Once Weigelia finally usurped longtime leader Jump Start's position at the top of Pennsylvania's pecking order by state stallion incentive earnings, he hasn't looked back. Even so, there might be someone nipping at his heels.
Weigelia, a 22-year-old son of Safely's Mark owned by Wyn Oaks Farm, has amassed $142,133 in Pennsylvania stallion awards through Aug. 31; just over $10,000 more than second-place Uptowncharlybrown at $131,713.
The owner of a Pennsylvania-based stallion at the time of a foal's conception is eligible for stallion awards generated by that foal. Stallion owners receive 10 percent of the purse earned when a registered Pennsylvania-bred and -sired runner finishes in the top three in any pari-mutuel race within the state.
The leading contributor to Weigelia's coffer in 2023 is Disco Ebo, who earned $16,996 in stallion awards through Aug. 31.
Disco Ebo has been a top earner of Pennsylvania incentive monies across the various ways a state-bred can make money for their connections, despite the fact that the 4-year-old filly hasn't run since mid-April.
Owned by the partnership of Cash is King and LC Racing, Disco Ebo won her first three starts of the season, all at Parx Racing, culminating in a 6 3/4-length drubbing of the Penn's Landing Stakes on March 7. She then finished second in the Unique Bella Stakes at Parx on April 24 in her last start to date.
The Robert E. Reid Jr. trainee has been training consistently toward a return at Parx Racing, most recently breezing four furlongs in :47.69 seconds on Oct. 17, making her the third-fastest at the distance among 27 that day.
Another familiar name has also kicked in plenty to Weigelia's stallion incentive earnings this year, in Beren.
Another Reid trainee, this time for St. Omer's Farm and Christopher J Feifarek, Beren started the year with a pair of allowance wins at Parx, with a third in the Grade 3 General George Stakes at Laurel Park sandwiched in between. Though this season hasn't seen as many high profile wins as followers have become used to seeing from Beren, she has finished in the money in the Page McKenney Handicap and the Banjo Picker Sprint Stakes, both at Parx.
Uptowncharlybrown's bid to surpass Weigelia has been led by Marion Grace, a 3-year-old filly who has tallied $7,672 for her sire.
Owned and trained by Jacinto Solis, Marion Grace started her season with a maiden claiming victory at Parx Racing, and she picked up two more claiming victories at the same track later in the year. Originally campaigned as a homebred by Uptowncharlybrown Stud, the owner of the namesake stallion, Marion Grace has been claimed twice this year, joining the Solis barn for a $25,000 tag after finishing second by a neck in a July 26 Parx claiming race.
Leading Pennsylvania Sires By 2023 State Incentive Earnings, Through Aug. 31
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