P.E.I. harness racing figures, horse take top honours at awards

Dr. Ian Moore of P.E.I. was a big winner Saturday night as the best of Canada's harness racing were honoured at the 27th annual O'Brien Awards.

Moore won the 2015 O'Brien Award for Horsemanship after a career-best season with 63 wins and more than $2.1 million in earnings.

State Treasurer, one of the horses Moore trains, won the award for older pacing horse and was also named Canada's Horse of the Year. Overall the six-year-old horse had nine victories in 2015, including the prestigious Canadian Pacing Derby, totalling $986,000 in winnings.

He is owned by Allan and Sally MacDonald of P.E.I. and his their cousin Paul MacDonald of Toronto.

Bill Andrew of Meridian Farms in Winsloe, P.E.I., and Alberta took home the Cam Fella Award, in honour of his contributions to the Canadian Standardbred industry.

Andrew, who has been involved in the sport for nearly four decades, has helped support the matinee program in P.E.I., and supported the industry in Alberta where Meridian is also based. He also launched charity stables where the purse earnings go to local charities and additionally, hascontributed money from yearling sales.

The night's awards are named to commemorate Joe O'Brien,a legendary harness driver who grew up in Alberton, P.E.I.