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

The post Caravel Named Pennsylvania’s 2020 Horse Of The Year appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

The latest edition of the PR Back Ring is now online, ahead of the OBS Spring 2-Year-Olds In Training Sale.

The PR Back Ring is the Paulick Report's new bloodstock newsletter, released ahead of every major North American Thoroughbred auction. Seeking to expand beyond the usual pdf presentation, the Back Ring offers a dynamic experience for bloodstock content, heavy on visual elements and statistics to appeal to readers on all platforms, especially mobile devices.

Here is what's inside the OBS Spring issue…

CLICK HERE TO READ THE OBS SPRING EDITION OF THE PR BACK RING

• Gun Runner became the 21st stallion since 2000 with a seven-figure juvenile in his first crop earlier this auction season. Joe Nevills examines the first 20 stallions to join the club, and how they performed in the short-term and long-term to see whether high-level auction success in a first crop leads to success on the racetrack.
• Stallion Spotlight Presented by Kentucky Equine Research: Airdrie Stud's Cormac Breathnach on American Freedom
• Lesson Horses Presented By John Deere Equine Discount Program: Erin O'Keefe Of BTE Stables On Exposure
• Ask Your Veterinarian Presented By Kentucky Performance Products: Equine Chiropractic Therapy
• Pennsylvania Leaderboard Presented By Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association: Fire's Finale Led Juvenile Incentive Earners In 2020
• The Stat Presented By Pleasant Acres Stallions: Leading Florida Sires By :10-Flat And Faster Breeze Show Times, 2015-2021
• American Graded Stakes Standings Presented By Muirfield Insurance: Godolphin Leads A Tight Race Among Breeders
• First-Crop Sire Watch Presented By Neolithic: OBS Spring Sale 2021

CLICK HERE TO READ THE OBS SPRING EDITION OF THE PR BACK RING

The post PR Back Ring OBS Spring Sale: Gun Runner Joined The Seven-Figure Juvenile Club – What’s Next? appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

The late Jump Start was the Keystone State's leading resident by stallion award earnings, bringing in $172,796.02 for owner Northview Stallion Station Inc.

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.

Jump Start was Pennsylvania's leading sire by general earnings in 2020, with 155 runners and 71 winners making nearly $3.3 million.

He accounted for two of the top five earners of stallion awards, led by It's a Journey, who generated $10,310 in that category last year. The veteran campaigner had her best season yet in 2020, featuring victories in the Mrs. Penny Stakes and an optional claiming race at Parx Racing.

Jump Start also had Fire's Finale add $8,835 in stallion awards. The colt generated awards in two races during his juvenile season, breaking his maiden at Parx, then taking the Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes.

The post Pennsylvania Leaderboard Presented By Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association: Jump Start Tops 2020 Stallion Award Earners appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Now a 6-year-old, Wait for It brought in a combined $191,540 in earnings directly tied to his status as a horse sired and born in the Keystone State, between stakes races restricted to Pennsylvania-breds, breeder's awards, stallion awards, and owner bonuses.

A serious revenue generator for those responsible for practically every phase of his life, Wait for It led the state by Pennsylvania-bred stakes earnings ($91,200), breeder's awards ($67,664), and stallion awards ($16,916).

Wait for It made four of his eight starts last year in his native state, highlighted by a front-running triumph in the Storm Cat Stakes at Parx Racing by 2 1/4 lengths, and the Hard Spun Stakes at Presque Isle Downs, which he won with a later-timed move by 2 1/4 lengths. He also added to his incentive totals with an optional claiming win and an allowance runner-up effort to kick off the season at Parx.

Wait for It races for Uptowncharlybrown Stud LLC, and he was bred by Fantasy Lane Stable. He is out of the winning Posse mare Kimberley Diamond, who is herself a Pennsylvania-bred.

Two other horses raked in six-figure incentive earnings in 2020, both by the late perennial leading Pennsylvania sire Jump Start.

Its a Journey brought in $109,550 on the strength of a campaign highlighted by a dramatic closing victory by a neck in the Mrs. Penny Stakes at Parx Racing. The 8-year-old also won an optional claiming race at Parx and finished second in another to add to her totals for the season.

Bred by Mr. & Mrs. Robert A. Szeyller, Its a Journey races for Gap View Stables and Jagger Inc.

Joining Its a Journey in the six-figure club is Fire's Finale, a standout juvenile who finished his season with a closing score in the Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes at Parx, after breaking his maiden at the same track in his previous start.

Fire's Finale runs as a homebred for Kennwood Racing, which owns the colt in partnership with Degaetano and Pastore, Inc.

The post Pennsylvania Leaderboard Presented By Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Associaiton: Wait For It Tops 2020 Incentive Earners appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Northview Stallion Station, which closed its Pennsylvania operation at the end of last year's breeding season, led its peers comfortably by combined breeder and stallion awards, with $272,745.60.

What made Northview's standing especially impressive was that its incentive earnings came exclusively through stallion awards. That was helped greatly by the late sire Jump Start, a perennial leader in the Keystone State, who once again finished atop the sire list by earnings a year after his death.

Among Jump Start's best runners of 2020 was the Pennsylvania-bred colt Fire's Finale, who capped off his season with a closing score in the Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes at Parx Racing. He earned $108,315 on the racetrack during his juvenile season.

Glenn Brok of Diamond B Farm finished second by combined awards, earning $197,405.12. The majority of those incentives came from breeders' awards, but the Diamond B operation stands several of the state's top stallions.

The biggest contributor to Diamond B's stallion awards in 2020 was veteran Talent Search, whose runners were led by stakes-placed Final Shot. Diamond B also stands Uptowncharlybrown who has two seasons on offer in the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association's stallion season auction.

The post Pennsylvania Leaderboard Presented by Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association: Northview Gets A Jump Start In Stallion Awards appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Those are the reasons Robb Levinsky was unable to contain his joy when his Kenwood Racing homebred Fire's Finale won the Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes on Dec. 7 at Parx Racing in Bensalem, Penn. The 2-year-old Pennsylvania-bred is the last foal out of Levinsky's favorite racemare, Exchanging Fire, and was ridden by Mychel Sanchez, whose agent, Joe Hampshire, was the mare's regular rider.

“This race was like a gathering of old friends, and it's one I'll remember a long time,” Levinsky said, acknowledging that the win stands out as a rare high moment during the day-to-day struggles of the pandemic. “It's not been an easy year for the world, so racing has been an escape from a tough year for all of us. It's not perfect, it doesn't make up for everything, but it has definitely helped.”

Several of the dozen syndicate owners were on hand to watch as Fire's Finale made an impressive rally from behind the field to win by a length, earning his first stakes score in his seventh lifetime start. Levinsky's emotions ran over as he entered the winner's circle.

“We don't breed a lot of horses, but (his dam Exchanging Fire) was just a member of the family,” he explained. “I've been in this business for 35 years, so I try not to get overly attached, but we really loved her.”

Levinsky claimed Exchanging Fire for $50,000 in 2007 at Gulfstream Park. The next year the daughter of Exchange Rate won three listed stakes races and finished fourth in a Grade 3 race at Monmouth Park that year, and ran out earnings of nearly $250,000 through her 27-race career.

The filly retired at the end of 2008, and Levinsky knew that the stock market crash meant she wouldn't bring what she was worth at auction. He decided to keep the mare and breed her himself.

“We always knew she had talent,” Levinsky said. “I felt eventually she was going to reproduce herself, but it didn't happen right away.”

Exchanging Fire's first foal died at birth when he was strangled on his umbilical cord. After giving her a year off to recover, she was able to produce three more foals over the next several years, though none of those were particularly inspiring on the racetrack.

Her fourth foal, a bay colt by Jump Start born in 2018, seemed to have all the right things going for him. Unfortunately, Exchanging Fire colicked a month after the colt was born, and she died on the operating table at New Bolton when she was 14 years old.

“They couldn't save her,” Levinsky said. “With Fire's Finale, we got him onto a nurse mare and he survived, but he'd certainly had a rough start in life. It never seemed to bother him, but obviously it meant a lot to us for him being her last foal.”

The colt's early training was so promising that Levinsky decided he'd offer a portion to new-to-the-game owner Ralph Pastori, a CPA from New York. This year was Pastori's initial foray into the horse racing game, and he'd first approached Levinsky with the idea to buy shares of horses from the 2-year-old sales.

When the pandemic affected the schedule of those sales, Levinsky didn't find as many horses in his target price range, and he started to consider whether it'd be a good idea to offer up 25 percent of Fire's Finale.

“Everything was going well, and I told Pastori, 'Look, I honestly really, really like the horse,'” Levinsky remembered. “I said, 'You can definitely pass if you want, I just think he has a chance to be something special.'

“I took a chance with my reputation, which is very important to me, and I kind of had to go out on a limb a little. But he had trained so well up to that point, and fortunately that worked out!”

Trained by Kelly Breen, Fire's Finale took a couple starts to figure out the racing game, but the colt never finished worse than fourth in his seven starts this season. Following the stakes score, his record stands at 2-2-1 with earnings of $108,315.

Fire's Finale in the Parx Racing winner's circle

“It was certainly emotional to keep him ourselves, rather than try to sell him at one of the sales or something, and to see him have this kind of success,” said Levinsky. “I think Fire's Finale has a chance to be a really good horse for us next year as a 3-year-old.”

Breen wasn't able to attend the race at Parx that Monday afternoon, so Levinsky's long-time friend and former neighbor Ron Dandy was in the paddock before the Nursery Stakes to saddle Fire's Finale. It was Dandy who told Levinsky about the jockey connection, just before the race started.

“I didn't know the rider who was named on him at all, I just knew he was leading the standings at Parx,” Levinsky explained. “Ron said, 'He's a really nice young man, a good up-and-coming rider. You know who his agent is, don't you? Joe Hampshire!'”

Hampshire rode Exchanging Fire at Parx when she was still running, and his wife met Levinsky in the paddock.

“She remembered Exchanging Fire, and I'm sure Joe has ridden a lot of horses,” Levinsky said. “It was really cool, kind of like a full circle thing.”

Despite struggles brought about by the pandemic altering racing schedules, Levinsky's stable has won 19 of its 90 starts in 2020. The syndicate is three-for-three in December alone, with wins in the opening-day feature at Gulfstream and a filly breaking her maiden at Laurel.

“It's been a very fulfilling year for us,” said Levinsky, adding, “This is not the norm, I'm not trying to say that it is; we recognize that it's special. Fire's Finale winning a stakes to end the year was really the icing on the cake.”

Levinsky knows how hard it is to earn those stakes wins, describing Kenwood Racing as a smaller operation with a matching budget. He earned TOBA's Outstanding Thoroughbred Owner – Breeder award in 1989 and won the prestigious California Derby in the 1990s with a horse named Prime Meridean, but he said the day-to-day wins can often be the most emotionally significant ones.

“We've been tied in with this horse, especially, for so long, it's just that much sweeter,” said Levinsky. “I think Fire's Finale has a chance to be a really good horse for us, and next year I hope he gets to have a big 3-year-old season. First and foremost, though, and not to sound like Pollyanna, but I truly hope that the whole world will be better next year.”

The post Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: Fire’s Finale Is Kenwood’s ‘Icing On The Cake’ appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

After a busy schedule, making six starts though mid-October, trainer Kelly Breen opted to rest Fire's Finale for nearly two months before returning to the races for the Nursery. Breaking his maiden in that sixth start here at Parx, winning in a special weight over a sloppy track, maybe he had started to figure things out. Returning to the work tab at Belmont in November, he posted a bullet work at five-eighths on Nov. 17 and then impressed with another bullet work at half-mile on Nov. 25, the 2-year-old working the best of 92 that day.

The colt's late season development continued into the Nursery.

Taken back in the early part of the race by winning jockey Mychal Sanchez, Fire's Finale began to make headway as the race entered the far turn. Able to make a run on the inside of horses in the bulky field, he followed the move of Kidnapped as they rounded the far turn. While Kidnapped got first run on the two tiring front runners, Just a Thought and Beren, Fire's Finale was still moving well and coming off the turn was able to angle out for a clear path and started to kick into high gear in the final furlong. Kidnapped held the lead briefly in the stretch, but Fire's Finale surged past with about 70 yards to go and moved away at the end to win by a full length.

The final time for the seven furlongs on a fast track was 1:25.35.

Owned by Kenwood Racing and Degaetano and Pastore, Inc., Fire's Finale went off at odds of 11-1 and returned $25.80 to win.

Kidnapped, the 5-2 second choice, was next to last early, ran a terrific race with another big run from the back but simply could not hold off the winner and settled for second. Just a Thought (18-1) in a pace duel with Beren, held on for third.

The post Fire’s Finale Returns From Two-Month Layoff To Capture Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post