Mansetti named Canadian Horse of the Year at Sovereign Awards
Mansetti's King’s Plate win paid off again in Toronto, where he beat Caitlinhergrtness by seven votes to take Canadian Horse of the Year.
Mansetti’s King’s Plate upset turned into a coronation in Toronto, where the Kevin Attard colt was named Canadian Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old male at the 51st Sovereign Awards. He drew 81 votes, edging Caitlinhergrtness’ 74 and Corsia Veloce’s 35, a tight enough margin to make the sweep feel earned, not automatic. The Ulwellings’ horse had already made the summer’s biggest Canadian race his calling card, and now the country’s top honor sits on the same resume.
That matters because the Sovereign Awards are not a novelty act. The Jockey Club of Canada has handed them out annually since 1975, and they exist to recognize the best in Canadian thoroughbred racing and breeding. Mansetti’s King’s Plate victory, in the 166th running of Canada’s most prestigious race for Canadian-foaled 3-year-olds, gave voters a racehorse they could rally around: a colt who handled Woodbine, handled the pressure, and handled the stage. Ridden by Pietro Moran, he delivered the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown and gave Attard another showcase win on the sport’s biggest domestic platform.
The broader read is more interesting than the trophy count. Recent Horse of the Year winners have tended to arrive with one unmistakable season-defining edge. Patches O’Houlihan took the 2024 title with 97 points after a sprint campaign that left little doubt. Fev Rover owned the 2023 crown, while Moira had the 2022 honor. Mansetti now joins that line, and the pattern suggests Canada’s top prize has lately belonged to horses with one clear dominant resume rather than a deep, evenly matched crop where half a dozen runners can claim the mantle.
That is not a knock on the division; it is the point. The 81-74-35 vote spread shows there was competition, but Mansetti’s King’s Plate win was the race that separated him from the pack and gave his season its authority. For Canadian racing, that is the best kind of headline: a flagship colt, a major race that still carries national weight, and a Sovereign sweep that keeps the focus on Canadian-bred talent and the people building around it. If the domestic top tier is getting stronger, Mansetti is proof. If he is simply the standout colt in the field, he has still made himself impossible to ignore.
Know something we missed? Have a correction or additional information?
Submit a Tip
