b'2020 STATE BREEDERS OF THE YEAR Co-CanadianTall Oaks FarmFor the second straight year and third time, Ivanplanning matings and overseeing his racing stable.Dalos of Tall Oaks Farm was the ThoroughbredCourt Return, a mare he bred and still races, finished Owners and Breeders Associations Canadiansecond in the E. P. Taylor Stakes (G1T) at Woodbine after Breeder of the Year in 2020. winning the Eternal Search Stakes there. Other Dalos Though he bred numerous horses that reachedhomebreds Avies Samurai and Avies Flatter picked up heights last year, one stood out: Channel Maker,graded stakes placings in 2020. Josie Carroll trains all winner of the Eclipse Award as Outstanding Turfthree.Male. Breeding an Eclipse-caliber horse is not new to Dalos. Winless over his first five races of 2020, theHe also bred Canadian Hall of Famer Victory Gallop, Ivan Dalos gelded son of English Channel turned around histhe Eclipse Award-winning older male of 1999, a colt 6-year-old campaign over his final three starts of 2020, alljust as remembered for his thrilling nose victory over in the late summer and fall under take-charge handlingTriple Crown hopeful Real Quiet. He raced for owner from jockey Manny Franco. The veteran grass runner ledPrestonwood Farm and trainer Elliott Walden at ages three from start to finish in the Aug. 29 Sword Dancer Stakesand four. (G1T) at Saratoga Race Course, repeated similarly in theIn addition to his two North American champions, Oct. 3 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes (G1T) at BelmontDalos has bred and raced Sovereign Award winners Park, and then nearly stole the Longines Breeders CupAvies Flatter, Amis Mesa, and Amis Gizmo. He also bred Turf (G1T) before settling for third. Sovereign Award winners Johnny Bear and Conquest Racing for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott and ownersEnforcer, who raced for different owners. Additionally, Wachtel Stable, Gary Barber, R. A. Hill Stable, and ReevesDalos broodmares In Return, Victorious Ami, and Thoroughbred Racing, Channel Maker finished the yearGalloping Ami have been honored with Sovereign Awards.with two wins in eight starts and earnings of $839,443. The late In Return, whose first top-level stakes winner According to Dalos, he owns 37 mares, 20 yearlings,was two-time Northern Dancer Stakes (G1T) winner 24 foals, four stallions, one stallion interest, and 34 horsesJohnny Bear, is also the dam of Channel Maker.in trainingplenty to keep the retiree enthusiasticallyByron KingCo-CanadianLawrence CordesLawrence Cordes fell in love with horses atAgainst all odds, Mighty Heart earned a start in a young age, growing up in the city of Toronto,Canadas most famous race, the Can$1 million Queens Ont. While he built up his Lawrcon Electrical andPlate. The colt galloped to a 7 1/2 length victory in one of Repair Company from a small business into onethe fastest times in modern Plate history. Mighty Heart of Ontarios biggest machine repair services, hecame back just 17 days later and won the second jewel of enjoyed learning about horse racing and breeding.Canadas Triple Crown, the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort From the day his late wife, Connie, bought himErie.a racehorse for his birthday some 40 years ago,The colts heroics and his bid for the Canadian Triple Cordes dabbled in owning claiming horses. InCrown brought excitement and plenty of attention to horse recent years, Cordes decided to focus on breedingracing in a time when the sport and the country needed his own horses with his broodmare band of two. it. While Mighty Heart could not sweep the Crown after In 2017 his mare Emmas Bullseye, a daughter of Citygetting involved in a pace duel in the 1 1/2 mile Breeders Place, produced a colt by the Kentucky stallion Dramedy,Stakes, his accomplishments were rewarded with the Horse but at six weeks of age, the colt had to have his left eyeof the Year honor at the 2020 Sovereign Awards as well as removed because of an injury. Cordes named the feisty coltChampion Three-Year-Old Male.Mighty Heart. A dedicated family man, Cordes enjoyed sharing his Trained by Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Famer Josiemighty ride with his colt with his daughter Angela and son Carroll, Mighty Hearts career began early in 2020 in NewDarin and their adult grandkids, many of whom ride and Orleans at Fair Grounds, racing erratically in two starts.love horses. His favorite saying after that glorious Plate However, Cordes and Carroll had faith in the colt, andvictory by Mighty Heart was a message to anyone who despite a long delay in the beginning of the Woodbineowns or breeds a racehorse: This can happen to anyone!season due to the deadly Covid-19 pandemic, MightyJennifer MorrisonHeart won his Woodbine debut in July.40 TOBA NATIONAL AWARDS DINNER/2021'