Admirals Express to recieve Cam Fella Award at the O'Brien Awards

Really nice article from the USTA.

http://xwebapp.ustrotting.com/absolu...s/?a=40717&z=1

From The Great White North: Admiral honored with Cam Fella Award
Monday, January 10, 2011 - by Karen Briggs, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

http://xwebapp.ustrotting.com/absolu...eadshot_88.jpg Karen BriggsToronto, ON --- There may be a good deal of debate over the finalists for this year’s O’Brien Awards, celebrating the best in Canadian harness racing, but I’d venture there isn’t going to be any dissent over the choice of the 2010 recipient of the Cam Fella Award. It’s just a shame that it’s being awarded posthumously. The Cam Fella Award is intended to honor “meritorious service to the Canadian harness racing industry” and it will go to the connections of Admiral's Express, the hard-knocking pacer who bankrolled more than $1.76 million, posted 14 sub-1:50 victories, picked up two O’Brien Awards (including Horse of the Year in 2005), and earned the nickname, “the Grey Gladiator.”
For years, the Admiral was the most recognizable personality on the Ontario circuit: an imposing grey gelding who was nearly unstoppable once he got on the front end. And a gladiator he surely was. He set his lifetime mark of 1:48.2 at the age of nine, and made 353 trips behind the starting gate before retiring to become a proud ambassador for his breed, under the tutelage of his long-time groom, Wellington Charles, at exhibitions and horse shows.
http://xwebapp.ustrotting.com/absolu...20express1.jpg Karen Briggs photo 'The Admiral' appeared in 2010 at the Standardbred horse show in Orono, Ontario, with Wellington Charles up. Sadly, the Admiral’s retirement tour ended prematurely last fall at the age of 14. A tragic pasture accident left him with a shattered hind limb and forced his humane euthanasia, sending shockwaves through the Canadian harness industry.
Part-owner Ed Sayfie may hail from Michigan, where Admiral's Express was bred, but he says he always considered the gelding “Canada’s horse.”
Sayfie originally sent the gelding to Ontario trainer Mike Hales because there was little opportunity to race 4-year-olds and up on the Michigan tracks, and because the Admiral’s strapping size made half-mile ovals a struggle. He thought the horse would fare better on the larger Toronto tracks, but never expected a $3,700 yearling purchase to become a local legend.
“We would never have seen the true measure of him in Michigan,” he says.
“We’re a small stable, and we never dreamt we’d be connected with such a great horse,” Sayfie remarked after the Admiral’s untimely death. “He was a hero for our family. We tried to make it up to Toronto to see him race as often as we could, and when we couldn’t make the trip, we would have everyone over to watch him go on TV. It was a regular Saturday night thing.”
Only two other horses have received the Cam Fella Award to date. The first was Cam Fella himself, in 1997 (the year the award was inaugurated); the other, in 2008, was Somebeachsomewhere. That’s rarified company, indeed, but no animal is as deserving of the honor than the ‘blue-collar worker’ who won so many hearts.
Responding to the announcement, Sayfie wrote, “We, on behalf of Admiral's Express, would like to thank you for this wonderful award, and the love you have shown the great grey. He will be remembered long after we are all gone, and for that we are so grateful. Thank you all of Canada.”
No, thank you, Grey Gladiator.