The 2020 Washington Annual Awards celebration was held via Zoom Saturday evening, February 27. Many industry members tuned in via their phones or other devices to be part of the ceremonies.
Kristin Boice and Marylou Holden's talented juvenile Bodenheimer was named horse of the year. This year the award honored the late Washington horseman Richard Wright. The son of 2020 leading sire Atta Boy Roy was a stakes winner at both Keeneland and Prairie Meadows last year. He is trained, as was his sire, by now Kentucky resident Valerie Lund. In addition Bodenheimer, who is the second stakes winner Larry Romaine bred out of the stakes-winning A. P. Indy mare Beautiful Daniele, was named champion turf horse and shared co-champion two-year-old honors with undefeated Dutton.
Dutton, who races for Rising Star Stable VIII and is trained by Howard Belvoir – who received one of three special racing achievement awards – is from the first and only crop of the late Washington champion Noosito, who was not only Washington's leading freshman sire, but also the second leading 2020 freshman sire on the West Coast.
Champion two-year-old filly honors went to Chad and Josh's Time for Gold, who was victorious in two Emerald Downs stakes. Her owners, Chad Christensen and Josh McKee, were also the state's leading owners of Washington-breds. Time for Gold was one of three progeny of Harbor the Gold who won stakes victories for the successful partnership.
2019 Washington horse of the year Baja Sur, by Smiling Tiger, added two more championship titles to his impressive total: champion older horse or gelding and champion sprinter. He races for Auburn residents John and Janene Maryanski and Gerry and Gail Schneider.
Warlock Stables, Kelly Dougan and trainer Roddina Barrett's Alittlesstalk encored her 2019 champion title with an even more impressive record in 2020 when the four-year-old daughter of Demon Warlock won two stakes and placed in two more in her seven-race skein.
Tawnja Elison's Unmachable, by Macho Uno, also took off where he had in 2019. The state's champion two-year-old added two more stakes wins, one over older runners, to earn the champion three-year-old title. His trainer, Jack McCartney, was also honored with a special training achievement award.
Glen Todd-owned and -trained Miss Prospector gave her sire Harbor the Gold his 24th state champion runner when she took champion sophomore filly honors.
Other horse honors went to Omache Kid (plater), Fortune's Freude (most improved plater), Melba Jewel (broodmare) and Winter Knight (OTTB).
The WTBOA/WHPBA Special Recognition Award was warmly given to Washington Horse Racing Commission executive secretary Doug Moore for all the work he put into getting approval for racing at Emerald Downs and holding the WTBOA August horse sale amid complex COVID-19 restrictions and protocols.
Other awards were given to Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Pabst, who took their sixth leading breeder title; and to jockey Juan Gutierrez for gaining a record number of wins at Emerald Downs.
The program for the event is posted on the WTBOA website at www.washingtonthoroughbred,com.
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