Woodbine Racetrack. He has shot photos at 24 Breeders' Cups for various media organizations and publications. His contribution to horse racing has been recognized with multiple Sovereign Awards, O’Brien Awards and Dan Patch Awards. In addition to his horse racing coverage, Burns' work has included telling the story of multiple national and international sports competitions. In 2022, Burns was inducted into the Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame.
Richard Dos Ramos was the senior member of the Woodbine Jockeys' Room in terms of years of service when he retired in 2013. The classy veteran began his riding career in the spring of 1981 at Greenwood. He claimed the rider’s title at both the Woodbine and Greenwood autumn meets that same year, as well as being named top apprentice jockey for the first of two consecutive years. It was during the following decade that two of his finest riding accomplishments came for CHRHF inducted owner Steve Stavro, and his CHRHF inducted trainer, Phil England. In 1992, he steered Benburb to a huge upset win over A.P. Indy in the Molson Export Million. In 1999, he guided longshot Thornfield to victory in the $1.5 million Canadian International (Grade 1). Dos Ramos was honoured with the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award in 2002 before winning the Canadian Oaks with Ginger Gold. His career statistics include 18,645 races with 2,159 wins, 2,242 seconds, 2,206 thirds and nearly $61 million USD in purse earnings.
A three-time Canadian champion filly or mare, One For Rose was bred by John Sikura’s Hill ‘N’ Dale Farm, owned by the Tucci Stables of Toronto, Ont., and trained by CHRHF inductee Sid Attard. During her lengthy career, One For Rose twice beat the boys in the Seagram Cup and had repeat wins in the Algoma Stakes, Maple Leaf and Ontario Matron. She was named the Sovereign Award recipient as Canada’s Champion Older Female Horse in 2003, 2004 and 2005. As a broodmare, she produced five winners from six foals, including two million-dollar-plus earners.
Rahy’s Attorney was an underdog that just wouldn’t quit. The result of a $3,000 mating by a small Canadian breeder, Rahy’s Attorney defied all expectations and became one of the country’s most enduring fan favourites, all while earning $2,120,208 USD. In 2008, he landed a shocker of a victory in the Grace 1 $1 million Woodbine Mile over Kip Deville, a Breeders' Cup champion and the continent’s best miler at the time. That win contributed to Rahy’s Attorney being named Canada’s Champion Grass Horse of 2008. In 2009, he set a course record for 1-1/8 miles, clocking in at 1:44.73, in the Grade 2 King Edward Stakes at Woodbine Racetrack. He also won the Grade 2 Nijinsky Stakes and was a three-time winner of the Bunty Lawless Stakes. In 41 starts, he won 14 races, with 10 seconds and four thirds.
Class of 2026 - Legend Inductees
William Henry Riddell
Eva Ring
The Legend Category recognizes horses and people with Canadian horse racing accomplishments occurring at least 50 years prior to induction, with a particular focus on individuals considered “Unsung Heroes” and “Trailblazers” whose contributions helped shape the sport in Canada.
The two individuals named Legend inductees in 2026 include a man often referred to as the "Dean of Ontario Harness Racing" and a woman who was one of the very first of her gender to be granted a license as a jockey and as a trainer.
Over his lifetime, Orangeville, Ont. resident William Henry Riddell was devoted to harness racing as a veterinarian, a breeder, a trainer and a driver during the 1920s and 1930s. He built a nationally renowned Standardbred stable with horses he bred carrying the "Riddell" name on their registration papers.
During a time in North American history when women were not permitted to obtain a jockey license or ride in flat races alongside their male counterparts, Eva Ring was a trailblazer who managed to overcome such obstacles. As a jockey throughout the Prairies of Western Canada during the 1930s and 1940s, Ring competed in both “powder puff” events and races against male jockeys. In 1949, following the conclusion of her riding career, Ring obtained her trainer’s license from the Prairie Thoroughbred Breeders Racing Association, making her among the first females to ride and train winning racehorses in Western Canada.
The Class of 2026 will be inducted on Aug. 12, 2026 during an induction gala held at the Mississauga Convention Centre in Mississauga, Ont. Additional details, including information about event tickets, will be announced on May 1.
(With files from Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame)