The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame is pleased to announce its 2018 ballot, which under the communicators’ category includes HRU photographer Dave Landry and occasional contributor Paul Delean.

A total of 30 horses and people comprised of 15 thoroughbred and 15 standardbred candidates, have been selected to appear on the voting ballot. A 20-person Election Committee for each breed will determine the winners in their respective categories. Results will be announced Tuesday, April 10.

The five categories selected by the standardbred nominating committee to appear on the 2018 standardbred ballots are Builder, Communicator, Driver/Trainer, Female Horse and Male Horse.

Standardbred Builder Category candidates include William (Bill) Andrew, Ian Fleming and J. Hugh Proudfoot.

William (Bill) Andrew of Calgary, Alberta, has been involved in harness racing since he purchased his first yearling in 1990. His focus shifted from racing to breeding in 2003 and he has made a tremendous impact on the Canadian standardbred industry ever since, especially in Alberta and Prince Edward Island, where his two Meridian Farms breeding operations are based. Aside from being a leading breeder in those two provinces, Andrew has given much back to the racing industry he loves, through charitable projects and financial contributions. In 2015, Bill Andrew was awarded Standardbred Canada’s coveted Cam Fella Award for meritorious service to the Canadian standardbred industry.

Ian Fleming’s career in the horse racing industry began as race secretary at his home track of Clinton, ON. That evolved into managing that racetrack and from there he went on to create a centralized race office for several Ontario tracks in the 1990s, which continues to service racetracks across the province. Fleming was also the Racing and Gaming Manager at Western Fair Raceway for a number of years. Regardless of how busy he is with racing related responsibilities, he continues to find ways to give back to the industry and his community through fundraising initiatives such as the bi-annual Legends Day at Clinton Raceway, which in 2017 featured John Campbell’s final career race, and the Classy Lane Fire Fund.

J. Hugh Proudfoot, born in Fort Coulonge, QC in 1912, was an active harness racing participant as a breeder, trainer, owner and executive. His Pontiac Farm was a successful racing operation for decades throughout Quebec and Ontario. Proudfoot was a leader when it came to sponsoring races at Fort Coulonge, Chapeau, Shawville, Pembroke and beyond. As an executive he served as a director of the Canadian Trotting Association (CTA) for 11 years, as vice-president for seven before becoming president of the C.T.A. in 1959. He had great vision as evidenced by his belief that the C.T.A. and Canadian Standardbred Horse Society (CSHS) should amalgamate. He also believed that the C.T.A should provide insurance for drivers and advocated licensing women drivers.

The 2018 standardbred Communicator Ballot features Paul Delean, Dave Landry and Dave Perkins

North Bay native Paul Delean began his career as a horse racing writer in the late ‘70s at the Barrie Examiner where he met Bill Rowe, who managed Barrie Raceway, and was in turn introduced to standardbred racing. He worked for The Gazette in Montreal from 1981 through 2017 and was once referred to as the “English language voice of harness racing in Quebec”. For owners, breeders, trainers, drivers and fans, Delean was the man on the front line telling them what they needed to know about the racing game in the province. In addition, Delean was a frequent contributor to the many trade journals in racing. At age 64, Paul has compiled an impressive body of work in covering the sport in Canada, and has won numerous awards for his articles.

Toronto native Dave Landry’s trips to the racetrack as a child with his father began a lifelong fascination with horse racing that turned into an award-winning career photographing some of the sport’s greatest equine and human athletes, including numerous Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame members. His work has appeared on the cover of more than 500 magazines or publications. Landry, who now resides in Burlington, ON, has earned numerous awards for his equine photography, including six Sovereign Awards, an Eclipse Award, an International Media Award, a Horse Publications of America Award, and a George Smallsreed Award from the United States Trotting Association.

Award winning journalist Dave Perkins, of Toronto, ON, is one of the most widely respected sports writers in Canada. His tenure at The Toronto Star from 1977 through 2010 included assignment as “beat reporter” for harness racing from 1977 to 1986. He also wrote the Cam Fella movie, wrote features for TROT and The Canadian Sportsman and columns for Hoofbeats Magazine. Perkins was a friend of horse racing and wrote numerous columns and stories on both standardbred and thoroughbred racing over the years. He was vocal in his stance on the Ontario government’s decision to end the Slots At Racetracks Program and penned many columns with thoughtful ideas on what he felt the government could do.

In the standardbred Driver/Trainer category voters will select from Jim Doherty, William Robinson and Ben Wallace.

Saint John, NB’s Jim Doherty developed numerous champions during his career as a trainer/driver including $3 million earner and 2002 U.S. Trotter of the Year, Fools Goal, as well as 1997 Three-Year-Old Trotting Filly of the Year No Nonsense Woman, and Starchip Entrprise, winner of the Valley Victory and Canadian Trotting Classic in the late 1990s. He also drove Green With Envy, two-time Older Pacing Mare of the Year in 1984 and 1985. During his career, Doherty drove winners of 4,620 races and nearly $39 million in purses. In 2003 Doherty was inducted to the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in Goshen, New York. He is also a member of the New England Harness Writers Hall of Fame, New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame, and the Saint John Sports Hall of Fame.

Ben Wallace of Puslinch, ON trained the 1999 Pacing Triple Crown Winner Blissfull Hall, Breeders Crown winners Totally Western (2002), Pans Cullotes (2003), Armbro Rosebud (1997) as well as a list of million dollar plus winners including Apprentice Hanover, Zooka, Cam Swifty, Camotion and Lookout Victory. Awarded an O’Brien as Canada’s Trainer of the Year in 1999, Wallace has current career stats of 1,890 wins and almost $37 million in purses, surpassing the million dollar mark in 18 consecutive seasons (1996-2013).

Trainer William (Bill) Robinson of Caledonia, Ont., is a four-time winner of the O’Brien Award as Canada’s Trainer of the Year (1992, 1993,2002, 2003). During his career he amassed earnings of $54.5 million in 8837 starts (2715-1356-1061). Horses successfully campaigned under Robinson’s tutelage included: Hall of Fame inductees Ellamony and Precious Bunny, along with Riyadh and Presidential Ball.

The standardbred Female Horse Category features Chancey Lady, Oohs N Aahs and Tricky Tooshie.

Chancey Lady’s racing career spanned from 2007 through 2013. During that time the daughter of Camluck started in 143 races. She won 43, finished second in 22 races and posted 15 thirds, earning $2,083,514 and had a mark of 1:48.4 which was taken at Harrah’s Philadelphia. She was a $60,000 yearling purchase for Niele Jiwan of Surrey, B. C. and was trained by Casie Coleman through 2007 and until just after her Fan Hanover victory in June, 2008, when she moved into the John Pentland Stable.

Pacing mare Oohs N Aahs won 44 races in her career, taking a mark of 1:51.1 at Woodbine Racetrack at the age of eight while banking over $1.1 million. Finishing first, second or third in 109 out of a total of 177 starts, Oohs N Aahs won most of her races in Ontario and became a Canadian fan favourite during her exceptional racing career. As a broodmare she produced Omen Hanover who earned in excess of $1 million, and in the process made Oohs N Aahs only the third pacing mare to both earn over $1 million and produce a millionaire daughter.

Tricky Tooshie was bred and owned during her racing career by Laurent Bergevin of Quebec. Trainers included her co-breeder Jean L. Deblois, followed by Rick Zeron and then Linda Bedard. In seven years of racing she made 142 starts for a 44-29-24 record, posted a mark of 1:52.1 at Woodbine Racetrack and earned $1,005,566, becoming the first Canadian-sired mare to reach $1 million in earnings. As a broodmare, eleven of her thirteen foals made it to the races to earn over $3 million for average earnings per starter of $278,000. Her richest foal was True North Hanover, a winner of $732,912.

Nominated In the category of Standardbred Male Horse are Blissfull Hall, Majestic Son and Shadow Play.

In 1999, Blissfull Hall captured harness racing’s elusive Pacing Triple Crown for owners Ecuries Daniel Plouffe, Inc. of Bromont, QC, trainer Ben Wallace, and driver Ron Pierce. A racing career of 31 races over two seasons included a record of 19-4-6, a mark of 1:49.2 and earnings of $1.4 million before he embarked on a successful career as a stallion. To date his progeny have won $73.9 million in earnings, including 85 horses with earnings over $250,000, 228 horses with earnings over $100,000, and average earnings per starter of $99,699.

Majestic Son’s racing career consisted of 38 starts, stats of 22-5-3, a mark of 1:52.2 and $1,993,157 in purse earnings.

A son of Angus Hall out of the King Conch mare Celtic Contessa, Majestic Son’s career was highlighted by wins in the premiere stakes for sophomore trotters including the Champlain, Goodtimes, Canadian Trotting Classic and Breeders Crown. As a sire, his progeny have earned $16.8 million including millionaire Charmed Life, three $750,000 winners, five $500,000 winners, 15 winners of $250,000 and 43 winners of $100,000.

Shadow Play earned $1,559,822 with 20 wins, 9 seconds and 5 thirds in 49 lifetime starts and took a record of 1:47.4 as a four-year-old. The son of The Panderosa, trained and co-owned by Dr. Ian Moore along with R G MC Group Ltd., and Serge Savard for most of his racing career, won several stakes events including the 2008 Little Brown Jug. As a sire standing at Winbak Farm in Ontario, and now owned by the Shadow Play Syndicate, he has sired the winners of over $21 million including three-time O’Brien Award winner and double millionaire Lady Shadow.

The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame 2018 Induction Ceremony will be hosted at the Mississauga Convention Centre on Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018.

Additional information may be found at Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.