Brereton C. Jones’ homebred Biofuel, who had to share a Sovereign Award as
co-champion two-year-old filly in 2009, took center stage all by herself when
honored as Canada’s Horse of the Year at Friday night’s awards ceremony at
Woodbine.
Biofuel was a perfect four-for-four over Woodbine’s Polytrack in 2010,
capturing the Star Shoot, La Lorgnette, Belle Mahone and the Grade 3 Selene. The
Read Baker trainee’s only two losses came in Grade 1 company in New York, where
she finished second in the Coaching Club American Oaks and third in the Mother
Goose.
A commanding choice for the Canadian three-year-old filly title, Biofuel
garnered 144 votes in that category, 94 more than Free Fee Lady’s tally of 50.
The margin was closer for Horse of the Year, with Biofuel prevailing over
Miss Keller, the year’s champion turf female, by a score of 95-58. Grand
Adventure, the champion turf male for 2010, attracted 26 votes for Horse of the
Year.
The Kentucky-bred Biofuel sports a career mark of 11-6-1-1, $758,492. She
remains in training for a four-year-old campaign, and just returned to the
worktab with a three-furlong move in :37 3/5 at Palm Meadows last Monday.
Miss Keller handily beat a pair of her stablemates from the Roger Attfield
barn for the champion turf female crown, amassing 134 votes compared to Mekong
Melody’s 44 and Perfect Shirl’s 32. Miss Keller won or placed in five of six
starts last year, with the lone blemish being a ninth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly
& Mare Turf. Otherwise, she recorded wins in the Grade 2 Canadian and the
De La Rose and placings in the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor and the Nassau, Churchill
Distaff Turf Mile and Ballston Spa, all Grade 2 events.
Attfield, who won his eighth Sovereign Award as outstanding trainer, was
responsible for two more champions of 2010. Sand Cove took home the champion
older male award, on the strength of victories in the Grade 3 Seagram Cup, Sir
Barton, Overskate and Steady Growth. Impossible Time’s scores in the Classy ‘n
Smart, Victoriana and Ballade propelled her to champion older female honors.
Sam-Son Farms collected its 10th outstanding owner award (including those
earned by its founder, the late Ernie Samuel), and its best colorbearer of 2010
was Grand Adventure. The Mark Frostad charge’s wins in the Grade 2 King Edward
and Grade 3 Connaught, and runner-up efforts in the Grade 1 Nearctic, Grade 2
Nijinsky and Grade 3 Shakertown, were enough to secure the trophy for champion
turf male.
The Nick Gonzalez-trained Big Red Mike parlayed his Queen’s Plate heroics
into the Sovereign Award for champion three-year-old male. His best results came
over the summer, including a win in the Plate Trial and a third in the Prince of
Wales.
Champion male sprinter went to Hollywood Hit, who landed the Grade 3 Vigil in
track-record time at Woodbine, along with the Jacques Cartier and King Corrie,
and finished second in both the Bold Venture and the Grade 3 Phoenix. Indian
Apple Is ranked as the champion female sprinter following coups in the Ontario
Fashion and Sweet Briar Too and a runner-up performance in the Grade 3 Seaway.
The two juvenile champions, Madman Diaries and Delightful Mary, each held
their own at the Breeders’ Cup. Madman Diaries, a track record-setting maiden
winner at Woodbine, later added the Victoria and Grade 3 Sapling to his resume,
and concluded his 2010 campaign with a close fourth in the Grade 2 Breeders’ Cup
Juvenile Turf. Delightful Mary didn’t win a stakes last season, but her third in
the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies likely clinched her divisional
Sovereign. The Mark Casse filly returned to action with a perfunctory score in
the March 14 O.B.S. Championship for fillies, and she’s expected to contest next
Saturday’s Grade 1 Ashland.
Eurico Rosa da Silva, the regular rider for both Biofuel and Big Red Mike,
earned his first Sovereign Award as outstanding jockey, while Omar Moreno
repeated as the outstanding apprentice.
Adena Springs, which won four straight outstanding breeder awards before
missing out in 2009, regained the title.
Destroy, the dam of Grade 2 winner Smokey Fire and stakes scorers Utterly
Cool and Ghost Fleet, was rated as the outstanding broodmare.
The media awards went to Tod Marks (outstanding photograph), CBC Television
Network Sports (outstanding film/video/broadcast), Beverley Smith (outstanding
newspaper story) and Perry Lefko (outstanding feature story).