A pair of Speightstown’s best Canadian runners of 2012 were announced as Sovereign Award finalists by the Jockey Club of Canada. Essence Hit Man is nominated for best male sprinter, which he won in 2011, while Delegation is a finalist in the 3-year-old male division.
The 38th Annual Sovereign Awards Ceremony will be held at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto on the eve of the start of their live Thoroughbred race meet.
Essence Hit Man had another excellent season in 2012, winning three of six starts, all in stakes. Victories came in the Highland S. (G2), Vigil S. (G3), and Jacques Cartier S. The 5-year-old earned $379,357 during the campaign. Essence Hit Man is out of the four-time stakes winner El Prado Essence.
Delegation finished in the top three in all five of his 2012 stakes starts, highlighted by a win in the Grade 3 Durham Cup against older horses in October. He followed that race up with an excellent s third-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) at Santa Anita Park. Owned by Gary Barber, Delegation’s 2012 tally finished at 4-2-2 in eight starts, earning $369,045.
