Mine That Bird, Elliott to Canadian Hall

The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame has announced its 2015 inductees, which include Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winner Mine That Bird and Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Stewart Elliott.

Ten horses and people have been elected to the Hall of Fame this year, with half of those coming on the Thoroughbred side. The Thoroughbred inductees are Mine That Bird, Bob Anderson, Jim Bannon, Elliott, and Roger Laurin.

To be inducted in the Thoroughbred male horse category is Mine that Bird, who was bred in Kentucky by Canadian breeder Peter Lamantia and partners. The colt was purchased as a yearling by Canadian trainer Dave Cotey for $9,500 on behalf of owners Dominion Bloodstock, Derek Ball, and Hugh Galbraith.

His juvenile year began at Woodbine with an impressive four wins in five starts to earn the 2008 Sovereign Award for champion 2-year old male. Later in 2008, Mine That Bird was sold to Mark Allen (Double Eagle Ranch) and Leonard Blach (Buena Suerte Equine) of New Mexico.

The gelding gained international attention with his 2009 Derby longshot victory paired with jockey Calvin Borel when they made a sweeping last-to-first victory.

Mine That Bird's Triple Crown pursuit was dashed with a second-place finish in the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) to Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) winner Rachel Alexandra. With a third in the Belmont Stakes (gr. I), Mine That Bird placed in all three legs of the Triple Crown. Mine That Bird's total career purse earnings were $2,248,496 in 18 starts (5-2-2).

Toronto-born, second-generation jockey Elliott will be inducted in the jockey cjategory. In 2004 Elliott made headlines around the world when he became the first jockey in 25 years to win the Kentucky Derby in his first appearance when he rode Smarty Jones  . 

The pair followed up with a dominating win in the Preakness, only to be beaten a length by Birdstone   in the Belmont. During a career consisting of more than 29,000 starts, horses ridden by Elliott amassed earnings in excess of $93 million with wins in 4,650 races. In 2010 he was named the winner of the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award.

Elliott stands 36th on the all-time list (through April 6) for career North American wins, and fifth on the all-time win list among Canadian-born riders.

Anderson was a long-time horseman based in St. Thomas, Ontario. As president of Anderson Farms, he was involved with breeding, racing, and selling both Thoroughbred and Standardbred horses for 41 years in Canada, the U.S., and Europe.

A former director of Woodbine Entertainment Group (formerly OJC) and past national president of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society from 1981-82, he was also a board member of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association in the U.S., a steward of the Jockey Club of Canada, as well as a member of the Ontario Racing Commission Advisory Board, the first chairman of the Guelph Research Centre for Equine Research, and member of the E.P. Taylor Equine Research Fund.

He bred and raised more than 1,400 Thoroughbreds, including champions Pinafore Park, Larkwhistle, and Prince Avatar. He was the breeder of successful sires Ascot Knight, National Assembly, and Alydeed.

Toronto's Bannon was part of the first simulcast racing television show in North America in 1981. His natural comfort in front of the camera and extensive Thoroughbred racing knowledge propelled Bannon into a career that includes television analyst, commentator, and handicapping expert with followers at racetracks and living rooms across North America.

Bannon became the face of Thoroughbred racing in Canada. He became a television analyst, commentator, and handicapping expert for the CBC's Queen's Plate and Breeders' Cup shows, and in 2010 he was rewarded with a Gemini Award as Canada's best sports analyst.

The 2015 Inductee in the Thoroughbred veteran person category will be trainer Roger Laurin. The Montreal-born son of Hall of Famer Lucien Laurin came into prominence in 1964 when he took charge of conditioning a filly named Miss Cavandish for Harry S. Nichols. Miss Cavandish became one of the top two fillies racing in the U.S. that year.

The list of graded-stakes horses he conditioned reads like a who's who of 1960s and 1970s racing. He trained Drumtop, who won numerous stakes and who broke three track records in 1971 for John Moseley, and also conditioned the 1971 2-year-old Eclipse champion filly Numbered Account for Ogden Phipps.

In 1984 Chief's Crown won the inaugural Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) and was named the 2-year-old male Eclipse champion. Roger continues to keep his hand in the game with a small stable based at Woodbine.

Standardbred inductees include horses Artsplace, J Cs Nathalie, and H. Charles (Charlie) Armstrong, William (Bill) Gale, and Harry Eisen.

The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame 2015 induction ceremony will be hosted at the Mississauga Convention Centre Aug. 5.