Today marks 25 years since Jeff Robillard, Director of Marketing & Promotions, joined Horse Racing Alberta.
Twenty-five years is a remarkable milestone on its own, but when you look at what Jeff Robillard has accomplished during those 25 years, it becomes something much bigger than an anniversary.
Jeff's work with Horse Racing Alberta has been recognized by some of the most respected organizations in horse racing and equine media, including The Jockey Club of Canada Sovereign Awards, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association Eclipse Awards, the American Quarter Horse Association AQHA Marketing & Media Awards, Standardbred Canada's O'Brien Media Excellence Awards, the United States Harness Writers Association and the World Trotting Conference. His work has been recognized across all platforms of Thoroughbred, Standardbred and Quarter Horse racing, while also earning recognition outside of racing through advertising, tourism, broadcasting and marketing awards.
There are multiple Jockey Club of Canada Sovereign Awards among those accomplishments, including recognition for productions featuring the Canadian Derby, Brother Derek's Run for the Roses, The Alberta Derby, The Ky Alta Stakes, Super Trooper and, most recently, Women in Thoroughbred Racing. In 2007, the Alberta Derby broadcast produced by Jeff Robillard and Bruce Yost, in association with White Iron Productions (Mike Little), won both the Sovereign Award and the Eclipse Award for Local Television Achievement. That is an incredible distinction for an Alberta racing production to be recognized at the highest levels of both Canadian and American Thoroughbred racing media.
Jeff's work in Standardbred racing has been just as significant, with multiple O'Brien Media Excellence Awards and Sam McKee Awards from the United States Harness Writers Association, as well as recognition for stories that went far beyond what happens on the racetrack. From A Special Lady and the Tyler Redwood stories to Women in Standardbred Racing and the Crackers Hot Shot story, Jeff has consistently been part of the teams telling stories about the people, horses and experiences that make this industry special.
And then there is the Quarter Horse side, along with years of work promoting and telling the story of Alberta horse racing to audiences well beyond our industry. His work has been recognized by the American Quarter Horse Association, including a first-place Marketing & Media Award for Multimedia, as well as the viral video featuring Quarter Horse sensation Timbersknightryder and his second career in barrel racing.
What I think is most impressive about Jeff's 25 years, though, is that this isn't a marketing career where the awards are all sitting in the past. He's still winning them! In 2025, HRA and Shine Light Entertainment were recognized with both an O'Brien Media Excellence Award and a USHWA Sam McKee Award for the Crackers Hot Shot story, while Women in Thoroughbred Racing, produced by HRA and Shine Light Entertainment, earned a Sovereign Award. All three awards were for work produced in 2024.
And the recognition has continued. In 2025, Jeff and Mike Little of Shine Light Entertainment produced The Career of Robertino Diodoro, which was named a Sovereign Award finalist for Digital Audio/Visual and Broadcast. Recognition like this reflects the quality and range of work Jeff has been part of throughout his 25 years with Horse Racing Alberta.
That speaks to something that is easy to forget when someone works in your industry for a long time. Jeff hasn't simply spent 25 years working in horse racing, he has spent 25 years documenting it. He has captured champions, major races, important moments, personal struggles, comebacks and including the people who often don't get the spotlight. He has helped tell the story of Alberta horse racing across all three breeds and has helped take those stories far beyond our own racetracks to recognition on a North American stage.
Congratulations, Jeff, on 25 years with Horse Racing Alberta. From all of us at Horse Racing Alberta, thank you for the incredible body of work you have created, for the history you have captured and for the countless stories you and your team have helped bring to life. Your 25 years of work have helped preserve an important part of Alberta's horse racing history and have shown audiences far beyond our industry the people, horses and stories that make Alberta racing so special.