'Saint Katherine' To Receive Dominion Award

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Katherine Todd Smith, a horse identifier who is known as "Saint Katherine" throughout Ocala, Fla.'s Thoroughbred community, has been selected to receive the 2000 Dogwood Dominion Award, presented annually to an “unsung hero” in the Thoroughbred industry. The award, which includes $5,000 cash and a bronze statue of Dominion, is sponsored by Dogwood Stable of Aiken, S.C. Smith will receive the award at an Aug. 2 luncheon at Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Dogwood president Cot Campbell said there was no one role or act by Smith that qualified her for the award, but that she was selected on the basis of her overall willingness to help individuals and horses over the years.

"There's no neat or precise definition of Katherine's qualifications for this award," Campbell said. "However, half of the citizenry and animals within Ocala's equine community have benefited from her numerous acts of kindness…But it is her positive attitude, her willingness to to go the extra mile, that has made her one of the favorites in that region for the past 20 years."

Among Smith's acts listed in nomination letters on her behalf were helping to find homes for 17 neglected Thoroughbreds and all-night vigils with foaling mares when no one else was available. A committee consisting of Anne Campbell, Penny Chenery, and Pat Day selected Smith from 30 nominations. (Award history, past recipients)

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