Standardbred Canada announced the winners of the 2024 O’Brien Awards, honouring Canada’s best in harness racing over the past season, at the Black Tie Gala on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025 in Mississauga, Ont. The event marked the 36th edition of the O’Brien Awards, named in honour of the late Joe O’Brien, an outstanding horseman from Prince Edward Island and member of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. Stonebridge Wizard received the O’Brien Award in the Two-Year-Old Pacing Colt category. The Dancin Lou-Odds On Magic gelding had his winner’s circle photograph taken five times from nine starts as a rookie for trainer Jared Bako. Stonebridge Wizard was a stalwart in the OSS from start to finish, claiming wins in both the season's first and last Gold legs. Sandwiched between those Gold triumphs was his biggest payday, which came in a hard-fought victory in the $245,400 Battle of Waterloo at Grand River Raceway, where he earned his lifetime mark of 1:51.2.

Thursday (Oct. 3) evening at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Stonebridge Wizard took the first of two $95,000 OSS Gold splits for the freshman boys with a hefty 15-1 upset. Doug McNair took the Jared Bako student into third and they bided their time through marks in :28, :57, and 1:24.4. Sliding up the inside, Stonebridge Wizard was able to zip past the field and win by a neck in 1:51.4. Sauble Wizard (Bob McClure) closed sharply, but was bested at the wire. Smiling Dancer (James MacDonald) rounded out the show ticket. "He showed tonight he was tough as whalebone," McNair said. "He did a lot of work in the stretch to get by a lot of horses." David Kryway owns the Dancin Lou - Odds On Magic gelding as he moved his record to 5-1-0 in eight starts. Stonebridge Wizard has banked $281,100 in his young career to date. He paid $32.70 to win.

Stonebridge Thrill bested his stablemate at the wire in one of two $20,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots divisions at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Monday (Sept. 16) evening as one of four top performers from the Anthony Beaton Stable on the card. Beaton had a pair of starters in both OSS Grassroots divisions for sophomore pacing colts and geldings and they returned with a record of 1-2-1 for the evening tally. Mcpleasant (James MacDonald) was the first to the quarter timer in :26.4, while his stablemate Stonebridge Thrill (Tyler Borth) was caught on the outside in fourth. Borth moved Stonebridge Thrill along the pylons before the :54.3 half while Do Better took over from Mcpleasant as the leader. Before the three-quarters in 1:22.4, Stonebridge Thrill was out on the move again, following the cover of Mcpleasant. A miscue by Do Better left the stablemates to battle for victory at the wire. Both pacing a 1:49.4 final mile time, Stonebridge Thrill did the better work with his :26.3 last quarter to win by a half length in 1:49.4. Chalk Hanover (Jody Jamieson) was third. Stonebridge Thrill is a three-year-old son of Bettors Delight and the Somebeachsomewhere mare Inverse Hanover owned by Mac and Carol Nichol. He won his first race of the year and third race from 22 starts in a career best time, pushing his lifetime sum to $86,986.

Stonebridge Farm are pleased to welcome the talented pacing mare Lee Loo to their broodmare band. A winner of close to $300,000 in her racing career, Lee Loo graduated from the New York Sire Stakes to open mare competition before being retired this summer. In total the daughter of Huntsville faced the gate 87 times and recorded a summary of 15-10-10 and a life record of 1:50.2 taken as a three-year-old. Lee Loo is from the Rock N Roll Heaven daughter Taiya Hanover who has also produced McNeil Z Tam p, 4, 1:51.4f ($133,781); S McKee p, 4, 1:52.3; Hes Express p, 3 1:54.3h ($71,475) and this year’s sophomore Whereicomefrom p, 3, 1:54.3f –‘24, also by Huntsville. Taiya is a sister to a pair of millionaires – Luck Be Withyou ($1.4M) and American Jewel ($1.8), the latter the dam of this year’s standout Odds On Platinum p, 3, 1:49 –’24 ($788,198). Stonebridge Farm welcomes Lee Loo to our select group of broodmares and look forward to selecting her first consort.

Grand River Raceway celebrated its 35th annual Industry Day on Monday, Aug. 5, welcoming fans and horseplayers to the reconfigured five-eighths mile track in Elora, Ont. The 11-race card was highlighted by finals for the $245,400 Winbak Farms Battle of Waterloo for Ontario-sired two-year-old male pacers and the $175,200 Battle of the Belles companion race for two-year-old pacing fillies. Doug McNair found redemption in the Winbak Farms Battle of Waterloo final, driving Stonebridge Wizard to the gelding's fourth lifetime win. The 5/2 second choice left strongly, followed from the pocket by Sterling Choice and Tyler Borth. Challenger Fifth And Five, in line to Jody Jamieson, came calling past the :26 opening quarter, but couldn't make front. Stonebridge Wizard battled back to the :53.1 half, with 3/5 favourite Fifth and Five parked first-over. The pacers were four-wide approaching three-quarters, as Out Of Ice (Trevor Henry) and Allstar Maniac (James MacDonald) stacked up outside of Fifth And Five, while McNair's horse maintained a half-length advantage to that point, reached in 1:22.1. Stonebridge Wizard kept ahead of Sterling Choice in a close, 1:51.2 battle to the wire. Tito N Cheddar (Louis-Philippe Roy) closed for show. Stonebridge Wizard , a gelded son of Dancin Lou-Odds On Magic, is owned by David Kryway of Amherstburg, Ont. The former $32,000 London Classic yearling, bred by Angie Stiller of London, Ont., yearling has four wins and a place finish in his first five career starts for trainer Jared Bako along with $93,800 in earnings. His Battle of Waterloo win time established a new track record for two-year-old male pacers, and surpassed his own Canadian seasonal record for two-year-old pacing geldings to become fastest of all for his age and gait on a Canadian five-eighths mile track this year. In the winners' circle, McNair explained his driving strategy, and coming back after being set back from the Battle of the Belles place finish. "Obviously you have to turn the page when something like that happens, and I didn't know how I was going to go about it," he said. "When I made the front so easy [with Stonebridge Wizard], I mean, no one did me any favours...As soon as I crossed over, I said, 'they're gonna have to go a pretty good half to get around me.' I was still think about letting Jody go [with Fifth And Five] ahead into the second turn, but I knew if I let him go, our race was over. We'd have no shot at winning." McNair praised Stonebridge Wizard's effort: "He was handy and he's a real nice colt. He's so professional." Assistant trainer Scott Bako said the 2024 Battle of Waterloo champion was always a barn favourite. "He's never really done a whole lot to disappoint us. He's just consistently kept getting stronger and stronger...He's a big, strong, rangy kind of a colt, and he is bigger than most of the colts who are in here as a two-year-old. He's a colt that does kind of set up where when they go more fractions in here, it will suit him, because he does cover the ground so well."

Rookie pacers duelled at Grand River Raceway on Monday evening, July 29 in the eliminations for the Battle Of Waterloo, presented by Winbak Farm, and the Battle Of The Belles.  Heavily favoured Stonebridge Wizard using similar tactics to capture the second Battle elimination for driver Doug McNair in 1:52.4. The son of Dancin Lou-Odds On Magic turned back a couple of stern challenges in the back half before kicking clear of rivals late for his third victory in four tries on the season. Out Of Ice flew late to pick up the place spot with Set Shot and Sterling Choice rounded out the top four. Stonebridge Wizard is trained by Jared Bako for owner David Kryway and will give McNair a chance at his sixth Battle title next week.

The Ontario Sires Stakes season for two-year-old male pacers kicked off on Friday evening, July 5 at Woodbine Mohawk Park with Stonebridge Wizard winning a $95,000 divisions. Doug McNair conjured up a winning trip in the second division, sending the Jared Bako-trained Stonebridge Wizard rolling from mid-pack after hot opening fractions and kicking home in :28.1 for the 1:52 triumph over the 'good' track. Sterling Choice (Sylvain Filion) finished 1-1/2 lengths behind in second and Fifth And Five (Jody Jamieson) was third with Allstar Maniac (Louis-Philippe Roy) holding on for fourth over Scratchin An Itch (Jason Ryan). Sterling Choice, Fifth And Five and Allstar Maniac duked it out early with the 7-5 favourite Allstar Manic landing on top at the :26.2 quarter mark then fronting the field to the half in :55. McNair had Stonebridge Wizard settled in fourth behind the early speed and started to advance mid-way through the final turn, forging three-wide when Sterling Choice popped the pocket in front of him at three-quarters in 1:23.2. McNair tucked Stonebridge Wizard behind cover briefly at the head of the lane then rallied by late to score, giving sire Dancin Lou his first winner. "There was a little bit of a speed battle on the first turn and mine just kind of relaxed real nice," said McNair afterwards. "Going to the half, he didn't feel like he was going much, he kind of run up on the back of Jody and the half flipped up in :55, so that's a good feeling when they don't feel like they're going much but they really are, so he had a pretty good shot from there." Stonebridge Wizard is now a perfect two-for-two to launch his career, getting his first stakes win after a maiden-breaking 1:54.1 effort a week ago at Mohawk. Bred by Angie Stiller of London, Ont., the Dancin Lou-Odds On Magic gelding was a $32,000 yearling purchase from the London Classic Sale for owner David Kryway of Amherstburg, Ont. Sent postward as the 2-1 second choice, Stonebridge Wizard paid $6.60 to win. The Ontario Sires Stakes two-year-old pacing colts and geldings will meet again in the second Gold Series leg on on July 15 at Mohawk.

Two-year-olds made their first appearance at an eastern Pennsylvania racetrack this year during the Wednesday, May 29 morning qualifying session at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania. The fastest clocking of the freshman session, 1:57.3, was produced by two males from Team Zeron/Bako. Sire Dancin Lou and owner David Kryway again combined behind the gelding Stonebridge Wizard (dam Odds On Magic), who used engine tactics and came home in :57.2 with a :28 final quarter for the victory.

Captain Skippy (Captaintreacherous) got away third in his PaSS cut as Dancin Champion rolled to splits of :25.4, :54.2, and 1:22, with favored Armada Hanover retaining the pocket. Dexter Dunn vacated the pylons with Captain Skippy late down the back, with Southwind Celsius joining the action from far back on the far turn. In a big battle to the finish, Captain Skippy was home first in 1:50.2, a new mark, by three-quarters of a length. Southwind Celsius and Armada Hanover were closest the wire, the former edging the latter, behind the winner, trained by Ake Svanstedt for Ake Svanstedt Inc. and Joe Sbrocco.