The Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association's 42nd Annual Iroquois Awards was held virtually on May 21 to celebrate the champions of 2020.
Leading the way was Caravel, who was named 2020 Horse of the Year.
The daughter of Mizzen Mast won four of five starts last year, going from last to first to win on debut at Penn National, then taking an allowance race at the same track with a front-running trip. Caravel then shipped to Presque Isle Downs to win the Lady Erie Stakes in her black type debut.
She took her only trip out of the state to race when she shipped to Pimlico Race Course for the Hilltop Stakes, where she finished third. Her season wrapped up back at Presque Isle, where she drew off to win the Malvern Rose Stakes by 4 3/4 lengths.
Caravel is owned, trained, and bred in Pennsylvania by Elizabeth Merryman. She is out of the winning Congrats mare Zeezee Zoomzoom
Following is the complete list of 2020 Iroquois Award winners.
2-Year-Old Filly: Plane Drunk
Bred by Triple Threat Stables LLC
Dazzling in a Parx maiden special weight when winning by nearly a dozen lengths, Triple Threat Stables' homebred Plane Drunk captured Penn National's Shamrock Rose Stakes by more than three lengths after a second-place finish in Delaware Park's Small Wonder Stakes.
2-Year-Old Male: Fire's Finale
Bred by Kenwood Racing LLC
A last-to-first run in the Pennsylvania Nursery at Parx capped a busy season in which Jump Start's son Fire's Finale hit the board in three of five starts outside Pennsylvania before heading to Parx and getting back-to-back wins.
3-Year-Old Filly: Caravel
Bred by Elizabeth M. Merryman
A winner of four of her five starts at three, all by daylight margins, Caravel, a gray filly owned, bred and trained by Lizzie Merryman, accounted for the Lady Erie in her stakes debut and the Malvern Rose, both at Presque Isle Downs, and was stakes-placed on the turf in Pimlico's Hilltop Stakes.
3-Year-Old Male: Dreams Untold
Bred by Patricia L. Chapman
In a sophomore campaign that started with a 14 1/4-length romp in January at Parx, Pat Chapman's Dreams Untold, a homebred son of Smarty Jones, sprinted home in front of four of his eight starts during the year while earning $146,400, the most of any 3-year-old male in 2020.
Older Female: Jakarta
Bred by Arrowwood Farm Inc.
The richest PA-Bred runner of the year, Jakarta traveled the country, recording stakes wins at Gulfstream Park in the Powder Break and Claiming Crown Distaff Dash, winning at Kentucky Downs going gate-to-wire, and placing in the Grade 3 Buffalo Trace Franklin County Stakes at Keeneland and Caress Stakes at Saratoga. She earned nearly $250,000 with four wins in nine starts.
Older Male: Wait for It
Bred by Fantasy Lane Stable
At age five, Wait for It had his best season yet when winning four times and placing twice in eight starts while earning nearly $210,000. The son of Uptowncharlybrown drew off to easy scores in the Storm Cat Stakes at Parx and Hard Spun Stakes at Presque Isle Downs.
Turf Female: Jakarta
Bred by Arrowwood Farm Inc.
The PA-Bred champion older female adds the turf title after winning or placing in five of her six turf starts, three of them stakes. The richest PA-Bred runner of the year, Jakarta capped her season with a devastating stretch run to win the Claiming Crown Distaff Dash at Gulfstream. Earlier in the year she set the fractions until caught late when second in Saratoga's Caress Stakes, and blazed through the early running of the G3 Buffalo Trace Franklin County Stakes at Keeneland before finishing third.
Turf Male: The Critical Way
Bred by Blackstone Farm LLC
In a COVID-19 shortened year The Critical Way went from claimer in January to stakes winner in late summer in six starts. His biggest score came in dominating gate-to-wire fashion in the Marshall Jenney Handicap at Parx. Less than a month later he just missed by a head after setting the early fractions against open company in Monmouth Park's Virgil Buddy Raines Stakes.
Female Sprinter: Jakarta
Bred by Arrowwood Farm Inc.
Jakarta is also female sprinter after a season in which she won or placed in stakes from five furlongs to one mile. Her daylight win in the Claiming Crown Distaff Dash came at five furlongs, and she just missed in the 5 1/2-furlong Caress Stakes at Saratoga. She was only beaten a length by multiple Grade 1 winner Got Stormy in the 5 1/2-furlong G3 Buffalo Trace Franklin County Stakes at Keeneland after blazing through opening fractions of :21 and change and :44 and change.
Male Sprinter: The Critical Way
Bred by Blackstone Farm LLC
Six races, all at five or 5 1/2 furlongs, and The Critical Way was either first or second in five of them. The 5-furlong Marshall Jenney Handicap at Parx was his richest race, but he also won going 5 furlongs in allowance company at Tampa Bay and got caught late when second in Monmouth Park's 5 1/2-furlong Virgil Buddy Raines Stakes.
Horse of the Year: Caravel
Bred by Elizabeth M. Merryman
Caravel was exciting in each and every one of her five starts, with her four wins coming by daylight margins. The gray filly owned, bred and trained by Lizzie Merryman won Presque Isle Downs' Lady Erie in her stakes debut and added the Malvern Rose, winning by a combined eight lengths. In her second start she just missed the 18-year-old Penn National course record for five furlongs as she cruised home by more than five lengths.
PA-Preferred Female: Its a Journey
Bred by Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Szeyller
2020 earnings: $187,260
Won Mrs. Penny Stakes at Parx Racing
PA-Preferred Male: Wait for It
Bred by Fantasy Lane Stable
2020 earnings: $208,610
Won Storm Cat Stakes at Parx Racing and Hard Spun Stakes at Presque Isle Downs
3rd DTHA Governors Day Handicap at Delaware Park
Broodmare of the Year: Avani Force
Owned by Vicky Schowe & Beatrice Patterson
Dam of 2020 stakes winner Pink Caddy
Her first five foals of racing age are all winners, including multiple graded stakes winner Call Paul, the El Padrino filly Pink Caddy, a stakes winner at two and three, and 2020 juvenile stakes-placed Maythehorsebwithu, by Bullsbay.
Leading Breeder Award Recipients:
Blackstone Farm LLC
Award Earnings: $171,522
Glenn E. Brok LLC
Award Earnings: $149,268
Leading Breeding Fund Recipient (horse): Wait For It
Bred by Fantasy Lane Stable
Award Earnings: $191,540
Leading Total Breeding Fund Recipient: Northview Stallion Station Inc.
Award Earning: $306,970
Leading Stallion: Jump Start
Owned by Northview Stallion Station Inc.
Earnings: $172,796
Leading Overall Breeder of Pennsylvania-Breds: Blackstone Farm LLC
Earnings: $1,676,119
Lifetime Achievement Award: Patricia L. Chapman
Award of Merit: Pastures of Point Lookout
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