OSS Stars Precious Delight, Duke Of York, Donven Promise, Liberty Balance win O’Brien Awards; Bax voted Canada’s top trainer of 2001

Four stars of the rich Ontario Sires Stakes program in 2001 were front and center at the annual O’Brien Awards on Feb. 2. The O’Brien Awards are the highest honour harness racing bestows upon its heroes in Canada.

Precious Delight (Precious Bunny-Staying Happy) was a perfect 11-for-11 in her maiden campaign in 2001 and swept the O’Brien Award as Canada’s two-year-old filly pacer of the year. Owned and bred by R. Peter Heffering of Port Perry, ON, Precious Delight earned $596,625 and won $100,000 OSS Gold Final events at Windsor Raceway and London’s Western Fair Raceway as well as the $250,00 Super Final at Mohawk in November.

Duke Of York (Balanced Image-Armbro Monarch) won the O’Brien Award as Canada’s top two-year-old colt trotter of 2001. The Duke won four of seven OSS starts last year including a Gold Final at Mohawk. He finished his freshman year with a bang, winning the coveted Breeders Crown at Mohawk and followed that up with a victory in the Super Final. Owned by Al Libfeld, Marvin Katz and Sam Goldband, Duke Of York banked $671,142 last season.

It was a great night at the O’Briens for everyone connected with Duke Of York. His trainer, John Bax of Peterborough, ON was voted Canada’s Trainer of the Year for 2001 and Duke Of York’s dam, Armbro Monarch, won an O’Brien as the country’s broodmare of the year.

Bax, a member of the OSS Publicity and Promotion Committee, had an unforgettable night in this year’s Super Finals, winning three of the $250,000 events with Duke Of York, Natashas Kiss and Northern Bailey.

Donven Promise (Promising Catch-A Touch Of Frost) didn’t make it to the races as a two-year-old but she made a whopping impression in her three-year-old season, capping it off with an O’Brien Award. Trained and driven by veteran Tom Strauss, Donven Promise won her $250,000 Super Final at Mohawk in 1:56.4 and followed that impressive performance with victories in the elimination and final of the Canadian Breeders Championships. In the final of that event Donven Promise set a life, stakes and Canadian record of 1:55.2. Owned by Maplegrove Bldg. Spec. Ltd., of North Bay, Donven Promise earned $456,350 in 2001.

Liberty Balance (Balanced Image-Victory Girl) was voted the O’Brien winner in the three-year-old colt trot category. The talented colt won two Gold Final events at Flamboro and Windsor for owners Tom and Elizabeth Rankin of St. Catharines and trainer Pat Hunt. Liberty Balance then took on the world’s best in the Breeders Crown, winning in 1:55 for driver Randy Waples, who also won an O’Brien Award as Canada’s top driver of 2001. By season’s end, Liberty Balance banked $852,818.

In other news from the O’Brien Awards, former OSS star Casual Breeze (King Conch-Balanced Breeze) was voted Canada’s older trotting mare of the year. A winner of more than $1.2 million lifetime, Casual Breeze also won an O’Brien in her sophomore season for owners Ron, Jonathan and Tom Durand.

Proud mothers: Two former stars of the OSS program who have gone onto outstanding broodmare careers played a major role in this year’s O’Brien Awards.

Classic Wish, a daughter of Armbro Emerson who earned $436,273 in her racing career, is the dam of $2.5 million winner Bettors Delight, voted Canada’s Horse of the Year. Bettors Delight, winner of the $1 million North America Cup and the Little Brown Jug in 2001, also won an O’Brien as the country’s top sophomore pacing colt of 2001.

The Run The Table mare Cathedra had two O’Brien winning youngsters this year. Western Shooter was voted Canada’s two-year-old colt pacer and Cathedra Dot Com took the O’Brien Award for three-year-old filly pacers. Cathedra won $733,789 in her racing career and was an OSS divisional champion at two and three.