The 51st Sovereign Awards celebrated Canadian racing excellence Thursday evening in suburban Toronto, and one horse stood above the rest: Mansetti, who capped a stellar three-year-old campaign by capturing the sport's highest honor.
Owned by Al and Bill Ulwelling and ridden by rising star Pietro Moran, Mansetti earned 81 votes to claim the 2025 Canadian Horse of the Year title. The Collected colt's resume spoke for itself. His signature victory came in the King's Plate at Woodbine in August, where he rolled to a commanding 2.5-length win at 18-to-1 odds over a field of 13 Canadian-foaled three-year-olds. Running 2:03.68 on the Tapeta surface, Mansetti cruised to the wire in the $1 million historic classic, which represents the first leg of Canada's Triple Crown.
But the King's Plate was just the beginning. Mansetti added wins in the Grade 3 Marine Stakes and Woodstock Stakes to his record, while also showing the versatility to earn placings in both the Ontario Derby and the Prince of Wales Stakes. His three-year-old male championship came by a runaway margin in voting, outpacing a strong field that included Grade 3 Ontario Derby winner Borealis Trail and Take Charge Tom.
Mansetti's dominance was reflected across the awards ceremony. Past King's Plate winner Caitlinhergrtness (by Omaha Beach), a multiple graded stakes winner herself, finished a distant second in Horse of the Year voting with 74 votes. Undefeated juvenile filly Corsia Veloce rounded out the top three with 35 votes.
The awards ceremony recognized excellence across multiple disciplines and categories, with trainer Mark Casse earning Outstanding Trainer honors, and apprentice jockey Pietro Moran—Mansetti's pilot—taking home the Outstanding Apprentice Jockey award with 180 votes.
