The 2016 O’Brien Awards are scheduled for Saturday, January 28, 2017 at the Hilton Mississauga / Meadowvale Hotel in Mississauga, Ontario.
Tickets will go on sale on Monday, December 5. Full details on the event are available here: O'Brien Awards - General Information.
Earlier this year, Standardbred Canada’s Board of Directors made some changes to the criteria for some of the award categories. The changes are as follows:
O’Brien Award of Horsemanship – Candidates must be trainer-drivers
Trainer of the Year – Trainers must have a minimum of 30 percent of their total starts (to Nov. 30) in Canada.
Future Star – In addition to the eligibility criteria for Future Star which includes:
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Must have made the majority of his/her starts in Canada in the year of consideration (over 50 percent)
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Does not have to be a Canadian citizen
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Cannot win this award more than once
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Cannot be over the age of 30 as of December 31
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Must be within the first three full-time years of the person’s career as either a trainer or driver
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Full-time requirement for trainers is a minimum of 75 starts (per calendar year)
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Full-time requirement for drivers is a minimum of 150 starts (per calendar year)
The following candidates will be excluded from consideration for the Future Star Award:
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Any candidate who has any one or a number of suspensions totalling 60 days or more in any of the three years of eligibility, or carrying over into the year of presentation.
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Any trainer who has received a positive test for a Class I, II, or III drug in any of the three years of eligibility.
Ballots will be sent out to O’Brien voters on Friday, December 2 and fan balloting will also be available that day on standardbredcanada.ca
Completed ballots are due by Friday, December 16 at 5:00 p.m. (EST) and the finalists in all of the categories will be announced on Tuesday, December 20 at 2:00 p.m. (EST).