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Bramble Bay Named NJ-Bred Horse of the Year

Bramble Bay (Bullet Train) has been named the 2022 New Jersey-bred Horse of the Year, as well as champion turf runner and champion older female, by the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association of New Jersey. The bay mare won last summer's Jersey Girl H. at Monmouth Park for breeder/owner Ballybrit Stable, LLC and trainer Mike Dini. Claimed for $62,500 by trainer Mike Maker and owner Michael Dubb, the then-6-year-old added the Pinot Grigio H. She won three of 10 starts in 2022 and earned $160,170. To date, the mare has won eight of 35 career starts with earnings of $474,623.

Also honored as New Jersey-bred champions of 2022 are: champion 3-year-old and sprinter Speaking (Mr Speaker); champion older male He'spuregold (Vancouver); champion 2-year-old filly Girl Trouble (Fast Anna); champion 2-year-old male Great Navigator (Sea Wizard); and champion 3-year-old filly I Can Run (Tourist).

Adorabella (Ghostzapper) was named the state's 2022 Broodmare of the Year and Hey Chub was named Stallion of the Year.

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For Chub Wagon, Tougher Spots Will Have to Wait

Owner-breeder Danny Lopez doesn't know how good Chub Wagon (Hey Chub), the 2021 Pennsylvania-Bred of the Year and 2021 Parx Horse of the Year, is. That's the way it is when you have a filly who is 11-for-12 lifetime and has won seven stakes, but has never faced graded stakes company. Is he curious to find out? Not at all.

“I'd rather be a big fish in a little pond,” said Lopez, who co-owns Chub Wagon with George Chestnut. “We've made a lot of money ($593,600) with her and, by taking it easy with her, she's going to last longer.”

That's pretty much been the play book for Chub Wagon since she debuted with a win on Nov. 16, 2020 at Parx. After two more wins, both in allowance company, Lopez and trainer Guadalupe Preciado got a bit ambitious and sent Chub Wagon to Aqueduct, where she won an April 2, 2021 allowance race by 4 3/4 lengths. She was four-for-four at that point and looked to have more than enough ability to successfully take the next step and compete in a graded race. Instead, she went back to Parx and beat state-breds in the Unique Bella S.

“The name of the game is to win,” said Lopez, a former trainer, who also owns Chub Wagon's sire, Hey Chub.

There were a couple of major races for 3-year-old fillies on the calendar that would have been a good fit, including the GII Eight Belles S. or even the GI Acorn, but the connections didn't waver. There were plenty of races out there worth good money and where Chub Wagon would be going against overmatched rivals. Starting on May 15, Chub Wagon ran three times during a 46-day period and won all three, the Skipat S., the Shine Again S. and the Dashing Beauty S.

The winning streak ended at eight when she caught a sloppy track and finished second in the Dr. Teresa Garofalo Memorial S. at Parx. She went back to work two weeks later and won the Roamin Rachel S. and, in her lone career try around two turns, the Plum Pretty S. for Pennsylvania-breds.

Lopez and Preciado had hoped to bring their filly back some time in early or mid-spring, but they had a problem establishing a regular work pattern.

“The weather was a big problem,” Lopez said. “Every two or three days it would rain. She would work and then she would walk, jog, gallop and then it would be raining again. That went on forever. So I had to be patient. After a while everything cleared up with the weather”

Chub Wagon returned on Monday in the Power by Far S., a five-furlong race at Parx for Pennsylvania-breds that came off the turf. Winning by three-quarters of a length, she didn't dominate, but it was a game performance in which she showed there was no rust.

What's next? More of the same. It will be the $100,000 Alma North S. at Laurel July 16. The Alma North is part of the Match Series.

“Right now, I'm just thinking about her next race, which will be at Laurel on July 16,” Lopez said. “That gives her 19 days between starts. After that, I'll go from there. After that, it's all open.”

While Lopez understands that people want to see Chub Wagon take on tougher rivals, he said it makes more sense from a bottom-line standpoint to keep doing what he's been doing.

“I'm going to let her tell me, which is the way I have always played it out with her,” Lopez said. “That's why I was able to run all those races together toward the end of last year. She overshadows those horses she's been running against. So instead of running for $300,000 once every six weeks she ran for $100,00 every two or three weeks and wound up making the same amount of money. There is no goal. It's just one race at a time. After her race at Laurel there are all these races at Parx for Pennsylvania-breds. I can come back this year in the Plum Pretty, and that's a $200,000 race for Pennsylvania-breds and we don't have to go anywhere to run. What more could you ask for?”

While Lopez has not yet decided whether or not Chub Wagon will run next year, it's all but certain that once she stops running she will be sold at auction as a broodmare prospect.

“Do I want a broodmare that might not produce anything? No. You see some of these great race mares don't make it as a broodmare,” he said. “Do I want to be stuck with horses that can't run?”

But wouldn't a graded win enhance her value as a broodmare? We may never find out.

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Undefeated Chub Wagon Regroups For Sunday’s Shine Again Stakes

Even in a career that counts more than 2,000 winners and a dozen graded-stakes, trainer Guadalupe Preciado can count the truly special ones he's had on one hand.

Two fingers, even.

The first belongs to millionaire Favorite Tale, who captured the 2014 Gallant Bob (G3) and 2015 Smile Sprint (G2), and later that year ran third in the A.G. Vanderbilt Handicap (G1) and Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1). Favorite Tale was no stranger to Maryland, winning the Dave's Friend at Laurel Park in 2018 in his penultimate career start.

Preciado points a second finger to his current stable star, Daniel Lopez and George Chestnut's 4-year-old homebred filly Chub Wagon, undefeated through six career starts. The bay daughter of Hey Chub will be aiming for her third consecutive stakes triumph in Sunday's $100,000 Shine Again at historic Pimlico Race Course.

The six-furlong Shine Again for fillies and mares 3 and up is among five stakes worth $450,000 and the only one on dirt. It is also the next installment in the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) Series.

Other stakes on the June 13 program are all on the turf, led by the $100,000 Prince George's County for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles and $100,000 Searching at 1 ½ miles for females 3 and older. A pair of five-furlong sprints are also on tap – the $100,000 Stormy Blues for sophomore fillies and $75,000 Ben's Cat for Maryland-bred/sired horses 3 and up.

Based at Parx, where he was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2013, Preciado is a native of Mexico who began training in 1989. He topped $1 million in season earnings for 24 consecutive years, from 1997 to 2017, exceeding $2 million four times. His brother, Ramon, also trains.

“The last nice horse I trained before her is Favorite Tale. He was a [Pennsylvania]-bred, too,” Preciado said. “She's a nice one. It's not easy to find those kinds of horses. It's easy for guys like the Todd Pletchers and the Chad Browns and all the guys that have so many 2-year-olds every year. It's no problem to find them. We have local horses over here. It's hard.”

Preciado was working for trainer Ron Benshoff when the two attended a party where Benshoff introduced him to Jack Mondel of Hidden Lane Farms. A friendship developed that soon had Mondel sending Preciado the kind of horses to give his fledgling career a boost, including Debutante's Halo, winner of the 1990 Demoiselle (G2), and Mr. Nasty, who won the 1990 Gravesend (G3) and 1991 Tom Fool (G2).

Other graded-stakes winners Preciado trained are Caught in the Rain, Iron Punch, Score a Birdie, Joker, Michael's Star and Sham Francisco. Favorite Tale's Smile Sprint at Gulfstream Park was his most recent.

Among his previous Maryland stakes wins are Michael's Star in the 1996 Harrison E. Johnson Memorial, Mary's Silver Pen in the 2000 Marshua and Rockin Jojo in the 2016 Geisha and Maryland Million Distaff.

Preciado initially entered Chub Wagon in the seven-furlong Bed o' Roses (G3) June 4 at Belmont Park, where she was installed as the morning-line favorite, but opted to skip the race. She comes back to a distance where she has already won three times including her unveiling, which didn't come until mid-November of her 3-year-old season at Parx and provided Preciado with his milestone 2,000th victory.

“When I got her, the owner told me that she's a nice filly,” Preciado said. “Sometimes you have a little problem and when you have a horse that can run, you do the best you can to take care of the little problem before you got a big problem. Especially with the 2-year-olds. If you don't wait, they make you wait.”

Chub Wagon reeled off three straight allowance wins before romping in the seven-furlong Unique Bella against state-breds April 27 at Parx. In her first open-company stakes, she captured the Skipat at Pimlico May 15 on the undercard of the 146th Preakness Stakes (G1).

The competition in the Shine Again is expected to include heavyweights such as Hello Beautiful, a five-time stakes winner that hasn't raced since the Runhappy Barbara Fritchie (G3) Feb. 20 at Laurel, and Dontletsweetfoolya, who strung together five straight wins, two in stakes, before losses in the Fritchie and Skipat, where she ran fourth in her comeback. Hibiscus Punch, the 41-1 upset Fritchie winner, is also nominated.

Affable and easy-going, Preciado is less worried about maintaining the streak as he is seeing Chub Wagon run well and enjoying the ride.

“At my age, I don't care too much anymore because I know whatever will happen, will happen. For me it's exciting.”

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Horologist Named 2020 New Jersey-Bred Horse Of The Year

There's A Chance Stable, Medallion Racing, Abbondanza Racing, LLC, Parkland Thoroughbreds, Paradise Farms Corp, and David Staudacher's Horologist has been named 2020 New Jersey-bred Horse of the Year and champion older female by the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association of New Jersey.

Horologist started her championship campaign in California with trainer Richard Baltas and was ultimately transferred to the care of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott in June. Under Mott's supervision Horologist won the $250,000 Grade 3 Molly Pitcher Stakes at Monmouth Park and the $150,000 G2 Beldame Stakes at Belmont Park. Horologist also finished second in the $100,000 Nellie Morse Stakes at Laurel and third in the $500,000 G1 La Troienne Stakes at Churchill Downs.

The daughter of Gemologist out of Cinderella Time, by Stephen Got Even finished 2020 with $345,334 in earnings. She has won seven of 20 career starts with earnings of $715,439. Horologist was bred in New Jersey by Holly Crest Farm.

John Bowers, Jr.'s homebred Royal Urn was named champion sprinter and champion older male after his successful campaign that finished with three stakes wins.

The son of Kantharos out of the King of Kings mare, Born to Royalty won the $75,000 John J. Reilly Handicap and $75,000 New Jersey Breeders Handicap at six furlongs by a combined six lengths. Royal Urn showed his versatility and stretched out to one mile and one sixteenth in the $100,000 Charles J. Hesse III Handicap for his third stakes win of 2020. Royal Urn finished his championship campaign with $172,250 in earnings under the care of trainer Kelly Breen.

Hope Haskell Jones and Isabelle de Tomaso's homebred Pianzi is the champion 3-year-old after his three consecutive wins from July 17 to Aug. 30. The son of Shanghai Bobby out of Faker, by Petionville broke his maiden in his second start of the year on July 17 by 4 3/4 lengths. Trained by Cal Lynch, Pianzi came back on Aug. 8 and won his nw1x condition and his nw2x condition on Aug. 30. Pianzi finished 2020 with earnings of $132,815.

Pickin' Time gave breeder/owner John Bowers, Jr. and trainer Kelly Breen their second champion as he took home the honor of champion 2-year-old.

Pickin' Time had a successful campaign, winning three races at distances ranging from 4 1/2 furlongs to one mile. The son of Stay Thirsty out of Born to Royalty, by King of Kings (Ire), broke his maiden in his first start at Monmouth Park going 4 1/2 furlongs on July 4. Pickin' Time finished second in the $100,000 Sapling Stakes at one mile before cutting back to six furlongs and winning the $75,000 Smoke Glacken Stakes at Monmouth Park. The champion 2-year-old saved the best race of his campaign in the $100,000 G3 Nashua Stakes winning the one-mile event over the Aqueduct oval by 2 1/4 lengths. Pickin' Time finished his 2-year-old season with earnings of $193,025.

Ballybrit Stables, LLC's homebred Bramble Bay is the champion turf runner after her three-win season.

Bramble Bay won over the Gulfstream Park turf course in May prior to shipping to Monmouth Park and winning the $75,000 Jersey Girl Handicap at one mile on the turf. The daughter of Bullet Train out of Regal Rose, by Empire Maker is trained by Michael Dini. Bramble Bay earned $119,830 during her championship campaign and has career earnings of $196,988.

Born to Royalty was honored as Broodmare of the Year in 2020. John Bowers, Jr. owns the 19-year-old mare by King of Kings out of Teenage Queen. Teenage Queen, also owned by John Bowers, Jr., was named New Jersey's Broodmare of the Year in 2007. Born to Royalty is the broodmare of Royal Urn, champion sprinter and champion older male, and Pickin' Time who is the champion 2-year-old of 2020.

Born to Royalty has produced 10 foals ,of which nine have started, including a yearling New Jersey-bred colt by Tonalist.

Hey Chub is the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association of New Jersey's Stallion of the Year for the fifth time in his career. The 21-year-old son of Carson City out of Donna Doo by Spend A Buck was a multiple stakes winning New Jersey-bred who hit the board in 30 of his 36 starts and earned $441,755.

Hey Chub has sired stakes winners Chublicious ($653,393), winner of the 2017 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash Stakes, 2018 New Jersey-bred champion sprinter Brother Chub ($542,336) along with stakes placed Chubbiana ($119,872).

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