Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame

Wishing a happy retirement to CHRHF Driver Inductee Paul MacDonell. What better way to end his career than in the winner's circle for the 5,786th time, following a victory with Ungawa, a horse he also trained.
Congratulations Paul!

Support the CHRHF by purchasing 50th Anniversary hats and shirts.
Available in the Ontario Racing online store.
https://www.ontarioracingshop.ca/collections/hall-of-fame-collection

2026 Induction Gala portraits by Clive Cohen and sponsored by OLG. All files available for download at https://www.chrhfphotos.com/ #/

Thank you to OLG for being our photography sponsor at the 2026 Induction Gala. It was an evening filled with celebration and connecting with friends and family. We hope you enjoy these photos captured by Clive Cohen. All the event photos can be found at: www.CHRHFPHOTOS.COM

The CHRHF Meritorious Award is presented to individuals with accomplishments that fall outside the organizations established criteria for induction. The candidate must have demonstrated an extraordinary and sustained impact on the industry, with a legacy of transformative contributions that have measurably advanced Canadian horse racing and left an enduring mark on the sport. 2026 marks only the second time this award has been presented.
The late Ralph Pearson was honoured as a founder of Quarter Horse Racing in Ontario and was integral in moving casual races at Greco Farm to Picov Downs in Ajax, ON.

Pearson gave tirelessly of his time to many organizations in efforts to improve Quarter Horse Racing in Ontario. He was among the executives responsible for starting the Quarter Horse stakes and futurity programs and had two tenures as president of the Quarter Racing Owners of Ontario, in the 1970s and 1980s. At the time of his passing in 2025, at the age of 92, Mr. Pearson was still on the QROOI Board.

Representing Mr. Pearson to accept the Meritorious Award were his daughters Lori Pearson, Diane Power, Lynn Kingsley and Darleen Pearson.

Female Standardbred Horse Inductee Put On a Show, saw success as a race horse and as a broodmare. The daughter of Rocknroll Hanover, earned over $2.4 million with 31 wins in 50 starts. On Canadian soil during her two-year-old season she won the Eternal Camnation as well as an elimination and final of the Shes A Great Lady and was second in both the two-year-old filly pace elimination and final of the Breeders Crown at Woodbine. As a broodmare, Put On A Show has produced six foals of racing age with three winners, including Pepsi North America Cup and Little Brown Jug winner Its My Show ($1,814,958; 1:46.4), and Meadowlands Pace winner Best In Show ($763,119; 1:48)
In attendance for Put On A Show's induction were Richard Young, her owner while she was racing, as well as current owner Steve Stewart and his wife Cindy.

Standardbred Male Horse Inductee Western Dreamer's resume includes 27 victories and earnings of $1.8 million. In 1997, he was voted Pacer of the Year and Horse of the Year in Canada and Pacer of the Year in the US for Canadian owners Mathew, Patrick and Daniel Daly following wins in the Art Rooney Memorial Pace and the US Pacing Triple Crown. The son of Western Hanover – Fits Of Fun holds the distinction of being the only gelding to win a Pacing Triple Crown. Since July 2001, he was a resident of the Hall of Champions at the Kentucky Horse Park, where he passed away in March 2026 at the age of 32, just days before his CHRHF Induction was announced.

Alberta-based Thoroughbred Trainer, the late Dale Saunders was represented at the 2026 Induction by his wife and daughter, as well as several friends and associates who made the trip to Toronto from Alberta for the event.
Saunders began his career as a Thoroughbred trainer in the mid-1960’s, racking up 2,177 wins in 12,915 starts with purse earnings of over $17.5 million. Named the E.P. Taylor Award of Merit winner by the Jockey’s Club of Canada in 2022. Saunders was Alberta’s leading trainer a total of eight times and was named the province’s Horseperson of the Year in 2012. Some of his victories came from many of the top Thoroughbreds in Alberta racing history, including Dark Hours, Shady Remark, Highland Leader, Fair March and Mandalero, to name a few.

Started originally as a Millenium project, the Legend Category recognizes people or horses that made a significant contribution to racing 50 years or more prior to induction. The first of two such inductees in 2026 is Eva Ring.
During a time in North American history when women were not permitted to obtain a jockey license or ride in flat races alongside their male counterparts, Eva Ring was a trailblazer who managed to overcome such obstacles. As a jockey throughout the Prairies of Western Canada during the 1930’s and 40’s, Ring competed in both “powder puff” events and races against male jockeys. In 1949, following the conclusion of her riding career Mrs. Ring obtained her trainer’s license from the Prairie Thoroughbred Breeders Racing Association, making her among the first females to ride and train winning racehorses in Western Canada.
We were honoured to have members of Eva Ring's family attend the induction ceremony.

2026 Jockey inductee Richard Dos Ramos was the senior member of the Woodbine Jockeys’ Room in terms of years of service when he retired in 2013. The classy veteran began his riding career in the spring of 1981 at Greenwood. He claimed the rider’s title at both the Woodbine and Greenwood Autumn meets that same year, as well as being named top apprentice jockey for the first of two consecutive years. It was during the following decade that two of his finest riding accomplishments came for CHRHF Inducted owner, Steve Stavro, and his CHRHF Inducted trainer, Phil England. In 1992, he steered Benburb to a huge upset win over A.P. Indy in the Molson Export Million. In 1999, he guided longshot Thornfield to victory in the $1.5 million Canadian International (G1). Dos Ramos was honoured with the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award in 2002, before winning the Canadian Oaks with Ginger Gold. Career statistics include 18,645 races with 2,159 wins, 2,242 seconds, 2,206 thirds and nearly $61 million US in purse earnings. Fellow jockey and CHRHF Honoured member Robin Platts and former fellow rider and current woodbine Assistant Clerk of Sales, Dino Luciani.