Youth Derby Awards Presented on Saturday

The 2025 Youth Derby Awards Night, presented by the Bill Galvin Racing Alliance (BGRA), provided finalists an unforgettable experience with exclusive behind the scenes access to the world of harness racing at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Saturday afternoon and evening.

The BGRA welcomed 20 finalists and their families for an action-packed day celebrating the young writers and artists. The top three finalists in each of the seven categories were invited to attend. Along with dinner and the awards presentations, guests enjoyed a true VIP experience at the Campbellville oval — including paddock tours, a harnessing demonstration, rides in double-seated jog carts, and the Virtual Reality Harness Driving experience.

Driver Jody Jamieson joined the finalists at the VR “Drive to Win” station to share tips and encouragement, while trainer-driver Natasha Day met with finalists in the winner’s circle to talk with them as they prepared for their jog cart rides.

“It was wonderful to meet the talented, creative minds behind the literary and art entrant finalists. They were an enthusiastic group, eager to take part in every experience — it truly made for a special afternoon and evening,” said Karen Hauver, founding director of the BGRA.

For the third consecutive year these contests were held thanks to the generous sponsorship of owner-breeder Tom Rankin of St. Catharines.

The awards were presented after dinner. Finalists aged 13 and over also received certificates for Equine Guelph’s online Youth Horse Behavior and Safety courses, and all category winners were awarded a complimentary Junior Membership from Standardbred Canada.

The evening culminated with the group making a blanket presentation to the winner of the fifth race, pacing gelding Figment driven by Scott Young.

An event like this could not take place without the support and contributions of so many organizations and individuals in the industry. The BGRA would like to extend their sincere appreciation to everyone who contributed to a very successful event:

● Owner - Breeder Tom Rankin for sponsoring the prize money for the third consecutive year

● The Central Ontario Standardbred Association (COSA) for sponsoring the dinner for the finalists and their guests, along with the Drive With Us program, and President Bill O’Donnell for attending the dinner.

● Equine Guelph for donating the Youth Horse Behavior and Safety Courses to finalists 13 years of age and over.

● Standardbred Canada for providing complimentary Junior Memberships to the category winners and to Jade Regina for attending the dinner and awards.

● Drive With Us - Reverend Hanover driven by Mario Dumas and groomed by Angie Corby

●Michael Whelan for providing the two horses: McLattte & Speed Writer.

● Evan Stephenson for taking finalists on the double seated jog cart with Speed Writer, assisted by groom Olivia Marion.

● Justin Whelan for taking finalists on the double seated jog cart with McLatte, assisted by groom Britney Booth.

● Jim Whelan for providing a double-seated jog cart.

● Parade Marshall Joanne Colville and her parade pony Jay.

● Trainer Emma Christoforou and her horse The Painted Pony for the harnessing demonstration.

● Woodbine Mohawk Park for all their contributions with providing the venue, and a special thank you to Heather Flaherty, General Manager, Woodbine Mohawk Park.

● Natasha Day and Jody Jamieson for answering questions from the finalists and providing insight into being a harness driver.

● Customer Service Rep Mori White and Lori Jennex for the paddock tours.

● Special thanks to our amazing BGRA volunteers Karen Hargrave, Nancy Milcz and Melisa Hamilton, and our dedicated staff members Nancy Campbell and Robin MacKay.

Below is the list of winners in their respective categories. The winners’ entries will be posted on the website - bgracingalliance.ca

Youth Literary Derby

Short Story - Junior (Grades 3-5)

Larissa Thompson of Guelph for Thunder’s First Race

Short Story, Intermediate Division (Grades 6-8)

Hailey Jeffery of Rodney for A Little Girl’s Hope

Poem-Junior Division- (Grades 3-5)

Olivia Schiedel of Ayton for The Great Race

Poem-Intermediate Division- (Grades 6-8)

Sophia Zheng of Richmond Hill for Heart of A Horse

Youth Art Derby

Junior Division (Grades 3-5)

Queenie Tan of Hamilton for Dreams In Full Speed

Intermediate Division (Grades 6-8)

Alyssa Yu of Ancaster for The Spirit of Bill Galvin

Senior Division (Grades 9-12)

Kailing Bao of Hamilton for Racing Freedom