It was a record-breaking year for Pennsylvania-breds in 2014 as a total of 54 were stakes winners, a new single-season high total. Nine were graded/group winners, led by three Grade 1 winners: turf star Real Solution, steeplechaser Divine Fortune and Mexican classic winner El Capitan. And although there were less PA-Breds starters in 2014 compared to 2013, they recorded more wins, and earned in excess of $63 million worldwide.
The Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association has named its champions and leaders for 2014, based upon the recommendation of its Awards Committee of Jane White (chair), Elizabeth Barr, John Benson and Susan Meckling. Four were champions in 2013.
TWO-YEAR-OLD MALE – DUFF
B.c., 2012, Candy Ride (Arg)— To the Brim, by Ascot Knight.
Bred by Two Sisters Farm
The richest PA-Bred juvenile runner of 2014, Duff won three of his six starts, including the Mark McDermott Stakes at Presque Isle and Christopher Elser Memorial Stakes at Parx, and amassed $133,220. He finished on the board in two other outings, including his stakes debut when third in the Mountaineer Juvenile Stakes.
TWO-YEAR-OLD FILLY – HAPPY TO GO
B.f., 2012, Saint Anddan—Arctic Dove, by Dove Hunt.
Bred by Lynne Boutte
In five starts from May through September, Happy to Go won twice and was third twice while competing over the synthetic surfaces at Arlington, Woodbine and Presque Isle Downs. She won first time out an Arlington maiden special weight, and concluded her season with a two-length victory in the Mrs. Henry D. Paxson Memorial Stakes at Presque Isle. Her thirds came in the historic Arlington-Washington Lassie and My Dear Stakes while earning $92,550 for the year.
THREE-YEAR-OLD MALE – FAVORITE TALE
B.g., 2011, Tale of the Cat—Tricky Elaine, by Grindstone.
Bred by Paul Conaway
The speedy gelding Favorite Tale launched his career in eye-popping style, taking a six-furlong maiden special weight in January 2014 by two lengths in 1:07.66, less than a fifth off the track record. It was one of five wins in a season highlighted by a dominating performance in the Grade 3 Gallant Bob Stakes at Parx that September, run in a snappy 1:08.16. The Paul Conaway home-bred also won the Gold Fever Stakes at Belmont and placed in three stakes, topped by a second in the Jersey Shore Stakes-G3 at Monmouth. His 2014 earnings totaled $380,326.
THREE-YEAR-OLD FILLY & FEMALE SPRINTER – MISS BEHAVIOUR
B.f., 2011, Jump Start—Successful Romance, by Successful Appeal.
Bred by Cal MacWilliam, Teitelbaum & Associates
Miss Behaviour, the PA-bred champion 2-year-old filly of 2013, was fantastic at 3, winning or placing in six of her seven starts while earning $548,834, ranking second behind older male Real Solution on the leading earner’s list for the year. Competing exclusively in stakes, all at less than a mile, she won the Grade 3 Charles Town Oaks as well as the Miss Preakness Stakes on the national Preakness week stage, and finished second in three consecutive graded stakes in New York during the summer – the Grade 1 Test, Grade 2 Prioress and Grade 3 Victory Ride Stakes. She kicked off her season with a third in the Stormy Blues Stakes at Pimlico.
OLDER MALE & MALE TURF HORSE – REAL SOLUTION
B.h., 2009, Kitten’s Joy— Reachfortheheavens, by Pulpit.
Bred by Kenneth L. Ramsey and Sarah K. Ramsey
Real Solution repeated with two divisional titles after competing solely in graded stakes company at age 5. Four of his five starts were in Grade 1 races, and he was successful at the highest level for the second year in a row. The leading PA-bred of the year with $643,000 in earnings, Real Solution scored in Belmont Park’s Manhattan Stakes-G1 on Belmont Stakes day and finished second in the Grade 1 Man o’ War Stakes. He retired to stud a millionaire, with a lifetime record of 5-2-2 from 15 starts for earnings of $1,374,175. He now stands at his breeder/ owners’ Ramsey Farm in Nicholasville, Ky.
OLDER FEMALE – PRINCESS OF SYLMAR
Ch.m., 2010, Majestic Warrior—Storm Dixie, by Catienus.
Bred by Ed Stanco
The 2013 PA-bred Horse of the Year, Princess of Sylmar returned for an abbreviated campaign at 4. She won once and was second twice in four starts in 2014, and earned $410,000, which pushed her career earnings past the $2 million mark (from 15 lifetime starts). The chestnut filly kicked off the year with a daylight victory in the Cat Cay Stakes at Aqueduct in April. She just missed in a thrilling renewal of the Ogden Phipps Stakes-G1 on Belmont Stakes day at Belmont Park, missing by a head to eventual Eclipse Award winner Close Hatches, with champion Beholder less than a length back in fourth. She also finished second in the Grade 1 Delaware Handicap, her sixth Grade 1 win or placing for her career. She sold for $3.1 million at the 2014 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Mixed sale in November and begins her broodmare career in Japan.
FEMALE TURF HORSE – ON THE BACKSTREETS
Ch.f., 2011, Street Boss— Mutakaway, by Mutakddim.
Bred by Justice Farm and Greg Justice
Based in California, On the Backstreets won two stakes at Santa Anita in 2014, the Sweet Life in February and the Ultrafleet in May, both by more than two lengths cruising on the downhill turf course. With three wins for the year – she kicked off the season with a near identical effort in allowance company on the downhill course – she earned $136,148.
MALE SPRINTER – FALLING SKY
B.h., 2010, Lion Heart—Sea Dragoness, by Sea Hero.
Bred by Copper Penny Stables LLC
A graded win at Gulfstream, a dazzling performance at Parx, and a Grade 1-placing at Saratoga were the highlights of Falling Sky’s 4-year-old campaign. He captured the Gulfstream Park Sprint Stakes-G3 in February by five and a half lengths while completing seven furlongs in a smashing 1:20.65, just .20 seconds off the track record. He flew over the Parx surface in the Donald LeVine Memorial Handicap in June, getting seven furlongs in 1:21.91. In the final start of his campaign, he finished third in the six-furlong Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap at Saratoga in August. For the year he earned $170,318 with two wins, a second and a third from six starts.
STEEPLECHASER – DIVINE FORTUNE
Ch.g., 2003, Royal Anthem—My Tombola, by Northern Fling.
Bred by William L. Pape and Jonathan E. Sheppard
Divine Fortune has competed at the highest levels in steeplechasing over the past four years, and earns his fourth state-bred title in a row. An Eclipse Award finalist in 2014 after taking the trophy in 2013, the chestnut gelding returned last year at age 11 to compete exclusively in Grade 1 competition and pushed his lifetime earnings to $817,295. In five starts, he won twice – the Calvin Houghland Iroquois to kick off the season, and the Colonial Cup to complete the year. Following two races in which he didn’t finish (pulling up in one and falling in the other), he ran second to eventual Eclipse Award winner Demonstrative in the Grand National Hurdle Stakes at Far Hills.
LEADING BREEDING FUND RECIPIENT (HORSE) – PAGE MCKENNEY
Ch.g., 2010, Eavesdropper—Winning Grace, by Yarrow Brae.
Bred by Dr. James E. Bryant and Linda P. Davis
Page McKenney led all Pennsylvania-breds in Breeding Fund money earned in 2014 with $156,420. His busy season included four consecutive victories at Parx and Penn during the summer, culminating with his first stakes victory in Penn’s Robellino Stakes. He later added a victory in Parx’s First Responder Stakes, and sandwiched in between a third-place finish in the Alphabet Soup Handicap. He earned $61,740 in Breeders Awards, $56,000 in PA-Bred Stakes Purses, $20,580 in Stallion Awards and $18,100 in Owner Bonuses and Awards from seven races.
BROODMARES OF THE YEAR
DELIZIA
Ch.m., 2000, Distant View—Felidia (Ire), by Golden Fleece
Owned until 2013 by Derry Meeting Farm
Delizia was the dam of two 2014 Pennsylvania-bred stakes winners, 4-year-old Zeewat and 3-year-old Henny Jenney. The California-based Zeewat added to his stakes resume with a victory in the Lost in the Fog Stakes at Golden Gate and a third in the Oak Tree Sprint to push his career earnings to $372,620. Henny Jenney won Presque Isle’s Inaugural Stakes and was second in the Grade 3 Dogwood at Churchill Downs and OBS Sprint Stakes. Purchased by Derry Meeting prior to producing her first foal in 2008, Delizia had four foals for the famed nursery, all starters who have combined earnings of $808,237.
TO THE BRIM
B.m., 2003, Ascot Knight—Capacity, by Capote.
Owned by Two Sisters Farm
Two of the first three foals out of Two Sisters Farm’s To the Brim are Pennsylvania-bred stakes winners. Early in 2014, 4-year-old Bold Curlin captured the Native Dancer Stakes at Laurel. Later that summer, her 2-year-old son Duff was winner of the Mark McDermott Stakes at Presque Isle. His campaign earned him the title of 2014 Pennsylvania-bred champion 2-year-old male.
STALLION OF THE YEAR
FAIRBANKS
Fairbanks led all Pennsylvania stallions in 2014 with $113,875 in Stallion Awards. The 11-year-old son of Giant’s Causeway, with three crops of racing age in 2014, has stood his entire stud career at Northview PA in Peach Bottom.
LEADING BREEDING FUND PROGRAM AWARD RECIPIENT
MICHAEL W JESTER of Penn Ridge Farms
$351,738 in combined Breeder and Stallion Awards and second runner up in the same category for the past four years.
LEADING OVERALL BREEDER OF PENNSYLVANIA-BREDS
GEORGE STRAWBRIDGE JR.
George Strawbridge led all Breeding Fund Recipients in 2014 with $202,866 in Breeders Awards. He was also the leading breeder of Pennsylvania-Bred runners for an eighth consecutive year and those he bred in Pennsylvania earned over $1.6 million worldwide.
PENNSYLVANIA HORSE BREEDERS ASSOCIATION
701 E. Baltimore Pike, Suite E – Kennett Square, PA 19348 • (610) 444-1050 – execsec@pabred.com