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On behalf of us all at New York Thoroughbred Breeders Inc., I extend a warm welcome to our guests this evening. Every year at NYTB’s Annual Awards Banquet, we take the opportunity to celebrate the greatest race-track achievements of the New York Thoroughbred Breeding Program

during the previous year. Our video program celebrates all the equine nominees, and we crown the year’s New York-bred divisional champions and announce the 2016 New York-bred Horse of the Year. We also take this occasion to congratulate the most successful human participants in our program.

Last year’s racing calendar was filled with highlights for our program. New York-breds won 106 stakes races last year at 16 racetracks from coast to coast. More than a third of the stakes victories came in open company and 16 were graded stakes wins. Headliners were Haveyougoneaway, who gave New York breeders a win in the Grade 1 Ballerina at Saratoga, and Mind Your Biscuits, who left his mark on the west when he won the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita. Additionally, New York-bred Moanin, bred by Empire Equines LLC, won the Group 1 February Stakes at Tokyo Racecourse.

Some of our oldest and some of our youngest New York-breds grabbed the spot-light at various times in 2016. Senior citizens Lubash and Moonlight Song, added stakes wins at age 9, and I’ve already seen Lubash on the worktab this spring. Juveniles

Syndergaard and Bobby on Fleek, and 3-year-old Diversify were tabbed as Thoroughbred Daily News “Rising Stars.”The Breeder’s Cup World Championship races once again featured a strong contingent of New Yorkers: Haveyougoneaway

and Wonder Gal in the Filly and Mare Sprint, Syndergaard in the Juvenile, Effinex in the Classic and Mind Your Biscuits, who finished a good-looking third (and subsequent second via disqualification) in the Sprint.

Other state-bred standouts come to mind. Royal Posse ended 2016 with three stakes victories and joined the millionaires club. Joseph G. Birnbaum’s homebred Old Harbor set a new course record at Delaware Park for 1 1/16 miles on turf. Sprinter Breakin the Fever – bred, trained and owned by Debra Breed – notched three stakes wins last year, including the Leon Reed Stakes and Hudson Handicap just 10 days apart.

In the jockey department, the red-hot Ortiz brothers combined to win 25 stakes astride New York-breds. If you are keep-ing score Irad, Jr. won 15 and Jose won 10. Hall of Famers Mike Smith and John Velazquez posted nine stakes wins between them with New York-breds, and reigning Eclipse champion Javier Castellano rode five New York-breds to stakes victories.

As to trainers, Linda Rice, the Englehart clan, Rudy Rodriguez and others have long known that it pays to participate in the New York-program. I also want to give shout-out tonight to Charlie Baker, who had a breakout year in 2016, winning five New York-bred stakes with four different horses. Now that the “New York secret” is out – namely that New York-breds compete for more than $43,000,000 in restricted purses and have ample talent to take on open company – the likes of Chad Brown, Christophe Clement, Jimmy Jerkens, Bill Mott and Todd Pletcher are becoming increasingly invested in the program.

In all last year, New York-breds made more than 21,000 starts in North America, and competed for total purses of more than $85 million. Another statistic that continues to amaze me is that New York-breds accounted for 55 percent of all Thor-oughbred starts in the state last year.

Meanwhile, our farms continue to thrive – there were 269 active farms in New York in 2016. The New York Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund, the principle sponsor of this event, distributed $15 million in awards last year and the average breeder’s award from the Fund was worth more than $16,000.

For tonight, before we all get back to our hard work, please sit back and enjoy our program. Everyone in this room should take the occasion to feel proud of the accomplishments of the best regional breeding program in the country, and, just re-member, if you breed the best to the best in New York, only the sky is the limit.

Sincerely yours,

Jeffrey A. CannizzoExecutive Director, New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc.

A MESSAGE FROM THE NYTB EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NY THOROUGHBRED BREEDERS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

NY THOROUGHBRED BREEDING & DEVELOPMENT FUND BOARD OF DIRECTORSJohn J. Poklemba, NY Thoroughbred Breeding & Development Fund Chairman,

Member, NYS Gaming Commission

Richard Ball, Commissioner, NYS Dept. of Agriculture & Markets

Jeffrey A. Cannizzo, Executive Director, New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc.

John A. Crotty, Member, NYS Gaming Commission

Philip S. Birsh, Breeder • John Graziano Jr., Breeder • Joseph G. McMahon, Breeder

Sen. Howard C. Nolan Jr., Breeder • Dr. William B. Wilmot, Breeder

Tracy Egan, Executive Director

Thomas J. Gallo III – President

Mallory Mort – Vice President

Vivien Malloy – Secretary/Treasurer

Scott Ahlschwede, D.V.M.

Chester Broman

Lois Engel

Seth Gregory

Michael Lischin

Joanne Nielsen

Suzie O’Cain

Joan M. Taylor, DVM

Director EmeritusPaul A. Schosberg

Jeffrey Cannizzo, Executive Director

New York Thoroughbred Breeders57 Phila Street, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

(518) 587-0777. www.nytbreeders.org

New York State Thoroughbred Breeding & Development Fund Corp.1 Broadway Center, Suite 601, Schenectady, NY 12305

(518) 388-0174. www.nybreds.com

6 7

Richard Migliore is currently a broadcast analyst for The New York Racing Association, Inc. Known best for a stellar career as a jockey, Migliore won more than 4,400 races over a career spanning three decades.

Migliore, who was born in 1964 and grew up on Long Island, got a job on a horse farm near his home and decided he was going to be a jockey at age 12. He began riding in 1980, and in 1981 won the Eclipse Award as the nation’s top apprentice with 298 victories. Twice the leading rider in New York – in 1981 and 1985 – Migliore won or tied as leading rider at 10 different NYRA meets, most recently taking the 2005 Aqueduct spring meet.

A fixture on the NYRA circuit, Migliore announced his retirement on June 2, 2010. “The Mig,” as he was known, rode 4,450 winners and the earners of more than $160 mil-lion in purses. Some of his biggest victories came later in his career, taking his first Breeders’ Cup race in 2008 aboard Turf Sprint winner Desert Code, and in 2009 capturing the Grade 1 Gazelle and Grade 1 Test aboard Flashing. In all, Migliore won 362 stakes, including 25 Grade 1 races.

ABOUT OUR EMCEE ORDER OF EVENTS

WELCOMEJeffrey A. Cannizzo, NYTB Executive Director

INTRODUCTIONThomas J. Gallo III, NYTB President

PRESENTATION OF AWARDSRichard Migliore, Master of Ceremonies

Awards Dinner Program produced by ST Publishing, the team behind The Saratoga Special and thisishorseracing.com

Articles by Joe Clancy, Sean Clancy, Tom Law and other staffers. Photos by Coglianese/NYRA Photos unless otherwise noted.ST Publishing, Inc. • (410) 392-5867 • www.thisishorseracing.com

A HEARTFELT THANKS TO

Our Events Planning Committee: Scott Ahlschwede, D.V.M., Lois Engel, Thomas J. Gallo III, Vivien Malloy, Joanne Nielsen, Suzie O’Cain.

Kara Bluvas, NYTB Membership and Events Manager • Sarah Mace, NYTB Communications ManagerOur Wonderful Partners • Our Event Patrons

Our Emcee Richard Migliore • Saratoga National Golf Club

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR PATRONSSMARTEQ • James G. Doyle • Jessica Reccio

Judith F. Evans • Ralph M. Evans • Charles Engel Joseph Lane • Renee Lane • Frank Margan • Tammy Margan

AWARDS CATEGORIESNew York-Bred Champion Two-Year-Old FillyNew York-Bred Champion Two-Year-Old MaleNew York-Bred Champion Three-Year-Old FillyNew York-Bred Champion Three-Year-Old Male

New York-Bred Champion Turf FemaleNew York-Bred Champion Turf Male

New York-Bred Champion Female SprinterNew York-Bred Champion Male Sprinter

New York-Bred Champion Older Dirt FemaleNew York-Bred Champion Older Dirt Male

New York-Bred Champion SteeplechaserNew York-Bred Horse of the Year New York Broodmare of the Year

New York-Bred Trainer of the YearNew York-Bred Jockey of the Year

New York Breeder of the Year

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TWO-YEAR-OLD FILLY FINALISTS

Bonita BiancaCh. f., Curlin—Friendly Michelle, Artax. Breeder: Dormellito Stud.

Owner: Michael Dubb, Bethlehem Stable, Michael Imperio. Trainer: Rudy Rodriguez. 2016 record: 4-3-0-1. $276,000.

2016 stakes: Maid of the Mist, East View.

Owner Michael Dubb spent $97,000 to buy Bonita Bian-ca at the Ocala Breeders Sales Company’s March sale of 2-year-olds and was paid back by the chestnut filly withback-to-back wins to start her career.

The daughter of Curlin won a Belmont maiden race for New York-breds Sept. 22 and answered that effort with an even better one in the $250,000 Maid of the Mist Stakes also in New York-bred company a month later.

Trainer Rudy Rodriguez credited Dubb and his partners for be-ing patient with the filly, who needed six months to get to the races after the sale.

“When they bought her she had some shins and stuff so we com-pletely backed off of her and let her get over that,” said Rodriguez. “She was very, very slow at the beginning, a heavy filly and then she just started turning around. Day by day we would see something different with her.”

The improvement continued through the fall as Bonita Bianca added to her value once more with a third, after getting shuffled back at the gate and spending the early part of the race in last po-sition, in the Grade 2 Demoiselle at Aqueduct in November. She capped the year with a runaway score in the East View for New York-breds Dec. 30.

The success earned her a vacation at Fair Hill Equine Thera-py Center in Maryland and some early prep work in Florida. The

chestnut recently returned to Rodriguez’s barn and is being point-ed toward a 2017 campaign.

“She’s done everything we asked of her,” said Rodriguez in mid-March. “She won first time, she won a New York-bred stakes, she ran a pretty good race in open company. She just came back to us and we’ll have to pick out something for her. We’re lucky to have her in the barn.”

Bred by Dormellito Stud, Bonita Bianca is out of Friendly Mi-chelle, who won the Grade 1 Prioress among other races for trainer Bob Baffert. The daughter of Artax sold for $1.15 million, while in foal to A.P. Indy, in 2006 and changed hands again for $42,000 (while carrying Bonita Bianca) in 2013.

FilibustinDk b./br. f. Bustin Stones—Sweet Aloha, Western Cat.

Breeder: Luck Be a Lady Racing. Owner: Alan Cook. Trainer: Greg Sacco.2016 record: 4-3-0-1, $176,970.

2016 stakes: Joseph A. Gimma, Key Cents.

Racing is frequently the perfect combination of a whole lot of hard work paired with a whole lot of luck. This rings true for owner Alan Cook, whose $10,000 claim of the Western Cat mare Sweet Aloha in 2008 produced

stakes-winning filly Filibustin in 2014.“I went to Charles Town and claimed a horse just to have some-

thing to watch,” said Cook, who lives in Virginia. “She ended up winning that race, and won (three more for Cook) so that was a good claim, and just by chance I put her out on the farm and start-ed thinking about breeding and called the guys at Brookdale Farm in Kentucky.”

Brookdale’s team did some research, liked the mare’s pedigree and recommended New York stallion Bustin Stones.

“I loved her, she always trained hard and did her best,” said Cook of Sweet Aloha, “and that’s the way Filibustin is right now. Just a great filly.”

Filibustin won her debut by 8 1/4 lengths in September at Mon-mouth Park and a month later romped in the Joseph A. Gimma Stakes at Belmont Park. Trainer Greg Sacco targeted the Key Cents in November at Aqueduct and she proved victorious again.

“I didn’t know what to think of her,” said Cook. “I only paid $10,000 for Sweet Aloha so I didn’t have a lot of money invested in her. She’s a New York-bred, and I wanted to do that based on the breeders’ awards and whatnot.”

Filibustin ended her 2-year-old campaign on a sloppy track at Aqueduct, finishing third in the Park Avenue division New York Stallion Series.

“We won our first stake easy, and won the second one easy,” said Cook. “The third one was in the mud, and I didn’t think she would run that well but she finished a good third. She’s just a really sound, nice filly. She does everything right.”

Filibustin finished the year with earnings of $176,970, helping Cook more than make back his initial investment and he’s looking forward to 2017.

“I’m going to win the (Kentucky) Oaks, actually,” he joked. “Ac-tually, I think we’ll win a couple nice stakes at Saratoga. I hope and I think she’ll be a great 3-year-old.”

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10 11

TWO-YEAR-OLD FILLY FINALISTS

Iron MizzDk. b./br. f. Mizzen Mast—Iron Goddess, More Than Ready.

Breeder: Stonewall Farm. Owner: Barry Schwartz. Trainer: Todd Pletcher.2016 record: 7-2-1-1, $198,084. 2016 stakes: Seeking The Ante.

Peter Moore got the phone call he hates. “Come to the barn…” As the farm manager at Barry Schwartz’s Stone-wall Farm arrived at the layup barn in 2006, there was Iron Goddess hanging her head over the webbing, blood pour-

ing from her nose to the floor. “We packed her nose with cotton to stem the flow and shipped

her to Cornell,” Moore remembered, and took a call from Dr. Norm Ducharme with an update on Iron Goddess’ status.

“She had a fungus in her septum that created a hole,” Moore said. “When he shined a light up one nostril you could see the light in the other nostril. Aside from that, the fungus had chewed away her tear duct to her left eye, which could have caused her to lose sight.”

Aptly named, Iron Goddess shrugged it off and returned to the races to win the Stage View Stakes at Belmont Park in 2007 before retiring with three wins from nine starts and $133,425 in earnings.

Then she really made an impact. In 2010, the daughter of More Than Ready produced Iron Pow-

er, who racked up six wins and $417,397. “Mr. Schwartz is very much involved with the matings,” Moore

said. “When Iron Power proved to be such a nice horse he decided to go back to Mizzen Mast.”

Four years later, Iron Mizz was born. During her 2-year-old sea-son, the dark bay filly won twice, including the Seeking The Ante Stakes at Saratoga.

She finished her season with two wins from seven starts and $198,084. Moore is not surprised.

“Iron Mizz was a standout as a yearling,” Moore said. “She had a presence about her that comes with quality horses. She was and is a beautifully balanced filly that glides over the ground.”

Given a break during the winter, she returned with her first breeze at Belmont Park March 18. Around the farm, they’ll be watching.

“From the time a foal hits the ground to the time they leave for the track every effort is made to prepare each horse for a success-ful career,” Moore said. “When it all comes together there’s a great sense of accomplishment throughout the farm, even our mainte-nance guys like to get involved by having a bet.”

Miss FreezeDk. b./br. f. Frost Giant—Reata’s Vixen, Sligo Bay.Breeder: Anthony Bruno. Trainer: David Cannizzo.

Owner: Joseph Bulger, Michael Imperio and DJC Racing. 2016 record: 1-1-0-0, $75,000. 2016 stakes: Lynbrook.

One start. One stakes. One win. Miss Freeze burst onto the scene at Belmont Park in July, routing five rivals in the Lynbrook Stakes.

Owned by Joseph Bulger, Michael Imperio and DJC Racing, the daughter of Frost Giant drew off to a 6 1/4-length score in the New York-bred 2-year-old filly stakes.

Miss Freeze confirmed trainer David Cannizzo’s conviction when he scratched her from a maiden race and ran her in a stakes.

“We were very confident. She’s always been straightforward, just don’t get in her way, she was easy to get there. We tested her, we worked her with some older horses and she handled them pretty easy,” Cannizzo said.

Despite the encouraging signs in the morning, the trainer didn’t initially plan to start out in a stakes with his unraced juvenile filly.

“We actually had her in the week before and it was like a 14-horse field and the stake was going to be four or five,” Cannizzo said. “I knew she was very talented so I wasn’t really that worried about the fillies who had broke their maiden already. We opted to go in the stake, you saw what happened, she ran huge.”

The 6-furlong Lynbrook wound up with six runners, but they all wound up chasing Miss Freeze.

Bred by Anthony Bruno, Miss Freeze enticed Webb Carroll Training Center to purchase her for $57,000 as a yearling at Sara-toga in August.

By the following April, she was worth $150,000 to Sallusto and Albina. Her dam Reata’s Vixen won three times, produced one oth-er foal to race – the 1-for-16 Laguna Vixen and sold for $1,000 in February 2015.

Miss Freeze exited her debut win with sore shins and Cannizzo sent her to the farm for a break. Miss Freeze returned to the work-tab in March in preparation for her 3-year-old debut in the New York Stallion Series Park Avenue Stakes April 22.

“That’s the plan,” Cannizzo said. “She’s training very, very good. She’s even better this year, she grew up, filled out and definitely hasn’t lost any of her talent, I’m very positive for her 3-year-old campaign.”

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TWO-YEAR-OLD FILLY FINALISTS

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Toni Tools B. f. Roaring Fever—Patine, Smart Strike.

Breeder: Barry Ostrager. Trainer: Todd Pletcher.Owner: St. Elias Stable, MeB Racing Stable and Brooklyn Boyz Stable.

2016 record: 5-3-1-0, $164,172.2016 stakes: New York Stallion Series Park Avenue

Anthony Bonomo remembers Willy Beamin. Bonomo lost the New York-bred for $25,000 at Aqueduct in March 2012.

“I said, ‘It’s Aqueduct, it’s cold, no one’s going to claim him,’ ” Bonomo said.

Willy Beamin went on to win his next five starts, including the Albany and King’s Bishop within three days at Saratoga that sum-mer. Yeah, Bonomo remembers.

“I’d like to say we’re very smart,” Bonomo said. “But, you never know.”

That day, Bonomo lost the claiming game. Four years later, he won it.

Bonomo’s Brooklyn Boyz Stable, MeB Stable and St. Elias Stable dangled Toni Tools in a $40,000 maiden claimer at Belmont Park in October. Making her third start and first for Todd Pletcher, she won and wasn’t claimed.

“Thank God,” Bonomo said. Toni Tools didn’t rack up a five-race win streak like Willy Beam-

in but she did produce three consecutive victories, culminating in the Park Avenue division of the New York Stallion Series in De-cember at Aqueduct.

“We didn’t know what she was going to do, we thought it was a good spot for her, we weren’t trying to get her claimed and we

weren’t worried about her getting claimed because we weren’t sure,” Bonomo said. “Sometimes you get lucky. It’s like a kid who can’t hit a fastball and then one day you can’t get one past him. She’s a nice little horse, a New York-bred which you always love.”

The claiming game runs deep in Toni Tools’ pedigree page. Breeder Barry Ostrager claimed Toni Tools’ dam, Patine, for

$20,000 at Churchill Downs in 2011. She won a maiden claimer at Saratoga that summer and was retired by the following spring.

Toni Tools brought $35,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga mixed sale in 2014. Purchased by Crupi’s New Castle Farm, she earned $164,172 in her juvenile season. Toni Tools opened 2017 with a second in the Maddie May Stakes and a fifth in the Franklin Square Stakes at Aqueduct.

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BUYERS & SELLERS. NEW YORK, KENTUCKY, CALIFORNIA, FLORIDA AND EVERYWHERE IN BETWEEN.

You can help the NTRA’s federal legislative team advocate in Washington, DC, by contributing to the NTRA ¼% Check-off Program at major domestic thoroughbred sales.

Join your peers who support the Check-off Program each year by giving $2.50 for every $1,000 of the horse’s sale price.

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14 15

TWO-YEAR-OLD MALE FINALISTS

Bavaro Gr./ro. c. Freud—Chantess, Unbridled’s Song

Breeder: Hidden Lake Farm, Gunston Hall Farm and Anthony Grey.Owner: August Dawn Farm. Trainer: Gary Sciacca.

2016 record: 2-2-0-0, $123,000. 2016 stakes: NYSS Great White Way.

Teammates nicknamed former New York Giants tight end Mark Bavaro “Rambo” during his rookie season for his re-semblance to Sylvester Stallone and physical playing style. Simply put, the future Hall of Famer was beast mode be-

fore such a phrase existed.Bavaro the racehorse, at least to the man that arranged his

breeding and raised him as a foal before selling the colt as a wean-ling, was quite the opposite.

“He was always a cool horse to be around,” said Chris Bernard of Hidden Lake Farm, co-breeder with Dr. Ruel Cowles’ Gunston Hall Farm and Anthony Grey. “He was kind of a pink, a strawber-ry roan, pink colt. He had a really good walk, very balanced, very athletic and very pretty. As for his name, Mr. Parcells I gather was saving that name for something exciting.”

Parcells is of course Bill Parcells, also a member of the Pro Foot-ball Hall of Fame, a two-time Super Bowl winner and Mark Bava-ro’s coach with the Giants. Parcells bought Bavaro for $85,000 on trainer Gary Sciacca’s recommendation at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale. Parcells wanted to name a horse after one of his favorite players and the name also suited who the colt grew up to be.

“He’s a tough horse, that’s why he’s named Bavaro,” Sciacca said after a victory in the Great White Way division of the New York Stallion Stakes in mid-December at Aqueduct. “He’s a big,

good-looking runner where nothing bothers him. He’s like a bull.”Foaled at Bernard’s former farm in Otisville, Bavaro sold as a

weanling for $20,000 to Machmer Hall at the 2014 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga fall mixed sale. Bernard wound up with Chantess after the mare failed to attract a bid at the 2011 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic December mixed sale, and later sold her privately.

“She was a big pretty mare, but the market wasn’t strong and she was a no bid,” Bernard said. “I agreed to take her, Dr. Cowles liked the mare so we decided to take her back up to New York. Tony Grey, who is my other partner, had another mare with him that gave me an option to breed one more to Freud on a co-breed basis with no equity interest. So I said to Dr. Cowles, ‘let’s keep our expenses down, let’s breed Chantess to Freud, we’ll own the baby but we’ll split the awards with Tony and see what happens.’ ”

Bobby On FleekCh. c., Frost Giant—Bema’s Gold, Out Of Place.

Breeder/Owner: Louis Lazzinnaro. Trainer: Chad Brown.2016 record: 2-1-1-0. $91,000.

When you’re named for, owned by a friend of and trained by a former assistant to a Hall of Fame train-er, you come with expectations.

Bobby On Fleek, connected to the legendary Bobby Frankel in all of those ways, handled the pressure with aplomb in his career debut, routing nine others in a Belmont Park maiden race July 9 – which happens to be, wait for it, Frankel’s birthday.

“We had a chance of running July 9 open company or July 10 New York-breds,” said owner/breeder Louis Lazzinnaro. “We chose July 9 because it was Bobby’s birthday and if I retire the horse right now, he did what he had to do.”

Bobby Frankel died of cancer in 2009, but his hands are all over Bobby On Fleek. Frankel and Lazzinnaro co-owned Vineyard Ha-ven together and were close friends. “He took a horse for me one time in California and we got close,” is how Lazzinnaro puts it.

Trainer Chad Brown, who won the Eclipse Award as North America’s top trainer in 2016, worked for Frankel before going out on his own. And the chestnut colt combines Frankel’s name and a slang term for smooth.

The son of Frost Giant came with a glowing recommendation from J.J. Crupi of Crupi’s New Castle Farm in Florida. Bobby On Fleek was ready to run early, Crupi said, and should head to Bel-mont for an early-summer start rather than wait for Saratoga with some of the other 2-year-olds headed north.

Bobby On Fleek won that maiden race by 6 lengths, covered 6 furlongs in 1:10.78 and looked well on his way to a big future. Then he ran into fellow finalist Syndergaard in the Funny Cide Stakes in the mud at Saratoga. Bobby On Fleek finished second, and missed the rest of his 2-year-old season after surgery to remove a small ankle chip.

Lazzinnaro stayed patient and Bobby On Fleek went back to work over the winter in Florida and won his 3-year-old debut at Aqueduct March 24. Lazzinnaro, who owns Nové restaurant (for-merly Sergio’s) in Saratoga, hopes the success continues.

“He’s the first one I ever bred,” he said. “You need the luck, you need the right connections, you need the right karma, you need to be around the right people, and you can have a lot of fun.”

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TWO-YEAR-OLD MALE FINALISTS

Gold For The KingB. g. Posse—Gold for the Queen, Gold Token.

Breeder/Owner: Francis Paolangeli. Trainer: Charlton Baker.

2016 record: 6-3-1-2, $310,568.2016 stakes: New York Breeders’ Futurity, Notebook.

Owner and breeder Francis Paolangeli has been in the game for a long time; he started racing horses in 1982 and has been breeding his own runners since the early 1990s.

He’s seen the New York breeding program evolve and can hardly believe the progress that’s been made.

“The purses are unreal,” he said. “From when I started here the purses have skyrocketed. Now the breeding program, people are breeding to good stallions and New York-breds are coming up. Don’t think that they’re not quality. There are some very, very good New York-breds out there.”

One of Paolangeli’s most talented homebreds, Gold For The King, is taking full advantage of the healthy industry in the Empire State.

As a 2-year-old in 2016, Gold For The King made six starts, all in New York-bred company. He won three of them and never ran out of the money, earning $310,568. Gold For The King’s biggest wins came in the New York Breeders’ Futurity at Finger Lakes in early October and the Notebook Stakes at Aqueduct in mid-No-vember.

Gold For The King is a son of Posse out of Gold For The Queen, a Gold Token mare Paolangeli campaigned to five wins (two stakes) and earnings of $239,136.

Foaled at Thomas Dushas’ Pegasus Farm in Dover Plains, Gold For The King is the second foal out of Gold For The Queen. Char-lie Baker trained Gold For The Queen also, and immediately rec-ognized promise when her son walked into the barn. Still, Gold For The King exceeded the expectations of his veteran owner and trainer.

“This baby, we liked,” Paolangeli said. “Charlie had Gold For The Queen, and he liked her and he kind of liked this colt. He was really high on him and we thought he was going to be a decent colt and he could run in the New York circuit.”

Second to Bavaro in the Great White Way in December, Gold For The King worked at Belmont Park in March in preparation for a 2017 campaign.

MiraiCh. c. Trappe Shot—That’s Ok, Not For Love.

Breeder: Eaton & Thorne Inc.Owner: Robert LaPenta and Madaket Stables. Trainer: Chad Brown.2016 record: 2-2-0-0, $133,800. 2016 stakes: Bertram F. Bongard.

That’s Ok was a little better as a broodmare than her name might indicate when last spring rolled around at Thorn-dale Farm in Millbrook. She’d produced a winner – and her third foal would later win by the fall – and her first

three foals brought decent dollars in the sales ring. Thorndale’s Jonathan Thorne liked That’s Ok. He’d liked her

since her breeze at the 2007 Fasig-Tipton Calder sale of 2-year-olds, where she sold for $700,000. Thorne got the opportunity to buy her himself less than two years later as a winless 3-year-old at the 2008 Keeneland November sale.

“She was a 3-year-old that Darley had when I bought her,” Thorne said. “I liked her because I remembered her from the 2-year-old sale in Miami. She worked in like :21 flat. She was by Not For Love, a big mare, maybe 17 hands.”

Business being business and after receiving an offer from New-town Anner, Thorne opted to sell after hearing That’s Ok’s fourth foal, the Trappe Shot colt Mirai, brought $280,000 at the OBS March sale of 2-year-olds in training and was progressing well to-ward his debut.

“I knew he was doing well and after what he brought at the 2-year-old sale, I thought the private offer was pretty good,” said Thorne, who bred Mirai through his family’s Eaton & Thorne Inc. operation. “I don’t like selling mares but it just sort of happened that way. She throws nice horses I was just waiting for her to throw

a runner. I figured as soon as I sold her she’d throw a runner. That’s the way it usually is.”

Mirai showed he was indeed a runner, first living up to his pre-race billing with a victory going 6 furlongs in mid-August at Saratoga and then adding the Bertram F. Bongard on the Empire Showcase card at Belmont Park less than two months later. Cam-paigned by Robert LaPenta and Madaket Stables, Mirai won those two starts by a combined 5 1/2 lengths for trainer Chad Brown.

“He was always a really straightforward horse,” said Thorne, who first sold Mirai at the Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale for $55,000. “He was a beautiful individual, great physical, what everyone looks for. He was also nice sized, very correct and looked fast standing still.”

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18 19

TWO-YEAR-OLD MALE FINALISTS

J.J. Crupi h Toll Free: (866) 313-5400 h Cell: (352) 427-1600Ocala, Florida

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Congratulations to all of the N.Y. Thoroughbred Breeders finalists

And especially these talented horses who prepped for success at our farm

Filibustin2-year-old filly finalist

Toni Tools2-year-old filly finalist

Bobby On Fleek2-year-old male finalist

Super Surprise3-year-old filly finalist

Fish Trappe Road3-year-old male finalist

King KreesaTurf male finalist

Pat On The BackCh. c. Congrats—Accomplished, Awesome Again.Breeder: Sugar Maple Farm. Trainer: Ken McPeek.

Owner: Harold Lerner, AWC Stable, Scott Akman, Nehoc Stable.2016 record: 6-3-1-0, $310,020. 2016 stakes: Sleepy Hollow, Aspirant.

Jockey Dylan Davis put it pretty simply after Pat On The Back won a New York-bred maiden race near the end of the 2016 Saratoga meet.“He’s a good horse,” the jockey said. In just the Congrats colt’s

second career start, Pat On the Back tracked and pounced, drawing off to score by 3 1/2 lengths. Little did Davis know, but Pat On The Back was just getting started. He was good, and getting better.

Davis and Pat On the Back teamed up to win September’s Aspi-rant at Finger Lakes in their next start, and finished in a dead heat for second behind fellow finalist Mirai in the Bertram Bongard at Belmont Park in October. Next, they won the Sleepy Hollow (at nearly 21-1) at Belmont in October. Trainer Ken McPeek went big time and tried the chestnut colt in the Delta Jackpot in November and the New York-bred checked in sixth behind Kentucky Derby hopeful Gunnevera to finish the 2016 season.

It all started at Saratoga for the colt. Davis guided him to a fourth in his career debut, less than 4 lengths behind future stakes winner and fellow divisional finalist Gold For The King. Owned by Harold Lerner, AWC Stable, Scott Akman and Nehoc Stable, Pat On The Back impressed Davis that day and wowed him the second time three weeks later.

If you know Davis, his 22-year-old eyes lit up talking about this third winner at the ultra-tough Saratoga meet.

“Most of McPeek’s babies are working very well for me and this

one in particular was working a little better than the others,” said Davis, son of jockey turned trainer Robbie Davis. “This race, I kept him a little more relaxed because he knew what he had to do com-ing out of there. He put me in a great position laying second, he relaxed in the turn and when I went to go ask him at the three-eighths pole, he responded great.”

Pat On the Back, who opened 2017 with three defeats in open company including the Grade 3 LeComte Stakes at the Fair Grounds, has been responding great his whole life.

Bred by Sugar Maple Farm, he fetched $70,000 from McPeek at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale and quickly turned that into a bargain, banking $310,020 in 2016.

Yeah, he’s a good horse.

SyndergaardCh. c. Majesticperfection—Magic Belle, Gold Case.

Breeder: Burleson Farms. Owner: Eric Fein, Harris Fein, Christopher McKenna, Guri Singh, and Jerry Walia.

Trainer: Todd Pletcher.2016 record: 4-2-1-0, $323,800. 2016 stakes: Funny Cide.

Todd Pletcher and successful 2-year-old Thoroughbreds go together like baseball players and home runs. Those two worlds collided in 2016 as he conditioned champion 2-year-old male finalist Syndergaard through a successful

campaign.Owner Eric Fein partnered with Harris Fein, Christopher McK-

enna, Guri Singh and Jerry Walia to purchase the Majesticperfec-tion colt for $450,000 out of the last year’s OBS April 2-year-olds in training sale.

Being a hardcore New York Mets fan, Eric Fein named the colt after the team’s all-star pitcher, Noah Syndergaard.

Syndergaard the horse made his debut for Pletcher in early Au-gust at Saratoga, where he dominated the field to win by 3 lengths. He returned to the track 18 days later for the Funny Cide Stakes on the Saratoga Showcase card and effortlessly blew past the competi-tion to win by 10 1/4 lengths.

“We were optimistic coming in,” Pletcher said after the Funny Cide. “He’s just got so much early speed that I think he forced ev-eryone to chase him a little bit and he came with a heater today.”

Pletcher, clearly, can have a little fun with the name.“Johnny (Velazquez) said as fast as he’s going, he’s actually doing

it in a pretty relaxed fashion,” the trainer continued, “so he felt like even though he knew he was rolling along, he was doing it within

himself and had his ears pricked and felt comfortable, so we weren’t going to take away what comes easy.”

With the other Syndergaard on hand at Belmont Park, Pletcher placed the colt in the Grade 1 Champagne in October. The speedy colt led throughout, but lost a nose decision to Hopeful winner Practical Joke.

Syndergaard made his final start of the year in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, finishing fifth of 11, again after leading ear-ly from his inside post.

Syndergaard, who racked up $323,800 in earnings last year, started his 2017 comeback at Stonestreet’s training center in Ocala, Fla. before moving south to rejoin Pletcher’s string at Palm Beach Downs with a series of strong breezes in February and March.

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THREE-YEAR-OLD FILLY FINALISTS

Ancient SecretCh. f. Kantharos—Privacy, Notebook.

Breeder: Lambholm. Owner: Alpha Delta Stables. Trainer: Chad Brown. 2016 record: 5-3-0-1, $238,339.

2016 stakes: Lake George (G2), Wild Applause.

Her talent was no secret at the 2015 OBS April sale of 2-year-olds in training. On top of Ancient Secret’s ped-igree was Kantharos, a talented racehorse but young and unproven sire who stood for only $5,000. On the

bottom side of her pedigree was the Notebook mare Privacy, who managed just three wins from 20 starts.

The word was out that she could run and the hammer dropped after a bid of $225,000 from bloodstock agent Steve Young, who purchased the filly on behalf of Alpha Delta Stables.

The chestnut filly was sent to Chad Brown. Some seven months later, she made a successful career debut at 6 furlongs on the Bel-mont Park turf course, winning impressively by 3 lengths. Unsur-prisingly, Brown made the correct decision on which surface to run her on.

“It’s a typical example of getting them in the barn, observe them, they’ll tell you, she trained pretty good on the dirt, but there was something about her, she had a turf look about her, physically, I had to put the pedigree aside and just go with what I saw,” Brown said.

Given the winter off, Ancient Secret made a successful return to the races in a 7-furlong allowance on the turf in mid-May at Bel-mont Park. Stretching out another furlong a month later, the petite filly made a successful foray into open stakes company, winning the Wild Applause by a head.

The highlight of her year came when she made it four wins from four starts after a triumphant two-turn debut in the Grade 2 Lake George on Opening Day of Saratoga. Sent off as the 2-1 favorite, she proved best in the stretch winning by 1 1/4 lengths.

Never afraid to keep his homebreds to race, Roy Lerman made the decision to sell the daughter of Privacy as a 2-year-old.

“She trained very well all winter, and we wanted to see what we could get for her,” Lerman said. “Her mother wasn’t a large horse, but a very well-made horse. Privacy was out of (Private Fun), who I had bought. She was striking, that mare.”

Ancient Secret took a winter break, did some early work at Bridlewood Farm in Florida and rejoined Brown’s string at Palm Meadows in March to gear up for her 2017 campaign.

ClipthecouponannieB. f. Uncle Mo—Lights Off Annie, Freud.

Breeder/Owner: Repole Stable. Trainer: Todd Pletcher.2016 record: 3-3-0-0, $132,000. 2016 stakes: Franklin Square.

Mike Repole owns two finalists for New York-bred 3-year-old filly champion. The prominent owner bred one, Clipthecouponannie, and bought one, Super Surprise.

Asked if there was a difference between the two, Repole an-swered honestly.

“Winning is winning,” he said. “And there are very few people who like winning more than I do.”

Then he added a caveat.“But when you win with a horse that you bred, there’s extra sat-

isfaction knowing you own the stallion and the mare, and those horses have produced a winner,” Repole said.

So give the nod to Clipthecouponannie, at least in the satisfac-tion column.

By Repole’s champion Uncle Mo and out of Repole’s six-time winner Lights Off Annie, Clipthecouponannie kicked off the year with two winter wins at Aqueduct, a New York-bred allowance and the Franklin Square Stakes. On the shelf until December, she re-turned right where she left off, securing an open allowance race at Gulfstream Park. Now 4-for-4, she could have a heady 2017.

“Clipthecouponannie is a special horse,” Repole said. “She will be running in our first graded stake at Aqueduct in April. If all goes well, she can be one of the top female sprinters in the country.”

With Giant Surprise, sire of Super Surprise, standing in New York and Uncle Mo standing in Kentucky, Repole has two young,

wildly successful stallions. Uncle Mo, a 2-year-old champion, was a no-brainer but standing Giant Surprise took conviction. The son of Giant’s Causeway is paying it back.

“He won one race from one start, he was well bred and I really believe he would have been a graded stakes winner if he stayed healthy,” Repole said. “I think his success as a stallion proves he would have been a great race horse.”

Named for Repole’s mother’s frugal ways, Clipthecouponannie represents the goal of all owners/breeders.

“There’s a lot of excitement watching any Uncle Mo or Giant Surprise perform well, whether I own the racehorse or not,” Repole said. “But it is extra special when you win with one of your stallions that you named, raced and had some great memories with.”

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22 23

THREE-YEAR-OLD FILLY FINALISTS

FingerpainterDk. b./br. f., Nobiz Like Shobiz—Twinkie Zone, Wild Zone.

Breeder: Richard and Kay Zwirn. Owner/trainer: Timothy Murphy.2016 record: 9-4-3-0, $101,220. 2016 stakes: Niagara, Arctic Queen.

Richard Zwirn admits he was more than a little nervous as he stood near the makeshift walking ring on the Yaddo Show Grounds adjacent to Saratoga Race Course for the New York Breeders’ Sales Co.’s fall mixed sale in 2008.

Zwirn was there to see Twinkie Zone, a then 7-year-old daughter of Wild Zone from a family he liked carrying a foal by Smooth Jazz.

“It was the first time I was at a sale by myself to buy,” said Zwirn, who with his wife Kay owns and operates Rainbow Fields Farm in Gansevoort just outside Saratoga. “My heart is beating a mile and a minute. She walks in, looks the part and everybody’s basically left. She’s in foal to a moderate stallion.

“I’m standing next to Chip Landry, who was her consignor, and Jimmy Miranda, who knows the family well. I bid $1,000 and then I’ve got my hand raised again while the auctioneer is going on. I thought the bidding was going up but Chip says, ‘no Rich, hold on.’ They’re literally holding my arm down and then nothing happens and I get her for $1,000.”

Nearly 10 years and a few winners later Twinkie Zone is still at Rainbow Fields and in 2016 helped provide the Zwirns with their biggest thrill in nearly two decades. Fingerpainter, a daughter of Nobiz Like Shobiz who got her name after the Zwirn’s daughter Ja-mie landed a job at the Fingerpaint marketing agency in Saratoga, provided most of the thrills.

Owned and trained by Timothy Murphy, who Zwirn says “de-serves four-fifths of the credit” as the “hardest-working, most hon-

est, most genuine, salt-of-the-earth guy you will ever meet,” Fin-gerpainter did all her work at Finger Lakes in 2016. The Zwirns sold Fingerpainter privately to Murphy, like they do with many of their horses, but watched her from afar or in person with pride.

“Fingerpainter is a spitting image of Twinkie Zone,” Zwirn said. “She’s stamped her with everything she’s got. Conformation, body, attitude. It’s wonderful. She has a full-brother that did squat on the racetrack. He won a race at 60-1 and really could not outrun a fat man kind of thing.

“It’s all been very satisfying but we haven’t hit the home run yet. I said I’m not attending one of these banquets until we have a final-ist. We’ve been members for 19 years, we’ve won races at Saratoga but this is our first stakes horse.”

Flatterywillgetyou Ch. f. Flatter—Tres Chaud, French Deputy.

Breeder: First Class Thoroughbreds. Owner: Everything’s Cricket Racing. Trainer: Linda Rice. 2016 record: 6-4-1-0, $206,900. 2016 stakes: Bouwerie.

Ian Mulholland always wanted to breed champion racehorses. Like many who grow up in Saratoga Springs he was instantly drawn to the races and to the puzzle of handicapping. That passion eventually manifested itself into a fascination with

pedigrees, a small broodmare band and breeding and racing oper-ation called First Class Thoroughbreds.

Mulholland passed away in March 2013, about a month after a chestnut filly was born at Stonegate Stables in Fort Edward that gives her late breeder the best chance yet to be named champion.

“Watching Flatterywillgetyou last year brought back a lot of memories of Ian,” said Tom Caldroney, Mulholland’s friend, for-mer boss and partner in First Class Thoroughbreds. “His goal was to breed a New York-bred champion and I don’t know whether she’s got a chance to win the award or not but when she started cranking off those wins and then won the Bouwerie Stakes it was quite special. It brought back a lot of memories of Bill Johnson at Stonegate, myself, Ian, Ian’s dad, his wife Kristin, going over every-thing. I think he’d be grinning from ear to ear, and very proud of what she’s done if he was still here.”

Flatterywillgetyou sold as a weanling for $75,000 at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga fall mixed sale, a price Caldroney was happy about, and races for Everything’s Cricket Racing. Third in her de-but late in her 2-year-old season, Flatterywillgetyou clicked off four straight wins, the last a 1-length score in the 7-furlong Bouwerie

in May at Belmont Park before a try in the Grade 3 Victory Ride. She finished fifth and went to the sidelines before returning with a second in an Aqueduct allowance late in the year. She’s back this year for Linda Rice.

“After Ian passed I purchased the 55 percent of Tres Chaud that I did not own from his wife and I’ve continued to own her,” he said. “Flatterywillgetyou was the first one we bred to a decent stallion . . . Everything she throws really likes to race.

“A yearling (filly) out of her sold last year for $225,000, by Into Mischief. Most of her foals look like her. She’s by French Deputy and I’m not an expert enough to tell you a whole lot more than that, but something about the French Deputy and the Deputy Minister seem to help her throw pretty horses.”

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THREE-YEAR-OLD FILLY FINALISTS

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Highway StarCh. f., Girolamo—Stolen Star, Cat Thief.

Owner/Breeder: Chester and Mary Broman. Trainer: Rodrigo Ubillo.2016 record: 7-5-0-1. $369,000.

2016 stakes: Staten Island, Go For Wand (G3).

If you were creating an advertising campaign about Thor-oughbred owning and breeding, you could do worse than use Highway Star as an example of the way things are supposed to work.

The chestnut filly went from unraced maiden to graded stakes winner in about six months, rewarding the patience of her connec-tions Chester and Mary Broman and Rodrigo Ubillo.

“It wasn’t even a year,” said Ubillo, who trained the daughter of Girolamo to five wins in seven starts. But it was still a good year. Highway Star made her first six starts in New York-bred company. She won her debut at Belmont Park May 30 and followed up with an allowance score July 13, also at Belmont. Her only two defeats came at Saratoga, when she was fourth in the New York Stallion Series Statue of Liberty Stakes and third in the Fleet Indian.

Next came three consecutive wins – each more impressive than the one before it.

At Belmont in September, she trounced seven foes in a state-bred allowance, then won back-to-back stakes at Aqueduct. The first figured, as Highway Star won the new York Stallion Series Staten Island Stakes in November, but the second? Now that was something.

Part of a field of seven in the Grade 3 Go For Wand, including the Bromans’ odds-on favorite Bar Of Gold, Highway Star pre-vailed in a three-way photo finish over High Ridge Road and Won-

der Gal. It was the first graded stakes win for Ubillo, and confirmed the trainer’s initial thoughts about Highway Star.

“As a 2-year-old, she didn’t have the best conformation so we took our time with her,” he said. “She grew up to be a better looking filly. I go by the horse and I didn’t think she was ready. She’s very big and lengthy. I gave her the time and it paid off.”

Highway Star’s dam Stolen Star won three times and placed in stakes for the Bromans. She’s produced three winners, and passed down some talent to her foals.

“Very competitive,” Ubillo said when asked about Highway Star’s mentality. “She’s very friendly in the stall, but on the track she’s all business. She likes her job and she likes to run.”

Super SurpriseDk. b./br. f. Giant Surprise—Miz Lynne Kelly, Langfuhr.

Breeder: Allen Hallett. Owner: Repole Stable. Trainer: Todd Pletcher.2016 record: 4-2-1-1, $197,500. 2016 stakes: Fleet Indian.

Allen Hallett teaches math and business to high school ju-niors and seniors. When the lecture turns to bonuses, Hallett pulls out his own examples.

“I pull out my breeder check, ‘here you go, this is real life, this is my bonus check from my horse racing business. This is how bonuses work,’ ” Hallett said. “I use it right here in school. Life lessons. I show them, ‘This is how it works for me.’ When you’re a student, you always ask, ‘When am I ever going to use this in real life?’ I show them. I’m never asked that question.”

It helps when you breed Super Surprise, two-time winner in 2016 and two-time New York-bred championship finalist. Owned by Repole Stable and trained by Todd Pletcher, the 3-year-old filly by Giant Surprise out of Miz Lynn Kelly hit the board in each of her four starts in 2016, including a big win in the Fleet Indian on the Saratoga Showcase card.

For Hallett and his wife Karen, who own a self-sufficient 55-acre farm in Cato, it’s a perfect scenario.

“We’ve made between $75,000 to $100,000 in breeder awards every year and our yearlings have averaged $60,000,” Hallett said. “We make our own feed, hay, straw, corn…it’s been quite lucrative for us. It’s been a nice ride to be on.”

The Halletts also breed Belgian Draft Horses, including world champion Hallett’s T-Rex. Hallett pairs a Belgian Draft Horse foal with a Thoroughbred foal.

“Mentally it makes my Thoroughbred babies better,” Hallett

said. “As they’re running in the pastures, the Thoroughbred baby will go flying by the Belgian baby and learn how to pass it, as soon as it does, the Belgian baby will turn around and run the other way and the Thoroughbred baby will turn and go hell bent for leather to catch it and fly by it. By doing it, the Thoroughbred knows, ‘I can catch this horse in front of me.’ ”

Hey, whatever works. The $55,000 yearling buy at the Fasig-Tip-ton New York-bred sale of 2014 showcased her passing skills one more time in Aqueduct’s Biogio’s Rose Stakes in February, her fourth win in nine lifetime starts and the final race of her career.

“I wanted her to go out a winner,” Mike Repole said. “She has been bred to Uncle Mo already and is in foal. I’m really excited about the future of that baby.”

26 27

THREE-YEAR-OLD FILLY FINALISTS

Inquiries to Joe or John McMahon / 180 Fitch Road / Saratoga Springs, NY 12866(518) 587-3426 / office@mcmahonthoroughbreds.com / www.mcmahonthoroughbreds.com

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Wonderment Gr./r. f., Cosmonaut—A Wonder She Is, Three Wonders.

Breeder: Michael Landers. Trainer: Ken McPeekOwner: Magdalena Racing and Chris Sterbenz; Walking L Thoroughbreds.2016 record: 10-1-2-2, $142,060. 2016 stakes: Bourbonette Oaks (G3).

Michael Landers found himself in the exact right place at the right time in December 2009.

“I actually was getting out of the business entirely, because I had gotten to the point where I had four

mares and had yearlings and babies,” Landers said. “This was right at the time that the financial crisis hit. I was getting out of the game and effectively sold everybody, and then right as I was doing that, went to Fasig-Tipton Midlantic.

“They were just giving mares away, this was right at the crux of all the difficulties. It was a bad sale and I don’t know why I went, but I went. I think I had $1,000 in my pocket, literally the upset price. There were a lot of mares no bidding. I actually saw a mare that no bid, went and looked at her and just really liked her, didn’t know anything about her other than what was on her page. I ended up buying her out of that sale.”

That mare was A Wonder She Is, a winner of two races in eight starts. About three years later the mare foaled a Cosmonaut filly.

“From Day 1, we really liked her,” said Landers, who bred the filly. “She was probably the best foal that she had still to this day. She has a yearling that is very nice, and that would be the only one to compare to Wonderment.”

Sold as a weaning for $24,000, Wonderment won her only two starts at 2 in 2015, 10 days apart, in a maiden race and the Lyn-

brook Stakes at Belmont Park. In her second start as a 3-year-old, she won the Grade 3 Bourbonette Oaks at Turfway Park.

“That was a definitely a really fun day,” Landers said. “I don’t even know if I’d bred an allowance winner. That was very exciting to say the least.”

Wonderment didn’t win again in 2016, but finished a fast-clos-ing second in the Dogwood in September at Churchill Downs. She returned to New York for her next two starts, a second to Que-zon in the Iroquois on Empire Showcase Day in her final start for Magdalena Racing and Chris Sterbenz. Walking L Thoroughbreds bought Wonderment for $185,000 at Fasig-Tipton November and raced her to a fifth in the Staten Island division of the New York Stallion Series shortly after the auction.

28 29

THREE-YEAR-OLD MALE FINALISTS

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AEI 2.21Highest in New York!

Higher than Freud, Bellamy Road, and Big Brown

Congratulations to 2016 New York-bred Champion 3YO Filly nominee: SUPER SURPRISE

Won her 4YO debut in Biogio’s Rose Stakes Feb. 5 at Aqueduct, giving her a stakes win every year she has raced.

Also Standing:

D’ FUNNYBONE | HONORABLE DILLON | MICROMANAGE | SOARING EMPIRE | TRINNIBERG | WAR DANCERNEW FOR 2017

ConvergeB. c., Sidney’s Candy—Atlantic Ocean, Stormy Atlantic.

Breeder: SF Racing. Owner: Paul Pompa Jr. Trainer: Chad Brown.2016 record: 6-1-0-1. $114,160. 2016 stakes: Palm Beach (G3).

Pull up Converge’s first start of 2016 and some footage of the wild horse roundup from The Man From Snowy River. They’re pretty much the same thing, minus the snow, cow-boys and bull whips anyway.

From post 11 in the Grade 3 Palm Beach Stakes at Gulfstream Park, Converge broke a little bit in the air and quickly found him-self last of 13 runners. By the first turn, he’d moved to 12th but had plenty of work to do.

Jockey Javier Castellano stayed inside up the backstretch and was seventh on the final turn, then sixth, then fifth behind a block-ade of horses. Castellano went inside of two horses and outside of two others to get to the front in the final sixteenth of a mile and win by three-quarters of a length.

Somewhere, owner Paul Pompa Jr. smiled.“When you run a grass horse in the winter time at Gulfstream,

or even a dirt horse, it’s always a 10-, 12-, 14-horse field,” said the owner. “You’ve got to have a good horse and you’ve got to get a good trip.”

Pompa got both that day as Converge mowed down Giant Run – who went on to win four stakes in 2016– in the final strides.

Pompa purchased Converge through Xavier International Bloodstock at Keeneland September 2014. Bred by SF Racing, the son of Sidney’s Candy won his debut in September 2015. He closed his 2-year-old season with a second in the Awad Stakes at Belmont Park to hint at bigger things ahead.

He lived up to that promise by winning the Palm Beach, a $150,000 stakes at 1 1/16 miles on the turf in February. Though he didn’t break through with another win – despite quality tries in the Transylvania at Keeneland, American Turf at Chruchill Downs, Pennine Ridge at Belmont and Kent at Delaware – Converge wrapped up 2016 with a third in New York-bred allowance compa-ny at Saratoga and aims toward a return to action this spring.

“We kept him in open company, which isn’t easy, and I think when we stopped with him he just needed a break,” said Pompa. “I’ve been lucky enough to have some nice New York-breds and Converge could be a very nice horse. It’s exciting.”

Fish Trappe RoadGr./ro. c. Trappe Shot—Electric Shock, Cure the Blues.

Breeder: Rhapsody Farm and Jon Davis.Owner: Martin Racing Stable. Trainer: Bret Calhoun.

2016 record: 6-2-1-1, $465,920. 2016 stakes: Dwyer (G3).

Bret Calhoun joked with the members of Martin Racing Stable last spring, right around the time many owners are hoping to get close to the dream of competing in America’s greatest horse race.

“Well, we were supposed to run at Keeneland in an a-other-than and it didn’t fill,” Calhoun recalled last summer, standing just un-der the eve of his shedrow on the Oklahoma Training Track while his small string that included Fish Trappe Road relaxed after morn-ing training. “The race that we wound up in happened to be on Derby Day. I kidded everybody, I said, ‘I told you he’d run the first Saturday in May. I just didn’t say what race.’ It was an allowance race that day and he ran a very impressive race that day.”

Fish Trappe Road did compete at Churchill Downs on Derby Day, winning that allowance race less than an hour after Nyquist rolled home in the Kentucky Derby. The victory, by 5 1/4 lengths in a quick 1:22.27 after a nearly four-month layoff, started a strong stretch for the son of Trappe Shot. He backed up the allowance win with a second (at 25-1) to Tom’s Ready in the Grade 2 Woody Ste-phens on Belmont Stakes Day and a victory in the Grade 3 Dwyer going a mile, also at Belmont.

Those efforts preceded Fish Trappe Road’s sixth behind eventual champion male sprinter Drefong in the Grade 1 King’s Bishop and a close third to Texas Chrome and Sticksstatelydude in the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby.

“He’s come around a lot mentally and physically,” Calhoun said. “He’s a narrow-bodied horse, a lighter-bodied horse but he’s twice the horse now that he was last year at this time. Mentally he’s much more focused. We always laughed that he had A.D.D. He does but he’s way, way, way more focused and professional this year. He used to just want to play 24-7. He’s gotten stronger physically and men-tally he’s gotten a lot better.”

Rhapsody Farm in Plymouth, where he was foaled, and Jon Da-vis bred Fish Trappe Road in partnership. The colt became his sire’s first stakes winner in the Dwyer and is one of five winners from seven foals to race out of the stakes-winning mare Electric Shock.

Fish Trappe Road opened 2017 with a third in the Hot Springs Stakes at Oaklawn Park March 11.

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THREE-YEAR-OLD MALE FINALISTS

Flexibility B. c. Bluegrass Cat—Santa Vindi, Vindication.

Breeder: WinStar Farm.Owner: Klaravich Stable and William Lawrence.

Trainer: Chad Brown.2016 record: 3-1-0-0, $152,500. 2016 stakes: Jerome (G3).

Don’t stop if you’ve read this before, and really who doesn’t know this story?

One of the world’s leading breeding operations – rec-ognized as such earlier this year with the Eclipse Award

for outstanding breeder – maintains a presence in New York and one of the products of the initiative is a graded-stakes winning 3-year-old.

If it sounds like Funny Cide, one of the poster horses for the New York breeding industry and winner of the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, it should. Funny Cide was bred by WinStar Farm, Kenny Troutt’s Kentucky-based operation, and foaled and raised at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds in Sara-toga Springs.

Flexibility is the latest New York-bred product of WinStar to achieve success in his home state.

A son of Bluegrass Cat who got the year off to a fast start with a victory in the Grade 3 Jerome at Aqueduct, Flexibility might not be as looming a presence on the New York breeding program as Fun-ny Cide but as a son of a stallion who stood in the state he’s perhaps an even more genuine product.

Flexibility was foaled at Vinery New York at Sugar Maple Farm, one of two farms where WinStar’s Grade 1 winner Bluegrass Cat stood during his three seasons in the state along with Rockridge

Stud before relocating to California in 2015. An $80,000 Saratoga New York-bred yearling and a $185,000

purchase at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton Florida 2-year-old sale, Flexi-bility won his debut and placed in the Grade 2 Nashua as a 2-year-old for Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stable and William Lawrence and trainer Chad Brown. The bay colt put his name in the early Triple Crown picture the second day of 2016 in the Jerome, then finished fourth in the Grade 3 Withers and seventh in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial before going to the sidelines.

Flexibility, one of three winners out of a half-sister to Grade 1 winner and successful sire Golden Missile, is on the comeback trail for a 2017 campaign with breezes this winter for Brown at Palm Meadows in Florida.

Governor MalibuCh. c., Malibu Moon—Akilina, Langfuhr.

Breeder: Richard Leahy, Oak Bluff Stable. Owner: Jump Sucker Stable and Oak Bluff Stable.

Trainer: Christophe Clement. 2016 record: 9-2-4-0. $489,750. 2016 stakes: Gander.

He was not the busiest governor of 2016, but Governor Malibu gave Cuomo and some of the others a real run with nine starts from February to November with a tilt at the big time in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes and Tra-

vers Stakes about halfway through the campaign.After winning a November 2015 maiden race at Aqueduct, the

chestnut colt launched his 3-year-old season with a win in the Gan-der Stakes also at Aqueduct in February.

Trainer Christophe Clement called for a road trip next time and the son of Malibu Moon delivered with a nose win over Awesome Speed in Laurel Park’s Federico Tesio Stakes April 9. The race came with an automatic entry into the Preakness at Pimlico the next month, but Governor Malibu lost out on that opportunity because of a disqualification. Stewards deemed he interfered with Awe-some Speed, demoting Governor Malibu to second in the $100,000 stakes.

Clement regrouped and sent Governor Malibu out to finish a hard-charging second in the Grade 2 Peter Pan at Belmont May 14. That performance was good enough to earn a ticket to the Bel-mont, where he finished fourth behind Creator, Destin and Lani while checking twice in the final quarter-mile.

“He ran a superb race in the Belmont, no racing luck,” said Clement in August. “He always gives a good account of himself.

He’s a fun horse to be around. He’s a fun horse. He stays and he’s a very hard-trying kind of horse.”

At Saratoga, Governor Malibu finished second in the Jim Dan-dy and fifth behind Arrogate in the Travers after bypassing what would have been an easier spot in the Albany for New York-breds. In the fall, the chestnut won a New York-bred allowance, finished second in the Empire Classic and was seventh in the Grade 3 Dis-covery before getting a break for the winter. With eyes on a 2017 debut, Governor Malibu was working steadily at Payson Park.

Bred by Richard Leahy’s Oak Bluff Stable and foaled at Berk-shire Stud, Governor Malibu sold for $175,000 at Keeneland Sep-tember as a yearling and then brought $135,000 at Fasig-Tipton’s March sale of 2-year-olds.

THREE-YEAR-OLD MALE FINALISTS

Hit It Once More B. c. Hard Spun—Sunday Geisha, Sunday Break.

Breeder: JMJ Racing Stables. Owner: August Dawn Farm. Trainer: Gary Sciacca.

2016 record: 7-4-0-0, $348,190.2016 stakes: New York Derby, Albany.

Gary Sciacca likes to joke that training for Bill Parcells is difficult because the retired Hall of Fame and two-time Super Bowl champion coach is so used to winning and perhaps a bit demanding of results.

Sciacca delivered some very positive results for Parcells’ Au-gust Dawn Farm in 2016, the best coming from Hit It Once More, including back-to-back victories in the summer that contributed significantly to the coach’s best year as an owner by at least three touchdowns.

Horses owned by Parcells, whose NFL head-coaching career in-cluded jobs with the New York Giants, New England Patriots, New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys, won a dozen races in 2016, placed in 14 more and earned $856,842. He’d won nine races in five seasons as an owner through 2015.

Hit It Once More, a son of Hard Spun Sciacca helped Parcells purchase for $90,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May 2-year-olds in training sale, won the $164,000 New York Derby in late July at Finger Lakes and the $250,000 Albany in late August at Saratoga.

The Albany victory came with Parcells in the stands on Saratoga Showcase Day, while the New York Derby came after Sciacca made the trek to western New York from Saratoga in his car. The trainer looked back at Hit It Once More’s 6 1/4-length victory at Finger Lakes two days before the Albany with mild alarm.

“He kind of surprised me that day,” Sciacca said of the New York Derby. “I thought he’d win there, but I didn’t think he’d win with that kind of authority. He got himself together, he’s running good. Seems like the further we went the better.”

Bred by JMJ Racing Stables and foaled at Sequel Stallions in Hudson, Hit It Once More is out of the stakes-winning Sunday Break mare Sunday Geisha. The bay colt won the New York Derby at 1 1/16 miles and in the 9-furlong Albany was just as good racing on the lead to win by 3 3/4 lengths.

“Gary picked him and went over budget and that’s how he got his name,” Parcells said after the Albany. “He kept telling me, ‘Bill, we’ve got to hit it once more, hit it once more,’ so once we got him, I said, ‘That’s his name.’ ”

Mind Your Biscuits Ch. c. Posse—Jazzmane, Toccet.

Breeder: Jumping Jack Racing. Owner: M. Scott Summers, Hope Summers, Daniel Summers, J Stables, Head of Plains Partners.

Trainer: Robert Falcone Jr.2016 record: 9-4-3-1, $740,400.

2016 stakes: Malibu (G1), Amsterdam (G2).

When Mind Your Biscuits won the Grade 2 Am-sterdam Stakes last July at Saratoga Race Course, co-owner Scott Summers’ career as a racehorse owner reached new heights.

“I’ve been coming here for so many years, and to have this expe-rience, I never, never would have thought about it,” Summers said. “I’ve been coming to Saratoga for at least 40 years and I’ve been owning horses for the last 10 or so. ‘Biscuits’ is the only horse I’ve had that’s performed at this level.”

Little did Summers know, winning the Amsterdam was just the beginning for Mind Your Biscuits. In the rest of his 3-year-old sea-son, the son of Posse finished second in the Grade 3 Gallant Bob Stakes at Parx before finishing third (moved up to second) behind Drefong in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint in November. Mind Your Biscuits closed 2016 by winning the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita Dec. 26.

The adventure took another turn to start 2017 as Mind Your Bis-cuits won the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen at Meydan March 25, putting him in the discussion as the world’s top sprinter. It was his fifth win from 15 lifetime starts and put him over the $2 million mark in career earnings.

Mind Your Biscuits is a family affair. Scott’s sons Chad and Dan

and daughter-in-law Hope, are in the ownership group and Chad now trains Mind Your Biscuits, recently taking over from Robert Falcone Jr. The family partnered with J Stables early in the venture and added Head of Plains Partners before the Breeders’ Cup.

“We were going to pinhook him and nobody wanted him,” Scott Summers said. “We said, ‘All right, nobody wants him, we’ll race him,’ and that’s when we went to J Stables for the partnership and it worked out great. This is the first horse I’ve ever had that’s won a graded stakes race. It’s just an extraordinary experience.”

Bred by Jumping Jack Racing and foaled at Sue and Gary Lun-dy’s Cedar Ridge Farm in Pine Plains, Mind Your Biscuits is one of three winners from three foals to race out of the unraced Toccet mare Jazzmane.

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TURF FEMALE FINALISTS

Lauren King

Thank You

New York breeders, owners, trainers & especially the horses for a great ride in 2016.

– Irad Ortiz, Jr. and Steve Rushing

Ancient SecretCh. f. Kantharos—Privacy, Notebook.

Breeder: Lambholm. Owner: Alpha Delta Stables. Trainer: Chad Brown. 2016 record: 5-3-0-1, $238,339.

2016 stakes: Lake George (G2), Wild Applause.

Her talent was no secret at the 2015 OBS April sale of 2-year-olds in training. On top of Ancient Secret’s ped-igree was Kantharos, a talented racehorse but young and unproven sire who stood for only $5,000. On the

bottom side of her pedigree was the Notebook mare Privacy, who managed just three wins from 20 starts.

The word was out that she could run and the hammer dropped after a bid of $225,000 from bloodstock agent Steve Young, who purchased the filly on behalf of Alpha Delta Stables.

The chestnut filly was sent to Chad Brown. Some seven months later, she made a successful career debut at 6 furlongs on the Bel-mont Park turf course, winning impressively by 3 lengths. Unsur-prisingly, Brown made the correct decision on which surface to run her on.

“It’s a typical example of getting them in the barn, observe them, they’ll tell you, she trained pretty good on the dirt, but there was something about her, she had a turf look about her, physically, I had to put the pedigree aside and just go with what I saw,” Brown said.

Given the winter off, Ancient Secret made a successful return to the races in a 7-furlong allowance on the turf in mid-May at Bel-mont Park. Stretching out another furlong a month later, the petite filly made a successful foray into open stakes company, winning the Wild Applause by a head.

The highlight of her year came when she made it four wins from four starts after a triumphant two-turn debut in the Grade 2 Lake George on Opening Day of Saratoga. Sent off as the 2-1 favorite, she proved best in the stretch winning by 1 1/4 lengths.

Never afraid to keep his homebreds to race, Roy Lerman made the decision to sell the daughter of Privacy as a 2-year-old.

“She trained very well all winter, and we wanted to see what we could get for her,” Lerman said. “Her mother wasn’t a large horse, but a very well-made horse. Privacy was out of (Private Fun), who I had bought. She was striking, that mare.”

Ancient Secret took a winter break, did some early work at Bridlewood Farm in Florida and rejoined Brown’s string at Palm Meadows in March to gear up for her 2017 campaign.

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TURF FEMALE FINALISTS

Old HarborDk. b./br. m., Raffie’s Majesty—Royal Mast, Roy.

Breeder/Owner: Joseph Birnbaum. Trainer: Russell Cash. 2016 record: 7-3-0-0. $199,108.

2016 stakes: George Rosenberger Memorial, Ticonderoga.

Old Harbor’s 2016 season ended with a ride in the horse ambulance, but turned out just fine as owner/breeder Joe Birnbaum and trainer Russell Cash retired the now 6-year-old mare to life as a broodmare.

It’s a happy ending, but Cash will miss her.“Oh boy, I hated to see her go,” said the New Jersey-based train-

er. “You know how that goes. She was the best horse I had in the barn, the best horse I had in a long time, maybe the best horse I ever had.”

She spent four seasons with Cash, winning eight of 25 starts and earning $607,585. Her 2016 included an allowance win at Delaware Park in August, another Delaware vicory in the George Rosenberg-er Memorial (breaking an 11-year-old track record) and the sea-son-ending score in the $200,000 Ticonderoga for New York-breds at Belmont Park in October. She won by 6 3/4 lengths in the sloppy, off-the-turf stakes, but emerged with an ankle injury.

Cash said she could have come back, but supported the retire-ment decision. The 17-hand mare will be bred to Freud.

“It was probably something she could have come back from, but it wasn’t worth the risk,” said Cash. “She’ll make a good broodmare, and maybe I’ll get the baby to train someday.”

Birnbaum used to mainly raise horses in New Jersey, but moved his mares to New York with the growth of the program and has been rewarded.

Old Harbor began her career at Monmouth Park in 2013, and won at Saratoga that summer. The next year she won a New York Stallion Series stakes and a state-bred allowance at Belmont. In 2015, she won twice more including a score in the John Hettinger Stakes at Belmont.

Last year started with two defeats, but kicked into gear with the two Delaware wins and then the Ticonderoga. Her best efforts came on or near the pace, where her long stride could be put to use.

“She liked it right there (on the lead), that’s just the way she was,” said Cash. “She couldn’t open up if she was behind horses. She couldn’t stride out and she was smart enough to know she couldn’t. Once it opened up in front of her, she would really stretch out and turn it on.”

Fourstar Crook B. f. Freud—Avril a Portugal, D’Accord.

Breeder: Kathleen Feron.Owners: Gary Aisquith, Bethlehem Stables and Michael Dubb.

Trainer: Chad Brown.2016 record: 4-4-0-0, $255,000. 2016 stakes: Yaddo, John Hettinger.

Fourstar Crook got her first taste of victory in her fourth start for trainer Chad Brown in October 2015 and has since refused to finish anywhere but the winner’s circle. The Freud filly completed an undefeated 4-year-old campaign

with wins last year in the $150,000 Yaddo Stakes in August at Sara-toga and the $125,000 John Hettinger Stakes in October at Belmont Park.

Owner Michael Dubb partnered with Mike Caruso’s Bethlehem Stables and Gary Aisquith to purchase the filly for $110,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May 2-year-olds in training sale in 2014. After repeated success with Freud offspring in the past, Dubb ea-gerly added Fourstar Crook to his roster and has been thrilled with the outcome.

“We’re very proud of her,” said Dubb. “The filly was picked out for me by Gary Young and interestingly enough she was a little slow to come around. She lost her first couple of races, but when the light bulb had clicked on she actually broke her maiden against open company, which she didn’t have to, but I thought she was good enough. I like Freud a lot and she’s worked out well.”

Bred by Kathleen Feron out of the D’Accord mare Avril A Por-tugal, and foaled at Akindale Farm in Pawling, Fourstar Crook sold as a yearling for $55,000 at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton New York-bred sale in Saratoga.

Now she’s in the midst of a six-race winning streak dating to 2015 out of nine total starts, with earnings of $349,050. After clos-ing 2015 with two wins, she opened last year with a pair of allow-ance triumphs before heading to New York-bred stakes company.

Dubb looks forward to a 5-year-old campaign, hoping to extend last year’s achievements. Toward that 2017 campaign, she had her first published work of the year March 20 at Belmont Park.

“I think this year she’s probably earned the opportunity to com-pete against open company and in graded-stakes competition,” said Dubb. “It is gratifying because I am kind of involved in all spectrums of the game. I’m trying to participate at all the different fun levels with horses I think have a good shot to win and I’m very happy about it and love the New York-bred program.”

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TURF MALE FINALISTS

Doctor J DubB. g. Sharp Humor—Anotherbusride, Delineator.

Breeder: Dr. Patricia Purdy, Edwin Edelberg and Mara Edelberg.Owner: Drawing Away Stable. Trainer: Jena Antonucci.

2016 record: 17-2-4-4, $290,905.2016 stakes: Turf Monster (G3), Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint.

It was a year of firsts for Doctor J Dub and the team around him. Everything started New Year’s Day when Drawing Away Stable claimed the bay gelding for $16,000 at Gulfstream Park. Making 16 more starts after he was claimed, the now 7-year-

old was consistently competitive against allowance company for much of the year despite only posting two victories.

The victories came in stakes, the Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint at Gulfstream and the the Grade 3 Turf Monster at Parx.

“His whole journey has been fun with us,” said trainer Jena Antonucci, who collected her first graded stakes win and helped Drawing Away record its first stakes win as a solo owner. “He’s probably one of the most difficult horses we’ve ever had to train, because he’s an overachiever in everything he wants to do.”

Doctor J Dub certainly has become an overachiever, having not made his debut until he was a 4-year-old, and not breaking his maiden until August of his 5-year-old campaign. Now a graded stakes winner, he earned $290,905 in 2016.

Doctor J Dub won the Umphrey at 28-1 in July. He ventured north after that for three allowance races at Saratoga – two against state-breds – the latter two of which came off the turf due to rain.

He didn’t win any of the three, but finished second and third in the two main-track races.

Doctor J Dub got back on the turf in September and won the

Turf Monster, where he sprung another big upset at 23-1. “At Parx, he got things his way, and he has a never-say-die atti-

tude, he’ll give you everything he has,” Antonucci said. “That day obviously was special. He showed up and fought from gate to wire and really relaxed well under Sheldon (Russell) and did everything the right way. He runs his best race relaxed. I think that was part of it, one of the big keys at Parx was Sheldon got him to relax.”

Bred by Dr. Patricia Purdy and Edwin and Mara Edelberg, the son of Sharp Humor was foaled at Patricia and Chris Purdy’s Ivy League Farm in Ithaca.

He’s one of three winners and the first stakes winner from three starters out of Anotherbusride, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Ta-li’sluckybusride.

ConvergeB. c., Sidney’s Candy—Atlantic Ocean, Stormy Atlantic.

Breeder: SF Racing. Owner: Paul Pompa Jr. Trainer: Chad Brown.2016 record: 6-1-0-1. $114,160. 2016 stakes: Palm Beach (G3).

Pull up Converge’s first start of 2016 and some footage of the wild horse roundup from The Man From Snowy River. They’re pretty much the same thing, minus the snow, cow-boys and bull whips anyway.

From post 11 in the Grade 3 Palm Beach Stakes at Gulfstream Park, Converge broke a little bit in the air and quickly found him-self last of 13 runners. By the first turn, he’d moved to 12th but had plenty of work to do.

Jockey Javier Castellano stayed inside up the backstretch and was seventh on the final turn, then sixth, then fifth behind a block-ade of horses. Castellano went inside of two horses and outside of two others to get to the front in the final sixteenth of a mile and win by three-quarters of a length.

Somewhere, owner Paul Pompa Jr. smiled.“When you run a grass horse in the winter time at Gulfstream,

or even a dirt horse, it’s always a 10-, 12-, 14-horse field,” said the owner. “You’ve got to have a good horse and you’ve got to get a good trip.”

Pompa got both that day as Converge mowed down Giant Run – who went on to win four stakes in 2016– in the final strides.

Pompa purchased Converge through Xavier International Bloodstock at Keeneland September 2014. Bred by SF Racing, the son of Sidney’s Candy won his debut in September 2015. He closed his 2-year-old season with a second in the Awad Stakes at Belmont Park to hint at bigger things ahead.

He lived up to that promise by winning the Palm Beach, a $150,000 stakes at 1 1/16 miles on the turf in February. Though he didn’t break through with another win – despite quality tries in the Transylvania at Keeneland, American Turf at Chruchill Downs, Pennine Ridge at Belmont and Kent at Delaware – Converge wrapped up 2016 with a third in New York-bred allowance compa-ny at Saratoga and aims toward a return to action this spring.

“We kept him in open company, which isn’t easy, and I think when we stopped with him he just needed a break,” said Pompa. “I’ve been lucky enough to have some nice New York-breds and Converge could be a very nice horse. It’s exciting.”

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TURF MALE FINALISTS

KharafaB. g., Kitalpha—Exquisite Cassie, King of Kings.

Breeder: High Meadow Farm. Owner: Paul Braverman and Timothy Pinch.Trainer: Tim Hills. 2016 record: 7-1-2-1, $155,360.

2016 stakes: Ashley T. Cole.

After the 2013 season, when Kharafa was a finalist in this division for the first time, the story went like this…

Tim Hills didn’t know much about Kharafa when the 2-year-old walked in the barn. The trainer quickly noticed

the gelding’s large, flat feet however, and recognized a potential affin-ity for racing on the turf.

“As a young horse he trained really well on the dirt, but I didn’t have much of a line on him,” Hills said. “His sire Kitalpha is primarily turf, but I ran him on the dirt first time out. He ran poorly because he was just spinning his wheels on the dirt so we backed off of him and didn’t run him again until fall on the grass. That was when we realized he was definitely a grass horse.”

After the 2014 season, the story went like this…Geldings as tough and battle tested as Kharafa don’t often need

excuses. The now 6-year-old son of Kitalpha gets a pass for starting the season with rare back-to-back defeats after a 2013 campaign that saw him finish first, second or third in six of his seven starts.

“We had an issue with him hitting himself with an opposite hoof and he sustained some cuts on the inside of his hind legs that were really bothersome,” trainer Tim Hills said.

After the 2015 season…Larry Durocher kept asking his trainer about what he thought of

his homebred making his turf debut. It was Sept. 16, 2011. Hills said he liked him, said he was training well, doing well.

Durocher went to the window. Kharafa went to the lead in the stretch. And Durocher had a score. Kharafa paid $31.80 to win.

“He made $40,000 or something, he made more with his bet than he did with the purse,” Hills said. “I’ll never forget watching them count out the hundred dollar bills. It stunned me.”

As for 2016, yet another year as a divisional heavyweight, Kharafa added another single to his greatest hits collection, win-ning the Ashley T. Cole for the third time and hitting the board in the Kingston, Grade 3 Oceanport and West Point. He lost the latter two decisions by a neck and a nose.

The Cole victory ticked Kharafa past $1 million in career earn-ings, becoming one of 38 New York-breds to hit the milestone.

And, just so you can get ahead, Kharafa took the winter off and has posted two breezes in preparation for his 8-year-old debut.

King KreesaDk. b./br. g, King Cugat—Storm’s Advance, Storm Creek.

Breeder: Horse Partners. Owner: Gerald and Susan Kresa. Trainer: David Donk. 2016 record: 9-2-1-0, $257,850.

2016 stakes: Forbidden Apple, West Point.

King Kreesa would make a good starting pitcher. He’d be a crafty veteran who shows up every spring, takes a worn glove and some dusty cleats out of an old duffle bag and fires sliders, curveballs – and the occasional fastball –

past the kids who wonder how the old guy does it.He does it with skill. And in 2016, he took the analogy a step further by winning on

five days’ rest for owners/breeders Gerald and Susan Kresa and trainer David Donk. The 7-year-old finished a solid fourth in the Grade 1 Fourstardave at Saratoga Aug. 20 and returned to win the West Point Aug. 26. Donk paid credit to jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., who was on board for the Fourstardave, and the horse.

“When Irad jumped off him the other day he was adamant that I run him back, and he really got me thinking about it,” Donk said last summer. From there it was up to the horse. King Kreesa re-covered quickly, and gave his trainer every indication that another good effort loomed.

Donk even had a momentary flashback to his mentor Woody Stephens, who won the Met Mile and Belmont Stakes with Con-quistador Cielo on an even tighter (by one day) schedule.

“I was like, this is karma, and it really had me thinking,” Donk said. “You know, he was good on Sunday, he was good on Monday when we entered and I told (the Kresas) we have 45 minutes to post time, we can scratch him if we want to.”

They didn’t want to, or have to. Ortiz had to ride Offering Plan in the West Point, handing the reins to younger brother Jose but that didn’t faze King Kreesa. He led at every call and won a four-way scramble at the finish by a nose over Kharafa with Offering Plan a neck back in third.

King Kreesa’s second win in the West Point (to go with his 2014 score) provided the main highlight to his 7-year-old campaign, but the year also came with a repeat win in the Forbidden Apple (by a nose) at Belmont Park in July.

The 11-time winner of more than $1.3 million in purses was prepping for a 2017 campaign at Crupi’s New Castle Farm in Flor-ida.

As usual, expect his fastball to have some life on it. 7

Gregg Falk,

42 43

MacagoneB. g. Artie Schiller—Isabel Away, Skip Away.

Owner/Breeder: Trinity Farm.Trainers: Michelle Nihei, Carl Domino, Bill Mott.

2016 record: 6-3-0-1, $226,425. 2016 stakes: Danger’s Hour, Artie Schiller.

Like father, like son. Macagone won three times in 2016, each win coming at 1 mile on the turf. Macagone is out of Isabel Away, whose only win came at 1 1/4 miles. Macagone is by Artie Schiller, whose crowning achievement was a win

in the 2005 Breeder’s Cup Mile. Macagone closed out his stellar 2016 with a win in the Artie Schiller Stakes at Aqueduct.

“Isabel Away had a late foal that year, so she was going to get to (Artie Schiller) pretty late in the breeding season,” said Thomas Egan of Trinity Farm, owner and breeder of the gelding. “He had a funny Irish groom, and he said, ‘Artie’s getting kind of tired.’ I said ‘uh-oh, so he’s not getting all the mares.’ He said, ‘no, the only ones he likes are the gray mares.’ And I said, ‘Isabel Away is gray.’ First cover, she took.”

Coming off a four-month layoff, Macagone made a grand return in his 2016 debut, going gate-to-wire over eventual Grade 2 winner Takeover Target in the Danger’s Hour Stakes at Aqueduct.

“The Danger’s Hour, I mean, we knew when he left Florida, Mi-chelle Nihei had him just spot on,” Egan said.

Macagone returned to the races in August after a three-month break and won against open company in a Saratoga allowance.

“The win in Saratoga was really great,” Egan said. “He used to winter (in Florida) at a little farm, and I’d be his hotwalker and his groom, and I tried to get my wife (Jaye) to walk one of his brothers who were a lot more docile, just so that if ever, she could lead him

into the winner’s circle. So she never practiced, and then when he won, I said ‘You’re going to lead him into the winner’s circle.’ So, that was a highlight, she thanked me for that many times.”

Jaye Egan picked out Isabel Away at Keeneland September in 2003, where the Egans purchased her for $60,000.

“She liked her a lot,” Egan said. “The fellow that was with her, Paul Smith, was quite a horseman. Unfortunately, the good ones die, and he died about nine or 10 years ago, and my wife died on December 30. She was horse racing’s biggest fan.”

Egan carries on and is high on other foals out of Isabel Away, including 3-year-old Red Knight with Bill Mott.

As for Macagone, a return trip to Aqueduct is in the plans.“We’ve tentatively penciled in the Danger’s Hour again,” Egan

said.

TURF MALE FINALISTS

Inquiries to: Midge Hawver (518) 828-0777 qrstud@mhcable.com | Kelly McCombs, Office Manager (518) 541-3280Michael Brown, Farm Manager (518) 774-2730 | questroyalnorth@gmail.com

(G1, $3,312,950 / 112 BEYER)BY HORSE OF THE YEAR MINESHAFTSIRE OF LEADING FRESHMAN SIRE

DIALED IN

MILLIONAIRE G1SW OF THE TRAVERS S.SPEIGHTSTOWN’S LEADING EARNER AT STUD

MULTIPLE GRADED SW BY CITY ZIPMULTIPLE G1-PLACED AT 2

ROYALLY-BRED GRADE 1 SW MILLIONAIRE‘16 SECOND-LEADING NY SIRE BY EARNINGS/START

2YO G1 WINNER OF THE HOPEFUL STAKESNY SECOND-LEADING SECOND-CROP SIRE

FIVE STALLIONS . . . 38 GRADED STAKES PERFORMANCES

Thank You to the New York Thoroughbred Breeders for the support of steeplechasing.

– Check Mark Stables and Willow U

44 45

FEMALE SPRINTER FINALISTS

Hot City Girl Ch. f. City Zip—Noble Fire, Hook and Ladder.

Breeder: Eklektikos Stable. Owner: Lady Sheila Stable.Trainer: Linda Rice.

2016 record: 4-1-0-2, $83,000. 2016 stakes: Union Avenue.

Strike up a conversation with Sheila Rosenblum and it’s inev-itable that the topic will wind its away to her pride and joy, 2015 New York-bred champion and multiple graded stakes winner La Verdad. Not far behind in Rosenblum’s heart is

younger half-sister Hot City Girl.Hot City Girl carried the flag for Rosenblum’s Lady Sheila Sta-

ble in 2016, winning the Union Avenue at Saratoga and placing in a pair of other stakes a season after being named champion New York-bred 3-year-old filly of 2015. Hot City Girl’s 4-year-old season started not long after she finished a game second to Birdatthewire and ahead of multiple Grade 1 winner Cavorting in the Grade 1 La Brea in late 2015 at Santa Anita. Hot City Girl then finished sixth, beaten 6 lengths, in the Grade 2 Barbara Fritchie at Laurel.

Linda Rice, who trains Hot City Girl and guided La Verdad to a 16-for-25 career highlighted by the Eclipse Award for champion female sprinter in 2015, chalked up the Fritchie to Hot City Girl being “over the top.”

“We just ran her too many times,” Rice said. “So I sent her home and turned her out for three months. Frankly I told Sheila, ‘Look if we can go backward, we wouldn’t have run her in the Fritchie.’ ”

The time away paid off when Hot City Girl returned in the Dancin Renee in early July. She finished third, behind fellow final-ists Haveyougoneaway and Quezon, before turning the tables on the latter in the Union Avenue.

The Union Avenue left Rosenblum equal parts excited and re-lieved, not that she saw much of the race huddled in her box with knees together, arms around her legs and head down.

The race unfolded perfectly for Hot City Girl, who took advan-tage of a slow start by one of her expected pressers and sailed along on the front end en route to a 1 3/4-length victory.

“I was probably as nervous as ever,” Rosenblum said.Bred by Mark Vondrasek’s Eklektikos Stable, New York’s breeder

of the year in 2015, Hot City Girl was foaled at Chester and Mary Broman’s Chestertown Farm. She’s one of four winners of four foals to race out of 2015 New York-bred broodmare of the year Noble Fire, the most recent win coming from Noble Freud in his debut Feb. 16 at Oaklawn Park.

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Haveyougoneaway Ch. m. Congrats—One Wise Cowgirl, Wiseman’s Ferry.

Breeder: Andy and Susan Beadnell.Owner: Gary Barber and Sequel Racing. Trainer: Tom Morley.

2016 record: 8-5-2-0, $655,000. 2016 stakes: Ballerina (G1), Honorable Miss (G2),

Dancin Renee, American Beauty, Spring Fever.

The tale of Haveyougoneaway was already fairly lengthy be-fore Andy and Susan Beadnell made the decision to trek down from the Ridin-Hy Ranch Resort they operate in Warrensburg to Saratoga in late July for the Grade 2 Hon-

orable Miss.The Beadnells, who bred the daughter of Congrats out of the

Wiseman’s Ferry mare One Wise Cowgirl, couldn’t wait to tell the tale after Haveyougoneaway got up in deep stretch to win that after-noon – her second consecutive stakes and first graded stakes win.

“Get ready,” said Andy, a longtime friend and client of Joe and Anne McMahon of McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds. “We sold her as a weanling for $50,000 in Kentucky, she came back here and (sold for $105,000) at the New York-bred yearling sale and then showed up in a 2-year-old sale and not-sold for ($100,000).

“There was a death in the ownership, she ended up in a disper-sal sale and two boys from Texas bought her for twelve-hundred bucks. She ran down there in Arkansas and some other places. I called them, Champion Racing, and tried to buy her back after she won her first race to bring her back here. They said, ‘Partner up with us.’ Stupid me, I didn’t do it.”

A partnership led by Becky Thomas eventually did purchase

Haveyougoneaway to race under the Sequel Racing banner – Gary Barber came along later in 2016 – and she made a splash in the re-turn to her native state. Haveyougoneaway not only won the Hon-orable Miss but the Dancin Renee against state-breds prior to that effort and the Grade 1 Ballerina in front of a packed house on the Travers Day card.

Beadnell, who also bred 2016 champion New York-bred stee-plechaser Willow U, was on hand for both Saratoga victories that earned Haveyougoneaway a trip to the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint and consideration for the Eclipse Award as champion female sprinter last year.

Haveyougoneaway was foaled at Bead Land and Cattle Compa-ny in Pottersville, and continued her improbable story by selling for $1.1 million to Japanese breeder Lake Villa Farm at Fasig-Tip-ton Kentucky’s November sale. She will be bred to Deep Impact.

46 47

FEMALE SPRINTER FINALISTS

Quezon Ch. f., Tiz Wonderful—Kalookan Dancer, Olympio.

Breeder: Apache Farm. Owner: Marc Keller. Trainer: Bob Ribaudo. 2016 record: 6-2-3-0, $224,000. 2016 stakes: Iroquois.

Remember Go Baby Go? The often-quoted and much-ma-ligned slogan of Thoroughbred racing. You’ll still see it on bumper stickers, faded and curling, on the back of horse vans and dusty pick-up trucks.

There’s nothing easy about creating slogans or jingles but Tim Moriarty could have a second career. The New York-based breeder provided five words of perfection when he summed up what it was like to breed Quezon, a 2014 and 2016 finalist.

“It’s the equine American dream.”Tim runs Apache North, a 66-acre farm with a 10-stall barn

in Mount Morris, where the horses are foaled. Tim’s parents, Jane and Bill, run the southern division in South Carolina, prepping the homebreds for their careers.

It works. In 2014, they bred two finalists, Quezon and Wonder Gal. The daughters of Tiz Wonderful enjoyed strong seasons back then and again in 2016 as Quezon won twice and Wonder Gal won once, both earned graded stakes black type for their ever-improv-ing pedigree pages.

“We’re small time, but it proves that if you focus on the breeding and on the mare, anything’s possible,” Tim said. “From day one, they get patted and led around. It really makes a big difference. They go down south and get the same treatment from my parents and by the time they get to the sale they’re used to it all.”

Marc Keller and his team were impressed, securing Quezon for $90,000 at Fasig-Tipton’s New York-bred yearling sale. Money well

spent, she came out running, winning her debut and the Maid of the Mist Stakes in 2014.

Quezon took a hiatus from championship talk in 2015, running just once, winning the Bouwerie Stakes at Belmont Park. Making up for lost time, she returned for a solid season in 2016, dispatch-ing allowance foes at Gulfstream Park in March and securing the Iroquois Stakes at Belmont in October. In between, she finished fourth in the Critical Eye Stakes and second in the Dancin Renee, Union Avenue and the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom.

In her career, Quezon has racked up five wins, three seconds and two fourths in 10 starts for a cool $512,200.

“She’s tough to train, but you know, a good tough,” Ribaudo said. Put that on a bumper sticker.

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I would be honored to represent you at the upcoming Saratoga sales.

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Congratulations to all of tonight’s award recipients!

Congratulations to the connections of NEW YORK-BRED CHAMPION FINALISTS

M I R A I & M I S S F R E E Z E

Best wishes tonight and in 2017Sallusto & Albina

Marai purchased by Sallusto & Albina as a Yearling and Miss Freeze purchased as a Two-Year-Old.

MIRAI Owners Robert LaPenta and Madaket Stables and trainer Chad Brown

MISS FREEZE Owners Joseph Bulger, Michael Imperio and DJC Racing Stables and trainer David Cannizzo

48 49

MALE SPRINTER FINALISTS

Breakin The Fever B. g. Roaring Fever—Breakers West, Rodeo.Breeder, owner and trainer: Debra Breed.

2016 record: 7-6-0-0, $192,020.2016 stakes: Hudson, George W. Barker, Leon Reed Memorial.

Breakin The Fever has proven to be a remarkably consistent runner for breeders, owners, and trainers Debra and Ron-ald Breed.

In 2015, the son of Roaring Fever won eight of 13 races and earned $188,061. Last year, his success continued as he won six of seven starts and banked an even more impressive $192,020.

Ronald Breed’s connection to Breakin The Fever runs deep. He trained the gelding’s dam, Breakers West, and by chance, ended up owning her.

“I trained (Breakers West) for a guy named Frank Casey,” Breed said. “She got hurt and she ran two or three times after that. She ran second in an allowance, but she had a real bad knee. He ended up giving the horse to me and I ended up breeding her.”

All three of her foals to race – Logan’s Slogan and Ella’s Gone West are the others – have won, though Breakin The Fever is the star. From the outset, Breed could tell the foal of 2012 was special. He loved the horse as a foal and knew the talent was there as he watched him grow.

Although he had several opportunities to sell Breakin The Fever early in his career, Breed wasn’t tempted.

“The first time I ran him at Saratoga, he ran third to Upstart,” he said. “I had a guy offer me $30,000. I said, ‘You gotta be kidding me. He just ran for $75,000 and you want to offer me $30,000?’ I had a couple people after that offer me $40,000, $50,000.”

Breed’s decision to keep Breakin The Fever proved wise and lucrative as the 5-year-old has earned $458,081 and won 15 races from 25 trips to the post – all but three in New York.

Although the blue-collar New York-bred does most of his work at Finger Lakes, Breakin The Fever proved versatile when shipping to Belmont Park for the Hudson Handicap on Empire Showcase Day.

He won by a half-length that day to collect his third stakes vic-tory of the season, having previously won the George W. Barker Stakes and successfully defended his title in the Leon Reed Memo-rial Stakes back home.

“The older he’s getting, the better he’s getting. I really think he’s a great horse,” Breed said.

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Doctor J DubB. g. Sharp Humor—Anotherbusride, Delineator.

Breeder: Dr. Patricia Purdy, Edwin Edelberg and Mara Edelberg.Owner: Drawing Away Stable. Trainer: Jena Antonucci.

2016 record: 17-2-4-4, $290,905.2016 stakes: Turf Monster (G3), Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint.

It was a year of firsts for Doctor J Dub and the team around him. Everything started New Year’s Day when Drawing Away Stable claimed the bay gelding for $16,000 at Gulfstream Park. Making 16 more starts after he was claimed, the now 7-year-

old was consistently competitive against allowance company for much of the year despite only posting two victories.

The victories came in stakes, the Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint at Gulfstream and the the Grade 3 Turf Monster at Parx.

“His whole journey has been fun with us,” said trainer Jena Antonucci, who collected her first graded stakes win and helped Drawing Away record its first stakes win as a solo owner. “He’s probably one of the most difficult horses we’ve ever had to train, because he’s an overachiever in everything he wants to do.”

Doctor J Dub certainly has become an overachiever, having not made his debut until he was a 4-year-old, and not breaking his maiden until August of his 5-year-old campaign. Now a graded stakes winner, he earned $290,905 in 2016.

Doctor J Dub won the Umphrey at 28-1 in July. He ventured north after that for three allowance races at Saratoga – two against state-breds – the latter two of which came off the turf due to rain.

He didn’t win any of the three, but finished second and third in the two main-track races.

Doctor J Dub got back on the turf in September and won the

Turf Monster, where he sprung another big upset at 23-1. “At Parx, he got things his way, and he has a never-say-die atti-

tude, he’ll give you everything he has,” Antonucci said. “That day obviously was special. He showed up and fought from gate to wire and really relaxed well under Sheldon (Russell) and did everything the right way. He runs his best race relaxed. I think that was part of it, one of the big keys at Parx was Sheldon got him to relax.”

Bred by Dr. Patricia Purdy and Edwin and Mara Edelberg, the son of Sharp Humor was foaled at Patricia and Chris Purdy’s Ivy League Farm in Ithaca.

He’s one of three winners and the first stakes winner from three starters out of Anotherbusride, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Ta-li’sluckybusride.

50 51

MALE SPRINTER FINALISTS

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Weekend HideawayCh. h. Speightstown—Apocalyptical, Wiseman’s Ferry.

Breeder: Flying Zee Stable. Owner: Red and Black Stable.Trainer: Phil Serpe. 2016 record: 7-3-1-1, $303,000.

2016 stakes: Commentator, Affirmed Success.

Phil Serpe said it in passing last summer, it could have been before Weekend Hideaway won an allowance race at Sara-toga or after he won it.

“He’s the last one. The last good Flying Zee horse.”Knowing Serpe, he probably said it before and after. Indeed, Weekend Hideaway is the last one, the last good horse

bred by the venerable New York racing and breeding operation of the late Carl Lizza.

In 2016, Weekend Hideaway kept Flying Zee on people’s mind for another year, winning the Affirmed Success Stakes, Commen-tator Stakes, a tough Saratoga allowance and finishing third in the Grade 1 Vosburgh. Owned by Red and Black Stable and trained by Serpe, the sprinting son of Speightstown increased his career earnings to $874,532 with another stellar season.

Far from finished, Weekend Hideaway took a break after finish-ing eighth in Penn National’s Fabulous Strike in November and has now registered six breezes at Florida’s Gulfstream Park, including bullet 5-furlong drills March 15 and 22, preparing for his 7-year-old debut.

And it’s all because of Lizza, who bought his first horse in 1976 and went on to campaign champion Wayward Lass, Noble Nashua, Cosmonaut and others with several trainers.

Introduced by Bob Frieze, then Jerry Bailey’s agent, Serpe and Lizza met in Florida. They hit it off. Lizza sent some horses to Ser-

pe. They weren’t much.“The horses he first sent me, they had to do a relay race to win

a race,” Serpe said. They would improve, and soon qualify for anchor legs anywhere

they went. When Lizza died in 2011, Serpe arranged for Mike Hoffman’s

Red and Black Stable to buy Weekend Hideaway as a yearling for $40,000 out of the Flying Zee dispersal.

Weekend Hideaway made his debut at Saratoga in 2002 and by the end of the meet he was a stakes winner, taking the David Stakes. Since then, the cat-moving sprinter has won at least one stakes ev-ery season as he closes in on $1 million in earnings.

Yes, indeed – the last one, the last good Flying Zee horse.

Mind Your Biscuits Ch. c. Posse—Jazzmane, Toccet.

Breeder: Jumping Jack Racing. Owner: M. Scott Summers, Hope Summers, Daniel Summers, J Stables, Head of Plains Partners.

Trainer: Robert Falcone Jr.2016 record: 9-4-3-1, $740,400.

2016 stakes: Malibu (G1), Amsterdam (G2).

When Mind Your Biscuits won the Grade 2 Am-sterdam Stakes last July at Saratoga Race Course, co-owner Scott Summers’ career as a racehorse owner reached new heights.

“I’ve been coming here for so many years, and to have this expe-rience, I never, never would have thought about it,” Summers said. “I’ve been coming to Saratoga for at least 40 years and I’ve been owning horses for the last 10 or so. ‘Biscuits’ is the only horse I’ve had that’s performed at this level.”

Little did Summers know, winning the Amsterdam was just the beginning for Mind Your Biscuits. In the rest of his 3-year-old sea-son, the son of Posse finished second in the Grade 3 Gallant Bob Stakes at Parx before finishing third (moved up to second) behind Drefong in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint in November. Mind Your Biscuits closed 2016 by winning the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita Dec. 26.

The adventure took another turn to start 2017 as Mind Your Bis-cuits won the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen at Meydan March 25, putting him in the discussion as the world’s top sprinter. It was his fifth win from 15 lifetime starts and put him over the $2 million mark in career earnings.

Mind Your Biscuits is a family affair. Scott’s sons Chad and Dan

and daughter-in-law Hope, are in the ownership group and Chad now trains Mind Your Biscuits, recently taking over from Robert Falcone Jr. The family partnered with J Stables early in the venture and added Head of Plains Partners before the Breeders’ Cup.

“We were going to pinhook him and nobody wanted him,” Scott Summers said. “We said, ‘All right, nobody wants him, we’ll race him,’ and that’s when we went to J Stables for the partnership and it worked out great. This is the first horse I’ve ever had that’s won a graded stakes race. It’s just an extraordinary experience.”

Bred by Jumping Jack Racing and foaled at Sue and Gary Lun-dy’s Cedar Ridge Farm in Pine Plains, Mind Your Biscuits is one of three winners from three foals to race out of the unraced Toccet mare Jazzmane.

52 53

OLDER FEMALE FINALISTS

Bar Of Gold Dk. b./br. f., Medaglia d’Oro—Khancord Kid, Lemon Drop Kid.

Breeder/Owner: Chester and Mary Broman.Trainer: John Kimmel. 2016 record: 8-2-0-3, $361,500.

2016 stakes: Empire Distaff, Critical Eye.

John Kimmel didn’t need convincing that Bar Of Gold would become a stakes winner after watching the then 3-year-old New York-bred filly battle it out in the 2015 Test Stakes before giving it up late to future multiple Grade 1 winner Cavorting.

Kimmel was certain the daughter of Medaglia d’Oro he’d once pegged for two-turn route races, and even turf races, would be-come a stakes winner. He predicted as much a few days after the Test, standing in his Saratoga shedrow giving a tour and not in a boastful or braggadocious way – just matter of fact.

“It’s really weird for me because I thought distance would not be a problem for her,” Kimmel said. “She’s breezed that way, galloped out in her breezes, she finishes her breezes great, great closing kick and I thought Medaglia d’Oro out of a Lemon Drop Kid mare that won graded stakes on the grass going long, and I’ve got her sprint-ing three-quarters.”

Bar Of Gold, who still hasn’t set foot on a turf course in the afternoon, has managed to build a standout career with two stakes wins, six graded-stakes placings and $729,000 in earnings through 2016.

Last year’s campaign began with two stakes losses, but improved considerably with a win in the Critical Eye on the Empire Showcase card at Belmont Park. The 1-mile distance, which Kimmel thought might be “the outer limits of her effectiveness,” ran Bar Of Gold’s record against state-breds to 4-for-4, following three victories to

open her career. Bar Of Gold returned to open graded stakes com-pany after the Critical Eye and managed two thirds from three starts before one more go against New York-breds in the Empire Distaff. Stretched out to 1 1/16 miles, Chester and Mary Broman’s homebred easily delivered the wow performance of the day when she skipped over the slop to win by 18 lengths and stay perfect against New York-breds.

Chester Broman bought Bar Of Gold’s granddam, Confidently, at Keeneland in 2000 and she has produced major winners Cos-mo Pirate, and Crackerjack Jones in addition to Bar Of Gold’s dam Khancord Kid. The latter won a graded stakes before joining the broodmare band and producing Bar Of Gold, who was working toward a 2017 return to the races.

Flipcup B. m. Milwaukee Brew—Dream Affair, Touch Gold.Breeder: Team Penney Racing. Trainer: Bill Mott.

Owner: Team Penney Racing, Wachtel Stable and Brous Stable.2016 record: 7-1-1-2, $120,508. 2016 stakes: Arlington Matron (G3).

Death, taxes and Flipcup as a finalist for champion New York-bred honors.

All right, perhaps that’s a bit of a stretch, but four consecutive years of being a nominee in a state breed-

ing program that continues to churn out graded stakes winners throughout North America is nothing to take lightly.

“This is her fourth year in a row, she was nominated as a 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-year-old as a finalist – I don’t think she’s going to win this year either, she hasn’t won any of them – but I wonder if any other horse has ever been nominated four years in a row,” said Shirl Pen-ney, who bred the Milwaukee Brew mare through his family’s Team Penney Racing and campaigns her in partnership with Wachtel Stable and Brous Stable.

Turns out Flipcup isn’t the only one, but she is in rare and dis-tinguished company.

A little research shows 2016 finalist King Kreesa as a nominee for the fifth consecutive year, along with four-time nominee Khara-fa. Lubash was a finalist four straight years from 2012 to 2015, while Eclipse Award winner Dayatthespa and multiple stakes win-ner Willet were nominated three consecutive times in recent years.

Flipcup landed on the list again in 2016 in part because of her season-opening victory in the Grade 3 Arlington Matron on the Polytrack, a surface she’s excelled over, a good fourth in the Sarato-ga Dew on the dirt and a close second in the Yaddo on the turf in

an 11-day span at Saratoga. The Yaddo was Flipcup’s first start on the grass, the only surface she hasn’t won a stakes (she was third in the Via Borghese at Gulfstream Park Dec. 31) and a place where Penney hopes she can excel in 2017 and get level with King Kreesa.

“Right now this is probably her last year and we’ll breed her next year,” Penney said. “The stat I’ve been given … it seems like there’s only ever been five or six mares that have ever won a stakes race on all three surfaces, the dirt, turf and Poly. We’ve just missed a couple times on the grass, so our primary focus this year is to get a grass stakes win so she can be one of those mares that have won a stakes race on all three surfaces. Just something else to make her unique.

“We plan to keep her, breed her, I’ll keep her in New York and she’ll be part of the New York-bred program as a resident mare.”

OLDER FEMALE FINALISTS

Haveyougoneaway Ch. m. Congrats—One Wise Cowgirl, Wiseman’s Ferry.

Breeder: Andy and Susan Beadnell.Owner: Gary Barber and Sequel Racing. Trainer: Tom Morley.

2016 record: 8-5-2-0, $655,000. 2016 stakes: Ballerina (G1), Honorable Miss (G2),

Dancin Renee, American Beauty, Spring Fever.

The tale of Haveyougoneaway was already fairly lengthy be-fore Andy and Susan Beadnell made the decision to trek down from the Ridin-Hy Ranch Resort they operate in Warrensburg to Saratoga in late July for the Grade 2 Hon-

orable Miss.The Beadnells, who bred the daughter of Congrats out of the

Wiseman’s Ferry mare One Wise Cowgirl, couldn’t wait to tell the tale after Haveyougoneaway got up in deep stretch to win that after-noon – her second consecutive stakes and first graded stakes win.

“Get ready,” said Andy, a longtime friend and client of Joe and Anne McMahon of McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds. “We sold her as a weanling for $50,000 in Kentucky, she came back here and (sold for $105,000) at the New York-bred yearling sale and then showed up in a 2-year-old sale and not-sold for ($100,000).

“There was a death in the ownership, she ended up in a disper-sal sale and two boys from Texas bought her for twelve-hundred bucks. She ran down there in Arkansas and some other places. I called them, Champion Racing, and tried to buy her back after she won her first race to bring her back here. They said, ‘Partner up with us.’ Stupid me, I didn’t do it.”

A partnership led by Becky Thomas eventually did purchase

Haveyougoneaway to race under the Sequel Racing banner – Gary Barber came along later in 2016 – and she made a splash in the re-turn to her native state. Haveyougoneaway not only won the Hon-orable Miss but the Dancin Renee against state-breds prior to that effort and the Grade 1 Ballerina in front of a packed house on the Travers Day card.

Beadnell, who also bred 2016 champion New York-bred stee-plechaser Willow U, was on hand for both Saratoga victories that earned Haveyougoneaway a trip to the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint and consideration for the Eclipse Award as champion female sprinter last year.

Haveyougoneaway was foaled at Bead Land and Cattle Compa-ny in Pottersville, and continued her improbable story by selling for $1.1 million to Japanese breeder Lake Villa Farm at Fasig-Tip-ton Kentucky’s November sale. She will be bred to Deep Impact.

Give us a call to see what we can do for your breeding program!!

MIKE MCMAHON (859) 983-7617

JAMIE HILL (859) 983-0515

email: bloodstock@mcmahonandhill.com

www.mcmahonandhill.com

P O B O X 4 5 4 3 F 1 1 9 E A S T M A I N S T R E E T F M I D W AY, K Y 4 0 3 4 7 F 8 5 9 8 4 6 4 0 2 0 F FA X 8 5 9 8 4 6 4 0 1 5

Congratulations to all New York breeders on a fantastic year!

And thanks to our clients for another great year.

ANDY AND SUSAN BEADNELL

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54 55

OLDER MALE FINALISTS

EffinexDk. b./br. h., Mineshaft—What A Pear, E Dubai.

Breeder: Dr. Russell Cohen. Owner: Tri-Bone Stable. Trainer: Jimmy Jerkens. 2016 record: 8-2-1-1. $1,200,000.

2016 stakes: Oaklawn Handicap (G2), Suburban Handicap (G2).

Full circle. Bred in New York, Effinex made 28 starts over three seasons, winning nine races for more than $3.3 mil-lion and returned for a stallion career in New York.

Now, that’s a circle.Bred and owned by Dr. Russell Cohen and trained by Jimmy

Jerkens, the son of Mineshaft added the Grade 2 Oaklawn and Suburban handicaps in 2016. In addition to those scores, Effinex finished second in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup and third in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap.

“It’s a ride every owner, every person in this business should experience,” Cohen said. “My philosophy has always been and will continue to be – reach for the stars, don’t settle for mediocrity. Sometimes it hasn’t worked out, sometimes is has, this time was the wildest of all the rides.”

Effinex began his career at Aqueduct on a February afternoon in 2014, finishing fifth at 36-1 against New York-bred maidens. He returned to break his maiden (through disqualification) in his next start for trainer Richard Demola. Effinex, next running for trainer David Smith, came back and won against New York-bred allow-ance horses in his third start.

“You figure out if a horse really has a little bit of talent, not when they win, even if it’s the first time out of the box, it’s when they run against winners, any kind of winners,” Cohen said. “When he won that New York-bred allowance race, I knew he had some talent.”

Switched to Jerkens, Effinex put talent and durability to good use from there, running 12 times in 2014, eight times in 2015 and eight times in 2016 while traversing the country in search of big paydays, including finishing second in the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Classic behind Triple Crown winner American Pharoah.

“All you can base it on is DNA,” Cohen said. “I’ve had that fam-ily for three generations and they’ve all been sound. You breed to sound stamina lines and hope for the best, but who would have ever expected him to turn out to be the monster that he was?”

By March 22, standing at Questroyal Stud North, the $3.3 mil-lion earner had five mares in foal.

Cohen laughed.“The story goes on.”

OLDER MALE FINALISTS

Royal Posse B. g. Posse—Struckbylightning, by Cryptoclearance.Breeder: Richard Troncone and Richard Troncone Jr.

Owner: Michael Dubb, Bethlehem Stables and Gary Aisquith.Trainer: Rudy Rodriguez.

2016 record: 9-5-4-0, $569,000.2016 stakes: Empire Classic, Claiming Crown Jewel,

Evan Shipman, Alydar, Mr. Sinatra.

The annual summer meeting at Saratoga Race Course is the pinnacle of racing in New York, so it’s appropriate that when trainer Rudy Rodriguez and owner Michael Dubb claimed New York-bred Royal Posse in May 2015, they

had the legendary upstate racetrack in mind. The son of Posse and the Cryptoclearance mare Struckbylightning showed a knack for racing at Saratoga and also for going long, two points not lost on Dubb.

“This horse loves Saratoga,” Dubb said last summer. “We knew he was really a true two-turn, mile-and-an-eighth horse. Horses like this don’t come along very often.”

The highlight of Royal Posse’s 2016 season came in October at Belmont Park when he defeated New York-bred champion 3-year-old male finalist Governor Malibu in the $300,000 Empire Classic Handicap on the Empire Showcase card. For the year, Royal Posse won five of nine races and placed second four times. He earned $569,000, to push his career total to $1,018,120.

Not bad for a horse who lost his first eight starts and has changed hands twice via the claim box – for $25,000 and $20,000. For his new connections, he finished first or second in 14 consecutive starts through 2016 (and won seven stakes).

Royal Posse’s style can make Rodriguez and Dubb sweat a little, but it works.

“He usually grinds the horses down, especially when he’s got a target,” Rodriguez said after Royal Posse won the Alydar at Sara-toga. “He gives everything. He’s a very honest horse and he always tries.”

Rodriguez sent the gelding away from the comforts of the New York for his final start of 2016 in the $190,000 Claiming Crown Jewel at Gulfstream Park – a race he won in 2015 – and the gelding rewarded his connections with a half-length victory.

Bred by Richard Troncone and Richard Troncone Jr. and foaled at Mill Creek Farm in Stillwater, Royal Posse is one of four winners out of the unraced Struckbylightning.

SequelNewYork.com800.925.2913

Breakin The Fever B. g. Roaring Fever—Breakers West, Rodeo.Breeder, owner and trainer: Debra Breed.

2016 record: 7-6-0-0, $192,020.2016 stakes: Hudson, George W. Barker, Leon Reed Memorial.

Breakin The Fever has proven to be a remarkably consistent runner for breeders, owners, and trainers Debra and Ron-ald Breed.

In 2015, the son of Roaring Fever won eight of 13 races and earned $188,061. Last year, his success continued as he won six of seven starts and banked an even more impressive $192,020.

Ronald Breed’s connection to Breakin The Fever runs deep. He trained the gelding’s dam, Breakers West, and by chance, ended up owning her.

“I trained (Breakers West) for a guy named Frank Casey,” Breed said. “She got hurt and she ran two or three times after that. She ran second in an allowance, but she had a real bad knee. He ended up giving the horse to me and I ended up breeding her.”

All three of her foals to race – Logan’s Slogan and Ella’s Gone West are the others – have won, though Breakin The Fever is the star. From the outset, Breed could tell the foal of 2012 was special. He loved the horse as a foal and knew the talent was there as he watched him grow.

Although he had several opportunities to sell Breakin The Fever early in his career, Breed wasn’t tempted.

“The first time I ran him at Saratoga, he ran third to Upstart,” he said. “I had a guy offer me $30,000. I said, ‘You gotta be kidding me. He just ran for $75,000 and you want to offer me $30,000?’ I had a couple people after that offer me $40,000, $50,000.”

Breed’s decision to keep Breakin The Fever proved wise and lucrative as the 5-year-old has earned $458,081 and won 15 races from 25 trips to the post – all but three in New York.

Although the blue-collar New York-bred does most of his work at Finger Lakes, Breakin The Fever proved versatile when shipping to Belmont Park for the Hudson Handicap on Empire Showcase Day.

He won by a half-length that day to collect his third stakes vic-tory of the season, having previously won the George W. Barker Stakes and successfully defended his title in the Leon Reed Memo-rial Stakes back home.

“The older he’s getting, the better he’s getting. I really think he’s a great horse,” Breed said.

56 57

OLDER MALE FINALISTS

UpstartDk. b./br. r. Flatter–Party Silks, Touch Gold.

Breeder: Joanne Nielsen. Owner: Ralph Evans & WinStar Farm.Trainer: Rick Violette Jr.

2016 record: 4-1-0-2, $482,500. 2016 stakes: Razorback Handicap (G3).

Ralph Evans summed up what it takes for an owner and a trainer to catch lightning in a bottle.

“It was one of the rare occasions where my pedigree preference aligned with (trainer Rick Violette’s) examina-

tion of the horse,” Evans said of the day they bought Upstart. The light-moving dark bay son of Flatter cost $130,000 at

Fasig-Tipton’s Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale of 2013 and banked a cool $1.7 million over three seasons at the sport’s highest level – now that’s alignment.

Upstart earned New York-bred titles as champion 2-year-old and 3-year-old and achieves the rare distinction of being a champi-onship finalist in each season he raced.

In 2016, he took his slingshot and marched into the woods yet again.

Venturing to Oaklawn Park for his seasonal debut, Upstart ral-lied wide and resolutely to capture the Grade 3 Razorback Handi-cap in March. A month later, he returned for the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap, but only managed a fifth behind fellow New York-bred finalist Effinex (in Arkansas remember). Freshened, Upstart came back to finish third in Frosted’s freak-out in the Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park. Two months later, Violette tried again, sending Upstart out for the Grade 1 Whitney Invitational at Sara-toga where he made up 13 lengths on Frosted, finishing third in another gallant effort.

And that was it, the final stop on a $1.7 million tour. Upstart didn’t run in a New York-bred restricted race all sea-

son, earning $482,500 in four starts. Actually, in his 15-race career, Upstart faced New York-breds twice, in his first two starts back in 2014. After that, the hard-trying ridgling chased the sport’s best, hitting the board in six Grade 1 stakes along the way.

Somebody had to rumble with the likes of Triple Crown win-ner American Pharoah and Grade 1 winner Frosted. Upstart did it with aplomb. Retired after the Whitney, Upstart began his stallion career at Kentucky’s Airdrie Stud in 2017.

“He wasn’t a million-dollar yearling and he wasn’t a million-dol-lar 2-year-old in training,” Evans said. “He clearly exceeded our ex-pectations.”

Weekend HideawayCh. h. Speightstown—Apocalyptical, Wiseman’s Ferry.

Breeder: Flying Zee Stable. Owner: Red and Black Stable.Trainer: Phil Serpe. 2016 record: 7-3-1-1, $303,000.

2016 stakes: Commentator, Affirmed Success.

Phil Serpe said it in passing last summer, it could have been before Weekend Hideaway won an allowance race at Sara-toga or after he won it.

“He’s the last one. The last good Flying Zee horse.”Knowing Serpe, he probably said it before and after. Indeed, Weekend Hideaway is the last one, the last good horse

bred by the venerable New York racing and breeding operation of the late Carl Lizza.

In 2016, Weekend Hideaway kept Flying Zee on people’s mind for another year, winning the Affirmed Success Stakes, Commen-tator Stakes, a tough Saratoga allowance and finishing third in the Grade 1 Vosburgh. Owned by Red and Black Stable and trained by Serpe, the sprinting son of Speightstown increased his career earnings to $874,532 with another stellar season.

Far from finished, Weekend Hideaway took a break after finish-ing eighth in Penn National’s Fabulous Strike in November and has now registered six breezes at Florida’s Gulfstream Park, including bullet 5-furlong drills March 15 and 22, preparing for his 7-year-old debut.

And it’s all because of Lizza, who bought his first horse in 1976 and went on to campaign champion Wayward Lass, Noble Nashua, Cosmonaut and others with several trainers.

Introduced by Bob Frieze, then Jerry Bailey’s agent, Serpe and Lizza met in Florida. They hit it off. Lizza sent some horses to Ser-

pe. They weren’t much.“The horses he first sent me, they had to do a relay race to win

a race,” Serpe said. They would improve, and soon qualify for anchor legs anywhere

they went. When Lizza died in 2011, Serpe arranged for Mike Hoffman’s

Red and Black Stable to buy Weekend Hideaway as a yearling for $40,000 out of the Flying Zee dispersal.

Weekend Hideaway made his debut at Saratoga in 2002 and by the end of the meet he was a stakes winner, taking the David Stakes. Since then, the cat-moving sprinter has won at least one stakes ev-ery season as he closes in on $1 million in earnings.

Yes, indeed – the last one, the last good Flying Zee horse.

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58 59

CHAMPION STEEPLECHASER

Willow UB. m., Utopia—Overextended, Entrepreneur.

Breeder: Andy Beadnell. Owner: Check Mark Stables.Trainer: Richard Valentine. 2016 record: 5-2-0-1, $41,000.

2016 stakes: Springdale Stakes.

Biz Carey read past performances, studied pedigrees and analyzed videos, just like every owner thinking about claiming a horse at Saratoga in the summer of 2015. But, perhaps, her criteria was different.

See, Carey was looking for a steeplechase horse. She found one in Willow U.

“I saw this classy filly win a good race,” Carey said. “She was pretty and calm in the winner’s circle and I fell for her.”

Carey rattled off other attributes – kind eye, sensible, athletic, correct, strong quarters, wide chest…

Two starts later, Carey’s Check Mark Stables and trainer Richard Valentine claimed the daughter of Utopia for $35,000. Two months later, a quick transition, she finished second in her hurdle debut at the Aiken Fall Steeplechase, not far from Carey’s farm.

“The jumping part needed work but the running part was a joy to watch,” Carey said. “She then came home to my farm for a good rest.”

By April, she was a winner over hurdles, taking a filly and mare maiden at the Carolina Cup in Camden, S.C. By summer she was stakes-placed over hurdles, finishing third in the Mrs. Ogden Phipps at Saratoga. By fall, she was a two-time winner over hurdles, finishing the season with a come-from-behind thriller in Camden.

Carey, injured in a fall from her show horse, missed that race while recuperating at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta but got some play by play from Valentine. The trainer is no Tom Durkin.

“Richard’s ‘Oh no’s and silences were pretty frightening, but when he cried, ‘Willow, it’s Willow U! She won the race!’ I was ec-static,” Carey said. “She won that race in excellent company and also managed to cement champion jockey for Kieran Norris.”

Now, Willow U aims for the $75,000 Carolina Cup against the boys April 1.

“It will be a challenge, but I know that she will try her best,” Carey said. “She is all heart and she loves to win. Hopefully she will go back to Saratoga.”

Carey has a mare and a foal with James and Tina Bond and looks forward to adding to her breeding program.

“I definitely will breed Willow U,” she said. “And most probably the foal will be a New York-bred.”

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Congratulations to all of tonights divisional winners

Standing at Keane Stud FROST GIANT and at Dutchess Views Farm BIG BROWN and HEAVY BREATHINGeric@sunrisestallions.com / (516) 606-9768 | www.sunrisestallions.com

NY’s LEADING SIRE of 2016 Two-Year-Olds

FROST GIANTSire of two 2016 divisional championship finalists

~2YO Male~BOBBY ON FLEEK

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~2YO Female~MISS FREEZEOwner: Joseph Bulger,

Michael Imperio and DJC Racing StablesBreeder: Anthony Bruno

TRAINER OF THE YEAR

Rudy Rodriguez

While it wasn’t quite the Travers of 2014 or 2013 – and definitely not a dead heat as in 2012 – the race for leading New York-bred trainer was pretty tight by the end of the year.

Rudy Rodriguez trained the earners of $3,218,847 to edge Todd Pletcher by less than $400,000. Three-time defending champion Linda Rice settled for third this time around, though she outpaced the top two in victories with 66 to 48 for Rodriguez and 46 for Pletcher. Then again, nobody collected New York-bred wins like the Englehart family. Jeremiah won 122 races with state-breds while his father Chris went to 101.

Rodriguez wears the crown, however, thanks to a balanced at-tack and standout years from championship finalists Bonita Bianca and Royal Posse. A 2-year-old filly, the former won three of four, placed in a Grade 2 stakes and earned $276,000. Her polar oppo-site, 5-year-old veteran Royal Posse collected five wins and four seconds in nine starts while piling up earnings of $569,000 – all in stakes company. He won his last four, capped by the $300,000 Em-pire Classic at Belmont Park in October and the $190,000 Claiming Crown Jewel at Gulfstream in December. Remove him from the barn, and this article is about Pletcher.

Based in New York year-round, Rodriguez set career-highs in total wins (147) and purses earned ($7.9 million) in 2016. In addi-tion to the top two, graded stakes winners Sassicaia, Arella Rock-star and Heaven’s Runway helped fuel the success.

“That’s good to know and a good thing to do, but it’s not some-thing you think about,” Rodriguez said of winning the New York

award. “We’re very grateful. We just try to keep up with everything and continue working hard and if things like that happen then it’s a plus for all of us. We’ve got a lot of people working very hard for us and you’ve got to give all the credit to them.”

Rodriguez was born in Mexico, and came to the United States in the 1980s to work on fruit and vegetable farms in Florida. He made his way to the racetrack and worked as an exercise rider for Howie Tesher, Richard Dutrow, his son Rick Jr., Bobby Frankel and others. Rodriguez won 221 races as a jockey, 34 in his rookie season of 1992, but was used more often for morning works than afernoon races. In 2008, he won 25 races including a win aboard Frost Giant in the Grade 1 Suburban. He switched to training in 2010 and re-cently passed 700 wins.

JOCKEY OF THE YEAR

For over 30 years KEANE STUD has foaled and raised many notable

New York Stakes Winners, most recently:

Winslow B. Stevens, DVM, General Manager, Philippe Lasseur, Farm Manager217 Depot Hill Road / Amenia, NY 12501

(845) 373-9601 / Fax: (845) 373-8954Email: info@keanestud.com / www.keanestud.com

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Irad Ortiz Jr.

The great Ramon Dominguez won four consecutive jock-eys’ awards for New York-bred success, dominating the 2009-12 seasons before being forced into retirement by an injury. Judging from the last four years, the Hall of Famer

may have had a difficult time defending as brothers Irad Ortiz Jr. and Jose Ortiz have shared the championship and seem unlikely to relinquish it anytime soon.

Irad claimed the crown in 2013, younger brother Jose grabbed it in 2014 and 2015. As for 2016, Irad snatched it back with $6.71 million in purse earnings to Jose’s $6.48 million. Jose collected 22 more New York-bred wins, but lost the money race thanks in large part to Irad’s partnership with stakes-winning machine Royal Pos-se and two Grade 1 placings aboard Upstart.

The brothers even shared male-turf finalist King Kreesa, with each guiding the veteran to a stakes win by a nose – Irad in the Forbidden Apple in July and Jose in the West Point in August.

The banner season continued Ortiz’s climb to the top of the na-tional jockey colony. He rode his first North American winner in 2011 and has been on an upward trajectory ever since. The native of Puerto Rico won 151 races that first season, and has topped that figure in each subsequent season – 152, 224, 290, 300 and 313 wins in 2016. His mounts have earned more than $20 million in each of the past three seasons.

Coming off a 2015 season with six Grade 1 wins and a Saratoga riding championship, Ortiz solidified his place among the nation’s top jockeys with a strong 2016.

He finished third in the 2016 national standings by wins, be-

hind his brother’s 351, and was second by purse earnings, to Javier Castellano. The 24-year-old won the Belmont Stakes, his first win in a Triple Crown race, with Creator and picked up further Grade 1 wins with Lady Eli, Dacita and Pretty City Dancer. He won four graded stakes with Camelot Kitten and even went home to Puerto Rico where he won two Grade 1 stakes at Camarero in December.

Ortiz rode 13 of the 40 finalists for New York-bred champion-ships, not counting steeplechaser Willow U. The steeplechase ca-reer will have to wait awhile.

Trained by Rudy Rodriguez, older male finalist Royal Posse and Ortiz teamed up six times, for four wins and two seconds. They won the Mr. Sinatra in April, the Alydar in August, the Evan Ship-man in September and Empire Classic in October.

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BREEDER OF THE YEAR

Tune in to find outNew York-Bred Horse of the Year

and

New York Broodmare of the Year

450 New Karner RoadAlbany, NY 12205(518) 452-1800www.townelaw.com

Albany | Burnt Hills | Cobleskill | Poughkeepsie | Saratoga Springs | Bennington, VTAAorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Chester and Mary Broman

The bar continues to get higher and higher for Chester and Mary Broman’s successful breeding program.

Based at their Chestertown Farm on Friends Lake Road in the small Warren County town of Chestertown

near Warrensburg, the Bromans have built one of the most deco-rated breeding programs in the Empire State.

Or anywhere else for that matter.The Long Island residents purchased the 300-acre farm in 1995

and it’s there that the likes of Grade 1 winners Friends Lake and Artemis Agrotera and graded stakes winners Seeking The Ante and Highway Star were born and raised before racetrack success.

The Bromans, the owners and breeders of 2016 champion New York-bred finalists Highway Star and Bar Of Gold, are no strangers to honors as breeders and owners.

Winners of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Asso-ciation’s Breeder of the Year in 2004 and 2005, they collect their fourth Breeder of the Year crown from the New York Thorough-bred Breeders for the 2016 success. The Bromans previously won the state’s top breeder award in 2004, 2011 and 2014.

The Bromans earned their most recent honor after an extremely strong season campaigning New York-breds in 2016. They won 40 races from 195 starts and racked up $2,230,979 in purses, near-ly double the runner-up and significantly improved on their 2015 statistics.

The couple’s continued emphasis on quality, seen through im-proving their broodmare band, buying at public auction and breed-ing to some of the world’s best stallions, is evident in the $11,441

earnings per start in 2016 compared to $5,534 in 2015.Bar Of Gold led the way for the Bromans in 2016, dominating

in the Empire Distaff Handicap and also winning the Critical Eye to earn nomination as New York-bred champion older dirt female. Both wins came on Showcase programs put on by the New York Racing Association and the NYTB, significant because Chester Broman is a past board member of the former and is a longtime board member of the latter.

Highway Star became the couple’s fourth graded stakes win-ner in 2016 when she took the Grade 3 Go For Wand in early De-cember at Aqueduct. She’s a finalist for New York-bred champion 3-year-old filly, an award the Bromans won in 2014 with Artemis Agrotera.

for all your horse’s needs at our hospital or at your farm.

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Tod

Mar

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By breeding and racing these quality NY-breds,

the nominees have set an example for horsemen

and horsewomen across the state to help the

Fund achieve its mission:

“To promote by monetary incentives the responsiblebreeding of quality thoroughbred racehorses in keeping with the founding legislation to preserve

New York's irreplaceable farmland.”

As the major sponsor of tonight’s ceremony, theNew York Thoroughbred Breeding & Development Fund

honors and congratulates all award nominees for their outstanding achievements.