Standardbred Canada is pleased to announce that world champion pacer Somebeachsomewhere has been voted the 2008 recipient of the Cam Fella Award
. The Cam Fella Award will be presented to 'The Beach’s' connections at the annual O'Brien Awards Banquet on Saturday, January 31, 2009 at the Delta Meadowvale Hotel in Mississauga, ON.
Named in honour of the world class standardbred horse, Cam Fella, the award recognizes extreme recent meritorious service to the Canadian harness racing industry.
The Cam Fella Award is one of many in a stream of accolades that just keep coming for Somebeachsomewhere. On December 22, SC announced that the son of Mach Three had unanimously been voted winner of the O’Brien Award as the country’s three-year-old pacing colt of the year. He has also been announced as the Nova Award winner, the Dan Patch Award winner and is a contender for Horse of the Year honours in Canada and the United States. He was named CBC News Nova Scotia Newsmaker of the Year, and generated national publicity in an industry effort for him to be named the Lou Marsh Trophy winner.
The son of Mach Three won the hearts of Canadian racing fans and all but rewrote the history books as he set a seasonal earnings record with more than $2.5 million, while winning 14 of 15 races and pacing to three World Record miles. He was the sport’s richest and fastest in ‘08, pacing to a 1:46.4 World Record effort at The Red Mile in a division of the Bluegrass Stakes with regular driver Paul MacDonell at the helm.
Owned by the Schooner Stables, a six-member group from Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, The Beach’s stakes victories included the Burlington, North America Cup, Confederation Cup, Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final, Simcoe, Tattersalls, Messenger and Breeders Crown. Co-owner Brent MacGrath, who makes his living selling cars, took 2008 off from his position as general manager at Pye Chevrolet in Truro, Nova Scotia, to train and manage the colt’s campaign.
Standardbred Canada established the Cam Fella Award in 1997 and fittingly its namesake was the first recipient acknowledging Cam's unparalleled contributions to the sport of harness racing. Past Winners of the Cam Fella Award include the Honourable Michael D. Harris, former Premier of the Province of Ontario (2000), Minister Mitchell Murphy, Provincial Treasurer for the Province of Prince Edward Island and formerly the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry (2003), Armstrong Bros. Farms (2004) Dr. David C. Reid, Chair of Horse Racing Alberta (2005), Ralph Klein, former Premier of the Province of Alberta (2006), and Ann Curran, the creator and co-ordinator of the Mildred Williams International Driving Series (2007).
A national committee of 16 representing the standardbred community vote by secret ballot to determine the Cam Fella Award winner. A nominee must receive a majority of the votes to win the award.
Canadian-owned, trained and driven, Cam Fella was an outstanding racehorse in the early 1980s winning 56 races, over $2-million in purse money and two consecutive Horse of the Year titles in North America. As a stallion, 'Cam' sired numerous world champions and horses with earnings in excess of $106-million. Unfortunately, Cam suffered from testicular cancer and in early 1997, was retired from breeding. He died in May of 2001 at the Kentucky Horse Park, where he had lived for several years and served as an outstanding ambassador of the standardbred breed.
The creation of the Cam Fella Award was the harness racing industry’s way of ensuring that Cam’s contribution to the sport is never forgotten.
Very fitting indeed! Now SC
Very fitting indeed! Now SC time to start thinking about the future and a possible award named in honour of the Beach. Perhaps ask the connections on the possible criteria.
Perhaps something to acknowledge the fans since no horse since the great Cam Fella was adopted so readily by racing fans.