The article criticizes Standardbred Canada’s restrictive eligibility rules for the O’Brien Awards, which honor the top contributors to Canadian harness racing. Despite Lexus Kody’s outstanding 2025 season—winning major Canadian races, setting a Canadian speed record, and leading North American earnings—he was deemed ineligible due to a technicality: starts in the Breeders Crown races held in Canada do not count toward the minimum three Canadian starts required for eligibility. This rule, introduced in 2019 to prevent minimal Canadian participation from qualifying horses, ultimately excluded a deserving Canadian-bred and -raced champion, undermining the awards’ credibility and their stated goal of recognizing the greatest contributions to Canadian racing.

The author argues that these layered restrictions prioritize quantity of Canadian starts over overall achievement and contribution, which diminishes the awards’ significance and contradicts their founding spirit. The article suggests that the awards should trust voters to judge the greatest contribution without overly rigid criteria, especially since Canadian harness racing is a borderless industry involving breeding and international competition. The current rules risk alienating participants and fans, fostering unnecessary nationalistic tensions, and reducing the O’Brien Awards to regional trophies rather than true national honors celebrating excellence in Canadian harness racing.