Mighty Heart  took home the award for Canadian Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old male April 15 during The Jockey Club of Canada’s 46th annual Sovereign Awards ceremony. Due to the impact of COVID-19, the ceremony was held via virtual presentation Thursday night with the top three finalists in each category decided by online ballot. 

Bred in Ontario out of the City Place mare Emma’s Bullseye, the son of Dramedy  won two legs of the Canadian Triple Crown, taking the Queen’s Plate at Woodbine and wheeling back to win the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie for trainer Josie Carroll. Mighty Heart went into the Queen’s Plate a maiden winner, having graduated at third asking in July at Woodbine. He has three wins and a third from eight starts, and in 2020 brought home earnings of CA$922,870.

Mighty Heart had some competition in the Horse of the Year category, winning by 95 votes over 2017 Horse of the Year Pink Lloyd  (78), while Silent Poet  received 30 votes. Mighty Heart carried champion 3-year-old male by a larger margin, winning with 149 votes over Belichick  (78) and Shirl’s Speight  (31). 

Pink Lloyd was not shut out at the ballot box, as the indefatigable Old Forester gelding took home his seventh Sovereign Award and was named champion male sprinter for the fourth year in a row. Trained by Robert Tiller for Entourage Stable, Pink Lloyd completed his 8-year-old season with victories in the Vigil Stakes (G3), Bold Venture Stakes (G3), Shepperton Stakes, and Jacques Cartier Stakes (G3). He earned CA $357,600 ($268,387) in 2020, pushing his career earnings from 33 starts to CA$2,089,430 ($1,594,842). Pink Lloyd won champion male sprinter with 142 votes over Silent Poet (95) and Not So Quiet  (35).