The Sovereign Award for Outstanding Jockey is a Canadian thoroughbred horse racing honour given annually since 1975 by the Jockey Club of Canada. Part of the Sovereign Awards, the "Outstanding Jockey" laurel is similar to the Eclipse Award given to jockeys in the United States.
Honourees:
Desmond Sandford "Sandy" Hawley, is a Canadian Hall of Fame jockey.
The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 to honour those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and Thoroughbred horse racing in Canada. It is located at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario.
The Avelino Gomez Memorial Award is a Canadian thoroughbred horse racing honour given annually to a jockey who is Canadian-born, Canadian-raised, or a regular in the country for more than five years, who has made significant contributions to the sport. The honour is named for the late Cuban-born Canadian and American Hall of Fame jockey Avelino Gomez who died in 1980 of complications from injuries sustained in a racing accident.
Emile Ramsammy is a Canadian thoroughbred horse racing Champion jockey. He had more than 500 victories racing in the Caribbean before emigrating to Canada in the early 1990s.
Todd Kabel was a Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. A native of McCreary, Manitoba, he began his career as a jockey at Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and in 1987 started competing at tracks in Ontario, moving to Toronto permanently in 1991.
The Sovereign Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing honour. Created in 1975 by the Jockey Club of Canada, it is part of the Sovereign Awards program and is awarded annually to a jockey undergoing their apprenticeship.
The Sovereign Award for Outstanding Owner is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing honor. Created in 1975 by the Jockey Club of Canada, it is part of the Sovereign Awards program and is awarded annually to the most successful owner of Thoroughbred horses racing in Canada.
Patrick Husbands is a Barbadian jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing. The son of a jockey, he began riding as a young boy, turning professional in his home country where he rode successfully until emigrating to Toronto, Ontario in 1994. In 1990 he became the youngest jockey to win the prestigious Barbados Gold Cup at just 16 years, 9 months on his mount Vardar.
Larry Attard is a retired Hall of Fame Champion jockey and current horse trainer in Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing.
The Northern Dancer Turf Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario in mid-September. A Grade I event with a current purse of Can$300,000, it is run at a distance of 1+1⁄2 miles on Woodbine's E. P. Taylor turf course.
The Deputy Minister Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. An Ontario Sire Stakes, it is a restricted race for three-year-old horses sired by a stallion standing in the province of Ontario during the year of their birth. Run in mid July, it is contested over a distance of seven furlongs on Polytrack and currently carries a purse of $96,000 +.
The Overskate Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the latter part of October at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. An Ontario Sire Stakes, it is a restricted race for horses age three and older. It is currently contested over a distance of 7+1⁄2 furlongs on Woodbine's inner turf course with a purse of C$100,000.
Eurico Rosa da Silva is a retired Thoroughbred racing jockey who raced for five years in his native Brazil and another four years in Macau before coming to Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. While based in Canada, he also won races in the United States.
The Valedictory Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race run annually in late November or early December at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. Open to horses age three and older, the Grade III stakes is contested on a synthetic "all weather" surface over a distance of 1+1⁄2 miles.
David K. Clark is an English-Canadian jockey. Born in Blaydon, County Durham, England, Clark made his career in Canadian thoroughbred horse racing. He began riding professionally at Ontario racetracks in 1973 and went on to become one of Canada's most successful jockeys of all-time.
The Steady Growth Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race run annually in early June at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. An Ontario Sire Stakes, it is a restricted race for horses age three and older. Raced over a distance of 1+1⁄16 miles on Polytrack synthetic dirt, the Steady Growth Stakes currently carries a purse of $95,313
The South Ocean Stakes is a Canadian Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. A race for two-year-old fillies on Tapeta synthetic dirt over a distance of a mile and a sixteen, it offers a purse of $100,000. Part of the Ontario Sire Stakes program, it is restricted to horses sired by a stallion certified as standing in the Province of Ontario.
Starship Jubilee is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse who was named the 2019 Canadian Horse of the Year after recording three stakes wins that year including the Grade I E. P. Taylor Stakes. She was also named Canadian Champion Female Turf Horse in 2017, 2018 and 2019. In 2020, she has won five of seven starts including the Woodbine Mile.
Luis Contreras is a Mexican thoroughbred jockey since 2006. After starting his career in Mexico, Contreras started competing in the United States and Canada during the late 2000s. For his graded stakes race career, Contreras has won thirty six Grade III races, twenty two Grade II races and four Grade I races. At the 2011 Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, Contreras won the Queen's Plate, Prince of Wales Stakes, and Breeders' Stakes. He became the first jockey to use two horses to win the Canadian Triple Crown. In 2014, Contreras came short of another Canadian Triple Crown after finishing tenth at the Breeders' Stakes following wins at the Queen's Plate and Prince of Wales.