The Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association has announced its Florida-bred Champions for 2019. Typically, the awards are presented at an annual awards gala held on the Monday prior to OBS's March auction. The event was not held this year, however, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and it will not be rescheduled.
For the 16th time in FTBOA history, Charlotte Weber was honored with a Florida-bred champion that was bred by her Live Oak Stud and owned by her Live Oak Plantation, located in Ocala, as Global Access was named the Florida-bred Champion 3-Year-Old Colt or Gelding. Live Oak Stud was also named the Florida Breeder of the Year for the third time and the Leading Owner by Florida-bred Earnings for the fourth time. She previously won the Breeder title in 2006 and 2007 and the Leading Owner title in 2011, 2016, and 2017.
During the year, Global Access won the Grade 3 Marine Stakes and Grade 3 Ontario Derby at Woodbine, the Grade 3 Saranac Stakes at Saratoga, and the DRF Bets Sophomore Turf Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. He was also second in the Wando Stakes at Woodbine, with thirds in the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes at Saratoga and in the Charlie Barley Stakes at Woodbine.
Another Florida-bred who took home multiple honors was Starship Jubilee, the Champion Older Female and Champion Female Turf Horse. Bred by William P. Sorren of Miami Beach, Fla., Starship Jubilee received Sovereign Awards as Canada's Horse of the Year and Champion Female Turf Horse for 2019, adding to the titles she also earned in 2017 and 2018.
Trained by Kevin Attard for Blue Heaven Farm, in 2019 Starship Jubilee won the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes and her second consecutive Canadian Stakes presented by the Japan Racing Association (G2), both at Woodbine. The Canadian was not the only stake she won for the second straight time, as she also defended her title in the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf at Gulfstream Park. In 2019, she was also second in the Grade 2 Dance Smartly Stakes and Nassau Stakes at Woodbine and second in the Grade 3 Cardinal Stakes at Churchill Downs. The well-traveled mare was also third in the Grade 3 Woodford Reserve Ballston Spa Stakes at Saratoga.
Starship Jubilee is by Indy Wind out of the Forest Wildcat mare Perfectly Wild, and she finished the year with three wins, three seconds, and a third from seven starts, with earnings of $604,929. She finished the year with $1,171,387 in career earnings.
Once again in 2019, the Florida-bred Champion 2-Year-Old Colt or Gelding title went through the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes series at Gulfstream Park.
Shooting Star Thoroughbreds' Chance It garnered the title after winning the $100,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Dr. Fager and the $400,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes In Reality, while finishing second in the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Affirmed.
By Currency Swap out of Vagabon Diva, by Pleasantly Perfect, Chance It was bred by Bett Usher of Ocala, Fla., and finished the year with three wins and two seconds from five starts, with earnings of $384,150.
K P Dreamin was named the Florida-bred Champion 2-Year-Old Filly based on her two third-place finishes in the Grade 1 Chandelier Stakes at Santa Anita and in the Grade 1 Starlet Stakes at Los Alamitos.
Trained by Jeff Mullins for Karl Pergola, K P Dreamin was bred in Florida by Peter Vegso's Ocala-based Vegso Racing Stable. She is by Union Rags out of Litigating, by Point Given and she finished the year with one win and two thirds from five starts, with earnings of $132,260.
William Stiritz's Wildwood's Beauty used the Florida Sire Stakes program for older horses and Florida-bred stakes to catapult herself to the title as the Florida-bred Champion 3-Year-Old Filly and Champion Female Sprinter.
During the year, the Scott Becker trainee won the Stonehedge Farm South Sophomore Fillies Stakes and FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Ivanavinalot at Tampa Bay Downs and the Sheer Drama Stakes and Sunshine Million Distaff Stakes at Gulfstream Park. She was also second in the Florida Sire Stakes City of Ocala at Tampa Bay Downs and in the Florida Sire Stakes Wildcat Heir at Gulfstream Park, while amassing a record of four wins and five seconds from 10 starts. She racked up $327,895 in earnings in 2019 and finished the year with career revenues of $355,395.
Bred by Philip and Karen Matthews of Ocala, Wildwood's Beauty is by Kantharos out of Miss Propitious, by J P's Gusto.
In the stallion categories, Journeyman Stud's Khozan was Florida's Leading Juvenile Sire and Leading Freshman Sire, while Ocala Stud resident Adios Charlie was Florida's Stallion of the Year.
Khozan had 44 runners, 19 winners, and three black type stakes horses for progeny earnings of $1,275,632, and Adios Charlie progeny acquired $3,753,347 from 106 runners, 65 winners, and three black type stakes winners.
Khozan was represented by his leading money earner and stakes-winner Liam's Lucky Charm ($233,800), while multiple graded stakes-winner Jean Elizabeth was the leading money earner for Adios Charlie with $264,888.
Kathleen O'Connell and Saffie Joseph, Jr., tied with 58 Florida-bred wins at Florida tracks while O'Connell was also the Leading Florida Trainer of Florida-breds by black type stakes wins with six, and Joseph was the Leading Florida Trainer by Florida-bred earnings with $1,977,046.
It was the 12th time O'Connell has won or shared the title as the Leading Florida Trainer by wins (2003, 2009-2018) and the first time Joseph has won a Florida-bred title in either category. O'Connell has won or shared the Florida black type wins title twice before in 2013 and 2017.
The Joe O'Farrell Memorial Award presented by Ocala Breeders' Sales Company went to William A.T. and Lyn Rainbow's The Acorn as the original consignor of Starship Jubilee, the year's top Florida-bred graduate of OBS.
Sally J. Andersen of Ocala was presented the Needles Award as Florida's small breeder of the year. Andersen bred multiple stakes-winner Anyportinastorm, and recorded earnings of $843,513 as a breeder of Florida-breds. Andersen was presented a John Deere Riding Mower 330 as the Needles Award winner.
In June, the FTBOA recognized Imperial Hint as the Florida-bred with the top Beyer Speed Figure during 2019, as awarded by the Daily Racing Form. Imperial Hint logged an electrifying 114 Beyer while setting a Saratoga track record for six furlongs in 1:07.92 in the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Stakes.
Imperial Hint is trained by Luis Carvajal, Jr., for Raymond Mamone, and he was bred in Florida by Bert and Martha Pilcher's Shade Tree Thoroughbreds in Fairfield.
Horse Capital Television is partnering with the FTBOA and will air a special awards edition honoring each champion and their connections. The event will premiere on Wednesday, July 15 at 8 p.m. on https://www.facebook.com/HorseCapitalTV/ and https://www.horsecapitaltv.com/.
The re-aired show will be available on www.ftboa.com, The Florida Horse Twitter page and the FTBOA Facebook page.
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