This year's Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association Iroquois Awards was held on Friday, June 26 via Zoom. The event virtually hosted top Pennsylvania breeders from all over in celebration of the 2019 stakes winners and champions.
Following is the complete list of winners from Friday's ceremony.
Horse of the Year, Older Female, Turf Female – Mirth
Bred by Barlar LLC
Mirth didn't make her stakes debut until June of her 4-year-old season in her 13th career start. Three months later, she was a Grade 1 winner. She won Santa Anita's Grade 1 Rodeo Drive Stakes at 1 1/4 miles while leading at every call in 1:58.47, wrapped up the year with a score in the G3 Robert J. Frankel Stakes, and in between, set the pace in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf before giving way late to be beaten less than six lengths. She won or placed in seven of 11 starts for the year and earned $347,281.
2-Year-Old Filly – Weed Wacker
Bred by Triple Threat Stables LLC
A winner first time out, a stakes winner in her second start and outfinishing all but Pennsylvania-bred champion juvenile colt Newstome in her third start, Weed Wacker dominated her own division. She won the Mrs. Henry D. Paxson Memorial Stakes at Presque Isle Downs by 3 1/4 lengths after a 2 3/4-length maiden win.
2-Year-Old Colt – Newstome
Bred by Equivine Farm
A stakes winner at Presque Isle Downs in the Mark McDermott by three lengths, and at Laurel Park in the James F. Lewis III against open company, Newstome had three wins from five starts for the year and concluded his season with a third-place finish in the Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes.
3-Year-Old Filly – Gotta Be Strong
Bred by Scott Naylor
A busy season saw the bay filly win or place in 11 of 14 starts. Tops among her five wins was Penn National's New Start Stakes in which she rallied from last to win in the final strides. She also finished third in the Alma North Stakes at Laurel Park.
3-Year-Old Colt – Parsimony
Bred by Maria Montez Haire
Starting at least once a month through November in 2019, Parsimony made starts at Santa Anita, Oaklawn Park, Keeneland, Los Alamitos and Del Mar. Four times he was sent out in graded stakes, and finished second to champion Game Winner in the G3 Los Alamitos Derby. He was also second in the Cinema Stakes and finished in the top three in nine of his 16 starts at three.
Older Male – Prince Lucky
Bred by Daniel W. McConnell Sr.
The richest Pennsylvania-bred runner of 2019, Prince Lucky kicked off his 4-year-old season with dominating back-to-back stakes scores in the G3 Hal's Hope, winning by six lengths, followed by the G2 Gulfstream Park Mile by nearly five lengths. Racing exclusively in stakes, he added a win in the State Dinner Stakes at Belmont in July and turned in a game performance to just miss when second in the G2 Kelso Handicap.
Turf Male – Pumpkin Rumble
Bred by Smart Angle
Making his first start of the season in late June, the veteran Pumpkin Rumble made five starts, four in graded stakes company, and won twice – defending his title in Woodbine's G3 Valedictory Stakes by more than five lengths, and taking his only start away from his base in Canada in Parx Racing's Alphabet Soup Handicap. He also finished third in the G2 Nijinsky and G3 Dominion Day Stakes.
Female Sprinter – Bronx Beauty
Bred by Blackstone Farm LLC
Six starts, all stakes. Three wins at three different tracks. Bronx Beauty flew home in the Penn Ladies Dash at Penn National in 1:08.57 for six furlongs; battled home to win the Dashing Beauty at Delaware Park; and proved tough when taking Monmouth Park's Regret. She was also third in the Roamin Rachel at Parx.
Male Sprinter – Midtowncharlybrown
Bred by Godric LLC
A two-time stakes winner in the tough sprint division, Midtowncharlybrown shot to the lead and flew home in the Chocolate Town Sprint at Penn National, and followed with a gutsy performance in the Banjo Picker Sprint at Parx Racing while turning back multiple challengers.
Steeplechaser – Senior Senator
Bred by Charles C.D. McGill
The timber star made history by winning the Maryland Hunt Cup for a third time, the first horse to do so in 36 years, and also accounted for his third consecutive Grand National Timber Stakes.
Pennsylvania-Preferred Female – Imply
Bred by Barlar LLC
2019 earnings: $240,980
Won Lyphard Stakes at Penn National, Northern Fling Stakes at Presque Isle Downs and Mrs. Penny Stakes at Parx Racing.
PA-Preferred Male – Midnightcharly
Bred by Uptowncharlybrown Stud LLC and Godric LLC
2019 earnings: $267,888
Won Lyman Handicap at Parx Racing; 2nd Fabulous Strike Stakes at Penn National, Banjo Picker Sprint Stakes at Parx Racing; 3rd Chocolate Town Sprint Stakes at Penn National
Broodmare – Di's Delight
Owned by Barlar LLC
A stakes-placed daughter of French Deputy owned by Barlar since being purchased in November 2011, she has five Pennsylvania-bred foals of racing age, all winners, three of them stakes performers. Two were stakes winners in 2019 – Grade 1 winner and Pennsylvania-bred Horse of the Year Mirth and the Jump Start filly Vault, who won or placed in seven of eight starts.
Leading Breeding Fund Recipient (horse) – Imply
Bred by Barlar LLC
$307,170
Leading Total Breeding Fund Recipient – Northview Stallion Station Inc.
$434,751
Leading Overall Breeder of Pennsylvania Breds – Blackstone Farm LLC
$2,151,160
Leading Stallion – Jump Start
$251,650
Lifetime Achievement Award – Bettina Jenney
OTTB – Fairly Obvious
Bred by Ghost Ridge Farm
Award of Merit – Touch of Kindness Sanctuary
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