P.E.I's Kent Oakes, who died last year, receives one of Canada's top harness racing honours
A stalwart of the P.E.I. harness racing scene has been awarded posthumously with one of the industry's highest honours in Canada.
Kent Oakes was recognized by Standardbred Canada with the Cam Fella award during a ceremony Saturday night in Mississauga, Ont. His sons, Nicholas and Jeremy Oakes, accepted on his behalf.
Oakes, 64, died after a four-vehicle crash on Route 2 just east of Summerside last June.
"It's the greatest honour in Canadian racing, and there's not a single person alive that won't say that dad was deserving of it," Nicholas Oakes told Standardbred Canada in a livestream prior to the award ceremony.
"It's just a real shame that he's not here to receive it tonight."
Kent Oakes, who lived in North Wiltshire, P.E.I., "served on or aided virtually every board and organization in the harness racing industry," according to a death notice posted by his family.
Over the years he served as Standardbred Canada's chair, interim director of the Maritime Provinces Harness Racing Commission and the racing manager at Red Shores Charlottetown and Summerside.
"Kent dedicated his life to the Atlantic Canadian harness racing industry during his career as a civil servant, first with the Department of Agriculture then the Department of Finance," reads the death notice. "Horses were his passion, as he toiled every living moment to further the industry in whatever way he could."
Oakes and his brother, Wayne, were also successful breeders, laying claim to a number of stakes-winning horses, including 2004 Governor's Plate winner Igoddago.
'We'll always love you, old man'
During the livestream Saturday, Jeremy Oakes said his father was an imposing presence, both in stature and through his contributions to the industry he loved.
"Dad was a giant in more ways than just physically," he said.
"The level of love and support we got has been overwhelming, seeing everyone from the premier of our province all the way down to … people we didn't even know that dad knew who made it a point to come out and [give] us their love."
The Cam Fella award is "presented to individuals who exhibit exceptional and recent contributions to the Canadian harness racing sector," reads Standardbred Canada's website.
Oakes is the second-straight P.E.I. recipient of the award. In 2023, Premier Dennis King received the honour.
A father's legacy: Making racehorse ownership in P.E.I. more affordable
5 months ago
Duration 2:18
Nicholas Oakes is offering as little as a five per cent share in racehorses he owns in an effort to get more people involved in harness racing. CBC's Nancy Russell spoke with Oakes about how his dad Kent, who died in a car accident earlier this year, inspired him to give back to and grow the industry.
Nicholas Oakes said his father wouldn't have sung his own praises in accepting the award, but would instead focus on the volunteers behind the scenes who "make P.E.I. harness racing what it is."
"Remember him by working together… by forgetting the petty differences. Remember him by asking yourself every second of every day what you can do to help your fellow horsepeople and the industry we all love," Nicholas said in accepting the award.
"We'll always love you, old man. And tonight, Canadian harness racing says they'll love you forever too, and this business will never forget everything you did."
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