TORONTO, March 25, 2019 – The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame announced its 2019 ballot. A total of 30 people and horses comprised of 15 Standardbred and 15 Thoroughbred candidates, have been selected to appear on the voting ballot. A 20-person Election Committee for each breed will determine the winners in their respective categories. Results will be announced Tuesday, April 9. The five categories selected by the Standardbred nominating committee to appear on the 2019 Standardbred ballots are Builder, Driver, Trainer, Female Horse and Male Horse. For the first time, the Driver/Trainer category has been divided into two separate categories. Standardbred Builder Category candidates include Ian Fleming, J. Hugh Proudfoot and Alain Veilleux. Ian Fleming’s career in the horse racing industry began as race secretary at his home track in Clinton, Ont. That evolved into managing the racetrack and from there he went on to create a centralized Race Office for several Ontario tracks in the 1990s, which now services racetracks across the province. Fleming was also the Racing & Gaming Manager at Western Fair Raceway for a number of years. In addition to his racing related responsibilities, he continues to find ways to give back to the industry and his community through fundraising initiatives such as the bi-annual Legends Day at Clinton Raceway. The 2017 edition of Legends Day hosted harness racing fans from across North America to witness John Campbell’s final career race. Fleming was also an important part of the fundraising efforts following the Classy Lane Fire. Hugh Proudfoot, born in Fort Coulonge, Que. in 1912, was an active harness racing participant as a breeder, trainer, owner and executive. His Pontiac Farm was a successful racing operation for decades throughout Québec and Ontario. Proudfoot was a leader when it came to sponsoring races at Fort Coulonge, Chapeau, Shawville, Pembroke and beyond. As an executive, he served as a Director of the Canadian Trotting Association (CTA) for 11 years, as Vice-President for seven before becoming President of the CTA in 1959. He had great vision as evidenced by his belief that the CTA and Canadian Standardbred Horse Society (CSHS) should amalgamate. He also believed that the CTA should provide insurance for drivers and advocated licensing women drivers. Alain Veilleux of St-Hughes, Que., the son of CHRHF honoured member Gerard Veilleux is a second generation horseman who is involved in all aspects of harness racing. The family’s Standardbred operation, Ferme Drummond, continues to breed, with an estimated 600 plus horses carrying the Drummond name throughout the farm’s history. Alain Veilleux continues to train a few of the homebreds, as well as yearling sale purchases, racing primarily in the Québec market. Veilleux sits on the board of Standardbred Canada, currently as a Breeder Director for Québec and has been instrumental in operating the fair circuit of racing in Québec (Le Circuit régional). The 2019 Standardbred Driver Ballot features Luc Ouellette, Trevor Ritchie and Larry Walker. Driver Luc Ouellette, winner of the 2004 O’Brien Award, was successful in Canada and the United States. In addition to being the two-time leading driver on the Woodbine Entertainment Group circuit in 2004 and 2005, he was the leading driver at the Meadowlands in 1999, 2000, 2002, and 2003. A winner of 8,589 races and almost $137 million in earnings, he won 10 Breeders Crown races during his driving career with horses including Anndrovette, Brigham Dream and Armbro Amoretto. In 2002, Ouellette won the North America Cup with Red River Hanover. Before retiring from driving in 2014, Trevor Ritchie won many premier races in North America including the North America Cup, Meadowlands Pace, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Prix d’Ete, Provincial Cup, Metro Pace, Canadian Pacing Derby, Trotting Classic Final for mares and Champlain Stakes. During his career, he had 3,710 driving wins and drove horses to over $70 million in purse earnings. Ritchie enjoyed a career year in 2000 when he won the Hambletonian with Yankee Paco, marking the first time a Canadian-sired horse won that event. Later that year, he won three Breeders Crown Championships, tying him with John Campbell as the only other driver in history at the time to accomplish that feat, and he was voted Canada’s Driver of the Year. Top horses driven by Ritchie in addition to Yankee Paco included Quite A Sensation, Frugal Gourmet, Road Machine, Armbro Agile, Peaceful Way, Majestic Son, Banker Hall and Rotation. During his driving career, Larry Walker, son of Hall of Famer Allan Walker, accumulated 2,394 wins and $21,116,465 in earnings in 16,925 starts. Born in Owen Sound, Ont., Walker won his first race at Mohawk Raceway in 1963 and later earned a reputation as a trotting specialist. Some of Walker’s top stakes victories included the 1980 Maple Leaf Trot with Lindys Crown, 1986 Canadian Pacing Derby behind Witsends Gypsy in a World Record time, the 1986 Kentucky Filly Futurity driving Armbro Ermine and 1986 Labatts Invitational with Next Knight Out. His success during 1986 propelled Walker to the title of CTA Horseman of the Year. In the Standardbred Trainer category voters will select from John Bax, William Robinson and Jimmy Takter. Trotting specialist and 2001 Canadian Trainer of the Year, John Bax’s most prominent pupil to date is Hall of Fame gelding Goodtimes, a winner of 50 races and over $2.2 million in earnings, making him the richest Canadian-bred trotter of all time when he retired. Other Bax trainees include 2001 Breeders Crown winner Duke of York, Define the World, the Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) three-year-old trotter of the year in 2008, Riveting Rosie, OSS Super Final winner and O’Brien divisional winner in 2013 and 2014. In the 2014 Peaceful Way Stakes, a trio of Bax trainees — Stubborn Belle, Juanitas Fury and Southwind Champane — swept the triactor. Bax’s training stats include 822 wins and $22.8 million in earnings. Trainer William (Bill) Robinson of Caledonia, Ont., is a four-time winner of the O’Brien Award as Canada’s Trainer of the Year (1993, 1994, 2002, 2003). During his career, he amassed earnings of $54.8 million in 8,998 starts (2738-1380-1081). Horses successfully campaigned under Robinson’s tutelage included Hall of Fame members Mach Three and Precious Bunny, along with Riyadh, Presidential Ball, Art Major, Cams Card Shark, Dragon Again and Western Dreamer. Swedish-born, U.S.-based Standardbred trainer Jimmy Takter has seen tremendous success on Canadian soil. With 1,325 starts in Canada, he has visited the winner’s circle 266 times and collected purse earnings of more than $34.2 million. Takter has won 103 stakes races on the Woodbine Entertainment Group circuit. Horses trained by Takter have won a total of 19 O’Brien Awards, including at least one O’Brien Award in 15 of the 19 years between his first award in 1999 with Moni Maker and his most recent with The Ice Dutchess in 2018. The Standardbred Female Horse Category features Great Memories, Put On A Show and Tricky Tooshie. Great Memories, by Apaches Fame and out of Armbro Emerson daughter Save the Memories, was bred by Glengate Farms and is now owned by Ontario Standardbred nursery Warrawee Farm. Among Great Memories’ offspring are two world champions: Warrawee Needy and Warrawee Ubeaut. Warrawee Needy was a winner of 29 races and more than $1.25 million. He took a mark of 1:49.4s at age two, was faster still at three (1:48.4s) and at four was the fastest in the world (1:46.4). Warrawee Ubeaut, won the 2018 Breeders Crown for two-year-old pacing fillies, has a lifetime mark of 1:48.3 and earned $646,995 in 12 starts. In total, Great Memories’ nine racing age progeny have earned over $2.66 million, with three breaking the 1:50 barrier (the third being Big Bay Point). Put On A Show, a daughter of Rocknroll Hanover, earned over $2.4 million, with 31 wins in 50 starts. On Canadian soil during her two-year-old season she won the Eternal Camnation as well as an elimination and 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. At three, she won the Simcoe Stakes, as well as an elimination of the Fan Hanover and finished second in the final. Tricky Tooshie was bred and owned during her racing career by Laurent Bergevin of Québec. Trainers included her co-breeder Jean L. Deblois, followed by Rick Zeron and then Linda Bedard. In seven years of racing, she made 142 starts for a 44-29-24 record, posted a mark of 1:52.1 at Woodbine Racetrack and earned $1,005,566, becoming the first Canadian-sired mare to reach $1 million in earnings. As a broodmare, 11 of her 13 foals made it to the races to earn over $3 million for average earnings per starter of $284,000. Her richest foal was True North Hanover, a winner of $732,912. Nominated In the category of Standardbred Male Horse are Angus Hall, Earl and Shadow Play. As a racehorse, Angus Hall earned $830,554 in 26 lifetime starts and set a mark of 1:54.3. To date, his offspring have earned over $102 million and includes six millionaires: 2008 CHRHF inductee Peaceful Way, Majestic Son, Elusive Desire, Winning Mister, Frenchfrysnvinegar and Laddie. His contribution to trotting bloodlines continues through top broodmares whose offspring have earned more than $45 million. Earl, a winner of 35 races and over $984,000 in his career, was the first horse in Canadian harness racing to three-peat as an O’Brien Award winner. When he retired, he was the Canadian record-holder on a seven-eighths mile track (1:54.2s), a five-eighths mile track (1:55f) as well as the co-holder, with Mack Lobell, of the world record on a half-mile track (1:56h). As a stallion, Earl sired two millionaires: O’Brien Award winner JM Vangogh (1:52.4s; $2,285,500) and trotting mare Earl Of My Dreams (1:55; $1,016,611). His North American sire stats show 351 starters from 490 foals, with total progeny earnings of $32.7 million. Shadow Play earned $1,559,822 with 20 wins, nine seconds and five thirds in 49 lifetime starts and took a record of 1:47.4 as a four-year-old. The son of The Panderosa, trained and co-owned by Dr. Ian Moore along with R G MC Group Ltd., and Serge Savard for most of his racing career, won several stakes events including the 2008 Little Brown Jug. As a sire standing at Winbak Farm in Ontario, and now owned by the Shadow Play Syndicate, he has sired the winners of over $28.9 million including three-time O’Brien Award winner and double millionaire Lady Shadow and millionaire Percy Bluechip. The five categories selected for the 2019 Thoroughbred ballot are Builder, Jockey, Trainer, Female Horse, and Veteran Horse. A Thoroughbred Builder ballot comprised of Phillip Kives, Sam Lima and Bory Margolus is offered for voter consideration. The late Phillip Kives, based in Manitoba, known worldwide as the owner of K-Tel and the inventor of the info-mercial, became involved in Thoroughbred racing in 1977 with the launch of K-4 Stables (later changed to K-5) to recognize the addition of his son to the Kives family. His passion for racing continued for four decades until his passing in 2016. Kives owned and bred horses were of multiple stakes races at Winnipeg’s Assiniboia Downs as well as in Kentucky, Florida, New York, Ontario and Alberta. As owner, Mr. Kives won every single stakes race at Assiniboia not just once, but multiple times each, including two Manitoba Derbies, (best three-year-olds) eight Gold Cups (race for top older horses), three Winnipeg Futurities (best two-year-olds) and five Matrons (top filly/mare). The late Sam Lima’s involvement in racing spanned 57 years as an owner, a promoter of the sport through the Toronto Thoroughbred Racing Club and in the many positions he held with the HBPA, where he was a leader and advocate for the services and resources available to track workers, not only while they were in the industry, but following their time on the backstretch. Lima was also the first Chairman of the Fort Erie Advisory Board from 1985-1994 and advocated diligently for the continuation of racing at Fort Erie. In 1992, he played an important role in establishing a simulcasting policy that still remains today. Mr. Lima, who recently passed away, was recognized in 2018 by the Jockey Club of Canada with the E. P. Taylor Memorial Award for his lifetime contributions. Alberta-based Bory Margolus was a successful business executive who would also become a leading force in Western Canada’s Thoroughbred racing industry. From the time he purchased his first horse in 1952 until his retirement from the industry in 1986, Mr. Margolus and his Elmbrook Farm near Edmonton were dominant in Alberta as leading money-winning owner for nine consecutive years. He also received national racing recognition in the form of two Sovereign Awards – in 1975 as Canada’s Outstanding Owner and in 1977 as Outstanding Breeder. Gary Boulanger, Richard Dos Ramos and Mickey Walls have been selected to appear on the Thoroughbred Jockey ballot. Edmonton, Alberta born Gary Boulanger began his riding career in 1987, spending his early years at tracks in the U.S. and earning leading jockey status at Longacres Racetrack (1989, 1990, 1991) and Calder Race Course (1994, 1995). In 2000, Boulanger returned to Canada, riding primarily at Woodbine. In 2001, the top money winning year of his career, he rode Hall of Fame filly Dancethruthedawn to wins in the Canadian Oaks and Queen’s Plate Stakes. Despite suffering what could have been career ending injuries from a racing accident at Gulfstream Park in 2005, Boulanger fought back and continues to ride, splitting his time between Florida and Woodbine. The 2017 Avelino Gomez Award recipient has, to date, won 3,578 races including 41 grades stakes and has earnings of over $78 million. Richard Dos Ramos retired from riding in 2013 as the senior statesman of the Woodbine Jockey’s Room following a career that began in 1981 at Greenwood, where a total of 142 wins garnered him the Sovereign Award as Canada’s top apprentice jockey. He won a second Sovereign in 1982. During the 1990s, the Trinidadian-born jock experienced some of his top career highlights including his 1992 upset aboard Benburb over legendary A.P. Indy in the Molson Export Million and a 1999 longshot victory in the $1.5 million Canadian International aboard Thornfield, both trained by CHRHF honoured member Philip England. His success continued through the millennium when he was the distinguished recipient of the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award in 2002 and followed up the same day with a win in the Canadian Oaks with Ginger Gold. Dos Ramos’ career stats include 2,159 wins in 18,645 starts and almost $61 million in earnings. Mickey Walls, born in Vancouver, B.C. to a horse racing family, he was destined to be involved in the racing industry. In 1990 at age 16, Walls won his first Sovereign Award as Canada’s Outstanding Apprentice Jockey. The following year, he won both the Outstanding Apprentice Jockey and Outstanding Jockey Award, and the Eclipse Award in the U.S. Following time off to recuperate from injuries in 1992, he returned in 1993 to once again be Woodbine’s leading rider. After competing in the U.S. at various tracks, he returned to his homeland in 1996, winning the final two legs of the Canadian Triple Crown. In 1999, he won the Queen’s Plate aboard Woodcarver. Wall’s career stats over his 12-year career include 1,453 wins in 8,868 races and earnings of $37.3 million. The three Trainers on the 2019 Thoroughbred Election ballot are Josie Carroll, Michael Keogh and Daniel J. Vella. Since obtaining her training license in the mid ’90s, Josie Carroll has accumulated 795 wins and earnings in excess of $44.7 million in 4,785 starts for owners including Eugene Melnyk, Ivan Dalos and Donver Stables. Carroll is the first female trainer to win the Queen’s Plate, doing so in 2006 with Edenwold and again in 2011 with Inglorious. She also had a second-place finish in the 2014 Plate with Ami’s Holiday, who went on to win the prestigious Breeders’ Stakes. In 2009, her trainee Careless Jewel brought her a trio of graded stakes wins in the U.S. with the Alabama (G1) at Saratoga, the Delaware Oaks (G2) and Cotillion Stakes (G2). As longtime private trainer for Hall of Fame Builder Gus Schickedanz, Mike Keogh is a two-time Queen’s Plate winning trainer, first with Woodcarver in 1999 and then with Triple Crown champion Wando in 2003. During that Triple Crown-winning season, Keogh was also training stablemate Mobil, who would earn a Sovereign Award at four. Hall of Fame horse Langfuhr, also trained by Keogh, won three Grade 1 stakes and received the Sovereign in 1996 as Champion Sprinter. As an assistant to Hall of Fame Trainer Roger Attfield from 1986-1993, Keogh worked with a long list of Hall of Fame inductees including Alywow, Peteski, Carotene, Izvestia and With Approval. Since 1993, Keogh stats include 2,620 starts with 322 wins and over $21 million in earnings. Daniel Vella captured the Sovereign Award Trainer title in both 1994 and 1995. He has won the coveted Queen’s Plate twice in his career thus far, the first in 1994 with Frank Stronach’s Basqueian and followed up with his second win in 2012 with Strait of Dover for Wally and Terry Leong. Vella has scored 135 career stakes wins in a career that began in 1985. His current career stats include 5,364 starts (822-795-656) and $37.3 million in earnings. In the Thoroughbred Female Horse category voters will select from Hard Not To Like, Lexie Lou and Marketing Mix. Bred in Ontario by Garland Williamson, well-travelled Hard Not To Like won at five of the eight tracks she visited during her 22 starts over five years. She earned more than $1.2 million while accumulating eight victories including the Jenny Wiley Stakes (Gr 1) at Keeneland in 2014, the Diana Stakes (Gr 1) at Saratoga in 2015 and the Gamely Stakes (Gr 1) at Santa Anita the same year for three Grade 1 turf scores at three different tracks. The striking grey filly by Hard Spun and out of Tactical Cat mare Like a Gem, herself a multiple graded stakes winner, was indeed bred for success. Lexie Lou was purchased in the 2012 CTHS Yearling sale by owner/trainer John Ross, who directed her two-year-old campaign of eight starts at Woodbine, including two stakes wins. Following her first start as a three-year-old, she was purchased by U.S.-based owner Gary Barber and moved to trainer Mark Casse’s stable. The filly established herself as the best filly in Canada by winning both the 2014 Woodbine Oaks and Queen’s Plate, becoming only the 6th one to complete the Oaks/Plate double. Her first turf race and victory came later in the Wonder Where Stakes. She was named 2014 Sovereign Award Horse of the Year, Champion Grass Horse and Champion Three-Year-old Filly. Additional races of note include a graded stakes win in the Autumn Miss Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita and a second-place finish to U.S. HOY California Chrome in the Hollywood Derby (G1) at Delmar. Following time off in 2015, she came back as a five-year-old in 2016, winning both the Nassau (G2) and Dance Smartly Stakes (G2) to earn the title of Sovereign Award Champion Turf Female. Marketing Mix, an Ontario-bred Medaglia D’Oro filly bred by Sean Fitzhenry, was a $150,000 Keeneland yearling purchase in 2009. Her 21-race career for Glen Hill Farm of Ocala, Florida, under the tutelage of trainer Tom Proctor, banked $2 million in earnings with 10 wins including stakes victories in the 2012 editions of the Rodeo Drive Stakes (G1), Nassau (G2), Dance Smartly (G2) and the 2013 Gamely Stakes (G1) as well as 2nd-place finishes in the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf and the 2013 Rodeo Drive Stakes (G1). The Thoroughbred Veteran Horse category will be contested by All Along (FR), Alydeed and Loudrangle. French-bred filly All Along, was the first winner of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) to race in Canada winning the Rothmans International (G1) as part of a 41-day international tour that also included wins in the Turf Classic (G1) at Aqueduct and the Washington, D.C. International (G1) at Laurel. Named Horse of the Year on two continents for owner Daniel Wildenstein and family, All Along (FR) was named Champion Older Horse in France and 1983 Horse of the Year in the U.S., the first female and foreign-based horse to win an Eclipse Award as Horse of the Year. Alydeed, bred by Anderson Farms, owned by Kinghaven Farms and trained by Roger Attfield, broke his maiden in the Victoria Stakes, his only start at two. In 1991, at three, the son of English Two Thousand Guineas winner Shadeed, won the Grade 3 Derby Trial at Churchill Downs and followed up with a close second in the Preakness Stakes. Upon returning to Woodbine, Alydeed won the Marine, Plate Trial and Queen’s Plate Stakes by a combined total of 22 ½ lengths. His four-year-old season included an allowance win at Gulfstream Park over American champion Fly So Free, despite conceding him eight pounds. Consecutive wins followed in the Grade 3 Commonwealth at Keeneland and Grade 1 Carter Handicap at Aqueduct. Alydeed retired with a record of nine wins, two seconds and two thirds in 18 starts and earnings of $930,689. Loudrangle was a yearling purchase by Ernie Samuel from the 1975 CTHS September Sale and went on to become one of Sam-Son Farm’s foundation mares. During her race career from age two to four, she chalked up a record of 9-2-2 in 22 starts, including a win in the Princess Elizabeth Stakes. Voted Broodmare of the Year in 1986, her progeny include champions Ruling Angel and Tilt My Halo as well as stakes winner Tiffany Tam, No Louder, Slew of Angels and Dancing With Winds, who have in turn gone on to produce the likes of Regal Intention, Soaring Free and others. Sam-Son broodmares Smarty Fly and Strike Red continue to produce horses carrying Loudrangle’s dam line. The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame 2019 Induction Ceremony will be hosted at the Mississauga Convention Centre on Wednesday, August 7, 2019. Additional information about the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame may be found at www.canadianhorseracinghalloffame.com (Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame) Share This:Share
