A panel of New York turf writers, broadcasters, handicappers, racing analysts and photographers will vote on each division and for the New York-bred Horse of the Year. The winners will be announced at the NYTB Awards Dinner sponsored by the New York Thoroughbred Breeding & Development Fund on Monday, May 13 from 6-9 p.m. ET. at Sacred Saratoga on the property of GMP Farm in Schuylerville. Former jockey and NYRA TV personality Richard Migliore will again serve as host.

“Our organization is excited to celebrate this year's nominees. All are deserving and represent the best in New York breeding and racing. This year's awards will be a special night at an exciting new location,” said NYTB President Dr. Scott Ahlschwede, D.V.M.

Tickets are available–$150 for NYTB Members and $175 for non-members–for purchase by clicking here or by calling the NYTB Office at (518) 587-0777.

“The New York-bred Divisional Championship Awards is a special night because it recognizes the very best in Thoroughbred breeding and racing in New York,” said Brian O'Dwyer, Chairman of the New York State Gaming Commission and New York State Thoroughbred Breeding & Development Fund. “On behalf of the New York State Gaming Commission and Thoroughbred Breeding & Development Fund we are proud to work with NYTB and look forward to celebrating the connections of New York-breds who achieved success representing the New York-bred program last year.”

Also to be honored at the Awards Dinner with 2023 awards will be Broodmare of the Year, Champion Steeplechaser, Trainer, Champion Jockey and Outstanding Breeder.

“NYTB's annual awards is our marquee event. This year's nominees are no exception reflecting the quality and strength of the New York-bred program,” said NYTB Executive Director Najja Thompson.

A list of the 2023 New York-bred divisional championship nominees by category follows:

Champion 2-Year-Old Male: Antonio of Venice (Laoban), El Grande O (Take Charge Indy), The Wine Steward (Vino Rosso), Wynstock (Solomini).

Champion 2-Year-Old Filly: Brocknardini (Palace Malice), Caldwell Luvs Gold (Goldencents), Cara's Time (Not This Time), My Mane Squeeze (Audible).

Champion 3-Year-Old Male: Allure of Money (Central Banker), Eye Witness (City of Light), Hejazi (Bernardini), Maker's Candy (Twirling Candy).

Champion 3-Year-Old Filly: Downtown Mischief (Into Mischief), Gambling Girl (Dialed In), Maple Leaf Mel (Cross Traffic), Stonewall Star (Flatter).

Champion Older Dirt Male: Bankit (Central Banker), Dr Ardito (Liam's Map), Sherriff Bianco (Speightster), Straight Arrow (Arrogate).

Champion Older Dirt Female: Classy Edition (Classic Empire), Know It All Audrey (Shackleford), Timeless Journey (Verrazano), Venti Valentine (Firing Line).

Champion Turf Male: City Man (Mucho Macho Man), Red Knight (Pure Prize), Spirit of St Louis (Medaglia d'Oro), Therapist (Freud).

Champion Turf Female: New Ginya (Tonalist), Runaway Rumour (Flintshire {GB}), Silver Skillet (Liam's Map), Whatlovelookslike (English Channel).

Champion Male Sprinter: Bold Journey (Hard Spun), Today's Flavor (Laoban), Rotknee (Runhappy), Thin White Duke (Dominus).

Champion Female Sprinter: Funny How (Overanalyze), Maple Leaf Mel, Rossa Veloce (Girolamo), Sterling Silver (Cupid).

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“The Venezia Memorial Award is about representing the sport we love so much in the best way possible,” said Alvarado. “I am thankful and proud to be chosen as this year's winner and I look forward to celebrating with my family and thanking the Venezia family here at Saratoga Race Course.”

The Mike Venezia Memorial Award is presented annually by the New York Racing Association to a jockey who displays the extraordinary sportsmanship and citizenship that personified Venezia, who died as the result of injuries suffered in a spill in 1988. Venezia, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., won more than 2,300 races during his 25-year career.

“Junior is a true professional at what he does, both as a top jockey and as a role model,” said Terry Meyocks, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Jockeys' Guild. “The winners of the Venezia Award are ambassadors for Thoroughbred racing; they're champions on and off the track. We welcome Junior to the ranks of those who have previously been honored with the Venezia Award.”

A native of Barquisimeto, Venezuela and the son of jockey Rafael Alvarado, Junior Alvarado, 37, rode his first winner in 2005 at La Rinconada Hippodrome in Caracas before moving to the U.S. in 2007 when he rode his first winner at Gulfstream Park. After earning the 2009 riding title at Arlington Park, Alvarado moved to New York in 2010 and he has been a mainstay on the circuit ever since, winning the 2014 GI Whitney S. on Moreno and racking up more than 1,400 wins and more than $106 million in earnings at the NYRA tracks. For his career, Alvarado has more than 2,000 wins and more than $126.9 million in earnings.

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At deadline for this story, Prado had not returned a phone from the TDN, but told the Blood-Horse that he wanted to spend more time with his family.

“It was getting harder and harder and I was wasting the time that I spent with my family, with my loved ones,” he told the Blood-Horse. “I saw my kids in my house having a great time and I decided to call it off. I've been very blessed throughout my career.”

Prado's decision to retire came after one of the roughest stretches of his career. He won just 15 races in 2021 and another 11 in 2022. This year, he was 0-for-2.

“They all wanted new riders,” he told said. “I totally understand that. When I was 20, I took somebody's place and now somebody is taking my place.”

Prado was born in Lima, Peru, where he rode his first winner in 1983. He began riding in the U.S. in 1986, starting out at the Florida tracks before moving on to Suffolk Downs. He had his breakthrough at the Maryland tracks, where, in 1997, he won 536 races. He was the leading jockey in Maryland six times, 1991 through 1993 and 1997 through 1999. Prado led all riders in the nation in wins three times, in 1997, 1998 and 1999.

In 1999, Richard Migliore, who was riding regularly for trainer John Kimmel had a spill and Kimmel needed a new rider. He summoned Prado from Maryland and that began a very successful run at the NYRA tracks for the talented Peruvian jockey. He would go on to win 11 riding titles at the NYRA tracks.

He won the 2002 GI Belmont S. with Sarava (Wild Again), the longest shot ever to win the race, and the 2004 Belmont with Birdstone (Grindstone). He also won five Breeders' Cup races. But Prado will always be best known as the rider of the ill-fated Barbaro (Dynaformer). After a rousing win by Barbaro in the 2006 GI Kentucky Derby with Prado aboard, the colt appeared ready to sweep the Triple Crown, but he broke down in the GI Preakness S. and was euthanized several months later.

Prado won an Eclipse Award in 2006 as the nation's leading rider and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008.

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It was a surreal moment for the 23-year-old, who just five and a half years prior had never even witnessed a horse race, let alone set foot on the backside of a racetrack or exercised a racehorse.

A native of Fort Collins, Colo., Olver was bit by the 'horse bug' early on as she followed in the footsteps of her equestrian mother Christine. Olver picked up riding and later began teaching riding lessons to younger students, before delving into breaking and training wild mustangs.

After high school, she set out to take her love of horses one step further, which led to Olver's aunt introducing her niece to French racehorse trainer Gina Rarick. Though France would appear to be an extremely far-off base for someone stateside to begin their venture into the world of horse racing, it was a homecoming of sorts for Olver, who had spent part of her childhood living in the country and was fluent in the language.

After a three-month stint in the fall of 2017, Olver was hooked. She returned to France in late 2018, eventually spending two more years there to soak up every experience she possibly could.

“I saw some accidents happen when I was out there and I realized I hadn't quite grasped just how dangerous it could be. The horses take on a whole new meaning of strong, and unless you've been run away with by a racehorse, you don't really know what getting run away with is. That was a whole new game, trying to keep a horse slow, especially when you're behind other horses,” recalled Olver. “Their speed, when you let them go, it's just not something that a horse that isn't bred or trained to do would be able to do. Sometimes you just have to hang on for the ride.”

Though it was daunting at first, and the learning curve was steep, Olver knew she had found where she was meant to be: on the back of a racehorse.

“I definitely wanted to [pursue being a jockey in France], but unfortunately Covid happened and I had a little bit of visa trouble that was exacerbated by Covid, so I ended up coming back over here. But everything happens for a reason,” said Olver.

Eager to get going again stateside, while also working on finishing her degree at Colorado State University, Olver began her search for a new stable to ride for. It led her to none other than multiple Grade I-winning trainer Christophe Clement.

“I was missing France. I love the French and their style of training, and I speak French, so that part really stood out to me. I reached out to them, sent my resume, and they got back to me. They were easily some of the most professional, well-spoken, generous people I'd gotten into contact with on the racetrack,” said Olver. “They flew me out to Florida for a week to do kind of like a trial, and then we talked about where I'd like to go, either Belmont Park or Saratoga for the summer. But they made it very clear that I needed to graduate college before I started working with the racehorses again.”

She did just that, graduating in May of 2021, and headed off to the Clement barn at the Oklahoma Training Track in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., soon thereafter.

“When I showed up to the barn the first day, Christophe goes, 'Okay, did you graduate?' I said, 'Yes, don't worry.'”

As soon as she arrived, Olver got straight to work. Proving her dedication day in and day out aboard many of the promising youngsters that resided in the barn, she quickly worked her way up to become one of Clement's head exercise riders. It was there the young rider formed a special bond with Waterville Lake Stables' homebred filly Derrynane (Quality Road).

“I rode her when she was a 2-year-old and hadn't run yet, and I had just gotten to Saratoga and I was basically a 2-year-old that hadn't run yet, so we learned a lot of things together. She was my first breeze out of the gate here in America, first breeze on the main track at Saratoga, she was my first for a lot of things. Then she went to the Breeders' Cup that year and ran phenomenally,” said Olver.

That summer, Derrynane broke her maiden on debut at Saratoga, later won the Woodbine Cares Stakes and went on to finish fourth in the GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Del Mar, just a length behind winner Twilight Gleaming (Ire) (National Defense {GB}).

“She was also very, very kind. I have her name on my keychain. I felt like her and I were in a little bit of the same place. She's always just been special to me.”

After nearly a year and a half of working and riding in the mornings for the Clement barn, Olver was ready to take her skill set to the track in the afternoon, officially beginning her career as an apprentice jockey. Under the guidance of her agent Joe Migliore, who Olver was introduced to by Clement's son and assistant trainer, Miguel, she made her career debut aboard Flattering Gal (Flatter) in the sixth race on the Nov. 12 card at Aqueduct.

Guiding the filly three, then two wide around the final turn, Olver and Flattering Gal made up ground along the rail to finish third in the 6-furlong, $25,000 maiden claimer.

“When it was going on, it felt very purposeful, like this is what I had been waiting for and afterwards, it all felt surreal that I actually got the opportunity to do it. I was pretty speechless afterwards,” she said.

And less than a month later, in her 16th career start, Olver and her mount Curbstone crossed the finish line 6 1/2 lengths ahead of runner-up Complete Agenda (Curlin). It was the first win for Olver and the second for the Tom Morley-trained gelding.

“It's pretty emotional. If you had told me really not that long ago that I'd get to ride a race, much less win a race, or even continue to have opportunities, [I don't know] that I really would have believed you. I'm very full of gratitude for all of the people that have been willing to help me, just because they're kind and because they want to see people succeed in this sport, [especially] young people,” said Olver.

An extremely gracious young woman, Olver gives all of the credit to those who have supported her along the way, headlined by her standout mentors.

“Miguel really has been my biggest supporter and kept me on this path, even when I found it difficult, thought about going to another track or questioned my own abilities. He also entrusted me with a lot of horses in the morning and there's no better way to learn than on a horse,” she said. “The Clements got me into contact with Joe, who's really been wonderful. He fights for me and he plays a massive part in any success I may have. He knows what's going on, he has an eye for it. And [Joe's father] Richard Migliore's whole philosophy on riding is really wonderful, [emphasizing] how you can be both an assertive rider that wins but also be a horseman. He's very adamant that race riding is an art form, which I think is really cool.”

Despite the intense competition that takes place on the track in the afternoons, amplified amongst the talented jockey colony that resides at Aqueduct, Olver is proud to share her admiration for her fellow jockeys, riders and the trainers that she's gotten to know and learn from in the last couple of months. Trainers such as Orlando Noda, Morley, Antonio Arriaga, Oscar Barrera, III and James Ferraro were some of the first to back Olver, but the list has only grown and continues to do so.

“I really love being able to go to a bunch of different barns and ride a bunch of different horses for a bunch of different people. I've learned so much already just from going around and talking to everyone. You can learn something from everybody and all of those different horses.”

With 46 starts under her belt as of Jan. 6, and four more rides already lined up through Saturday at Aqueduct, Olver boasts a record of two wins, nine seconds and nine third-place finishes, with earnings nearing $190,000.

From her home in Colorado, to the training tracks in France and Saratoga, to Aqueduct's 1 1/8-mile oval, Olver has not only forged her own unique path into the industry, but also continues the legacy of the brilliant female exercise riders and jockeys that came before her.

Her advice to others trying to get in the game? “Everybody deserves a chance to try and the most important thing that I have learned is that it's going to be the people in your corner that are going to help you the most. If it's something that you want to get into, first of all do it, because you can, and listen to what everybody has to say – every hotwalker, every groom, every trainer, every rider, every jockey – because they all have something to teach you. If they're telling you something, it's because they want to see you do well and they want to see you succeed and that's a really cool thing. This industry can be such a rollercoaster of highs and lows, but if you have those lows, don't worry, because there's another high just around the corner.”

Despite the industrywide attention she's garnered, which is only bound to grow, Olver remains humble and hopeful.

“I'm going to see where this ride takes me here. To be honest, I don't even know what I'm doing the following week, so I'm just going to kind of play it by ear, not get my heart set too much on anything,” she said. “My biggest priorities are to love what I'm doing and hopefully have some success while I do it.”

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   Here are the most widely read stories of 2022:

1. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Finds HISA Unconstitutional

by TDN Staff. 162,916 views.

It was mid-November and HISA was just a month and half away from taking over the functions of drug testing and enforcing medication rules for the entire sport. The wind was at its back, at least until a bombshell ruling in a federal court. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) is unconstitutional because it “delegates unsupervised government power to a private entity,” and thus “violates the private non-delegation doctrine.” It was a major blow for HISA and, in time, may prove to be the beginning of the end when it comes to efforts to unify the sport under one umbrella group responsible for regulating many vital aspects of the game.

2. Chris Oakes Sentenced to Three Years

by Bill Finley, 138,313 views.

As has been the case since the indictments in the doping scandal were announced in March of 2020, TDN readers could not get enough of coverage of this story. In March of 2022, standardbred trainer Chris Oakes was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of misbranding and drug adulteration with intent to defraud or deceive. Oakes was not only doping his own horses, but worked closely with Navarro and provided him with performance-enhancing drugs. Though the subject was a harness trainer, the story of Oakes's sentencing was easily the second most read TDN story of 2022.

3. Owner Hits Jackpot With First Horse

by Bill Finley, 41,777 views

Not everything the TDN reported on in 2022 was about scandals or a matter of gloom and doom. The third story on the list was a feel-good story about 83-year-old owner Pat Kearney. Kearney got involved in the sport late in life and the very first horse he purchased turned out to be Kathleen O. (Upstart), who won the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks and the GII Davona Dale S. “It has been an amazing, exciting, energizing experience,” said Kearney, who races under the name of Winngate Stables.

4. Chad Brown Arrested in Saratoga on 'Obstruction of Breathing' Charge

by Bill Finley, Mike Kane and Sydney Kass, 29,360 views.

Perhaps the most shocking story of the year occurred in August when future Hall-of-Fame trainer Chad Brown was arrested and charged with criminal obstruction of breathing. It was alleged that Brown choked and then pushed a former girlfriend down some stairs who had entered his house uninvited. Brown later pled guilty to the lesser charge of harassment, which allowed him to avoid any jail time.

5. Flightline Retired to Lane's End

by TDN staff, 26,262 views

After Flightline won the GI Breeders' Cup Classic there was a flicker of hope that he would race in 2023 as a 5-year-old. But, in the end, the realities of the economics of the sport made it so that he was far more valuable as a sire than as a racehorse and his connections announced his retirement less than 24 hours after he won the Classic.

6. Green Light Go Euthanized After Belmont Workout

by TDN staff, 23,849 views

No one wants to see a horse have to be euthanized, particularly one who enjoyed success on the racetrack. Green Light Go (Hard Spun), who won the 2019 GII Saratoga Special S., had to be put down after breaking a sesamoid bone in his right foreleg during a workout at Belmont in April.

7. Parx Investigation Finds Contraband Suspensions Expected

by Bill Finley, 20,635 views

It was the weekend of the GI Pennsylvania Derby at Parx, but not all the news was made on the racetrack. Investigators set up shop at the Parx backstretch gate, checking cars and individuals for illegal contraband. They uncovered a number of syringes and caught a jockey possessing a battery. Two trainers and the jockey were suspended.

8. 2022 Kentucky Race Dates Set

by T.D. Thornton, 19,444 views

With the rise in purses in Kentucky, it's no wonder that this story, which reported on the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission awarding of dates for 2022, was the eighth most-read story of the year in 2022.

9. Trainer Doug O'Neill Suspended 60 Days

by TDN staff, 18,946 views

In November, O'Neill was suspended 60 days, fined $10,000, and put on probation for one year stemming from a medication positive by his starter Worse Read Sanchez (Square Eddie) at Golden Gate Fields May 1.

10. After McCarthy Spill, Migliore Points to the NY Stewards

by Bill Finley, 18,779 views

There are a lot of people, retired jockey Richard Migliore among them, who believe the New York stewards are too lenient when it comes to penalizing jockeys for rough and careless riding. After Trevor McCarthy went down in a spill in November, fracturing his collar bone and pelvis, Migliore called out the stewards.  “It's irresponsible on the part of the rider but they are not being held accountable,” Migliore said. “When that happens, it's human nature. The more you can get away with, the rougher it's going to get. The stewards need to really crack down and lay down the law. No more nonsense.”

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“People run into each other now with impunity,” said Migliore, an analyst on NYRA's America's Day at the Races show. “You can watch the races on a daily basis and there are guys who change paths without clearance, and it goes beyond herding. It's like they have a disregard for the horses and riders around them. It's very difficult for me to watch, especially when someone goes down and gets hurt. It's irresponsible on the part of the rider but they are not being held accountable. When that happens, it's human nature. The more you can get away with the rougher it's going to get. The stewards need to really crack down and lay down the law. No more nonsense.”

McCarthy was riding Ever Summer (Summer Front) in the mile-and-three-eighths turf allowance. Nearing the top of the stretch, Jalon Samuel, aboard Rhombique (Ghostzapper), came out, starting a chain reaction in which Ever Summer wound up clipping heels with another horse.

While not letting Samuel off the hook, Migliore said the jockey was no doubt following the lead of some of New York's top riders.

“The reason that accident happened is because riders have been allowed to get away with more and more of that kind of thing,” Migliore said. “Jalon Samuel doesn't get to ride a lot. But if he watches the leading riders do that and get away with it and sometimes even get lauded for it, with people saying how aggressive they are, why wouldn't he do the same thing? You have to start with the top guys. Guys needs to be sat down. Jalon Samuel is fully responsible for what he did it. But I don't want to pile on him. He sees it happen every day.”

To many New York racing observers, Irad Ortiz Jr. is the primary culprit when it comes to overly aggressive tactics and the stewards have handled him with kid gloves. Migliore said that when it comes to Ortiz the stewards have done nothing to discourage that sort of riding.

“He is very aggressive but I don't blame Irad because he's been allowed to get away with it,” Migliore said. “I have pointed it out when I feel like he's gone over a line. I am a fan. The guy brings to the table an intensify and a desire, whether it's a $5,000 claimer or Grade I and you have to applaud that. But if he's not told this is unacceptable there's no motivation to stop it. He's been wildly successful doing it. People say Cordero was the same way. If Angel did back then what Irad does now, he would have spent more time suspended than riding.”

Rhombique crossed the wire second but was disqualified and placed ninth. Samuel received a seven-day suspension. That, too, sent the wrong message, Migliore said.

“Jalon Samuel got seven days for that?” Migliore said. “Seven days for causing an accident like that, that could have easily taken down three or four other horses and caused Trevor McCarthy to be out months with a broken pelvis and a broken collar bone. Come on. That makes it even more of a joke. It's beyond my comprehension that that is the punishment. If you cause an accident you should be suspended for as long as the rider who was injured is out with his injuries. Are we going to wait until someone gets killed? The other day you could have had that scenario. Then a jockey gets busted up and a guy gets a week off. Am I crazy or is that absurd?”

Migliore rode from 1980 through 2010 and rode in 30,102 races, winning 4,450 of them. It was an era, he said, where the stewards wouldn't put up with careless riding.

“You'd go into the stewards' office and your knees would be knocking,” he said. “It was 'yes sir, no sir.' They laid down the law and you knew what was expected of you. If you are riding on a top circuit and if you can't work within the guidelines the stewards laid down then you don't belong there.”

He said the current crop of NYRA stewards needs to do the same thing, give the riders a clear understanding of what is acceptable and what is not. And they need to be tougher.

“We need stronger stewardship,” Migliore said. “Riders need guidelines that are consistent. This is what you are allowed to do and what you're not allowed to do. It shouldn't matter who it is, what day of the week it is or what kind of race it is. It has to start with the governing body. You have to be strict. Right now, they're not.”

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The Mike Venezia Memorial Award is presented annually to a jockey who displays the extraordinary sportsmanship and citizenship that personified Venezia, who died as the result of injuries suffered in a spill in 1988. Venezia, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., won more than 2,300 races during his 25-year career.

“The Venezia Award is a unique honor because it's about so much more than simply winning races on the track,” said Leparoux. “I am humbled and thankful to be selected as this year's winner and look forward to thanking the Venezia family here at Saratoga Race Course on August 12.”

“Julien is richly deserving of this honor as a great professional both on and off the track,” said Terry Meyocks, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Jockeys' Guild. “For years, he has represented our sport with distinction. We welcome him to the ranks of distinguished riders who have previously won the Venezia Award.”

During his career, Leparoux has amassed 2,880 wins and more than $183 million in earnings. Those victories include seven Breeders' Cup races, among them the 2015 GI Breeders' Cup Mile aboard champion and newly inducted Hall of Famer Tepin (Bernstein). At the 2009 Breeders' Cup, Leparoux won the Shoemaker Award as the winningest jockey with three wins.

Previous Venezia Award winners include Bill Shoemaker, Angel Cordero, Jr., Jerry Bailey, Mike Smith, Gary Stevens, Richard Migliore, Patti Cooksey, Edgar Prado, Ramon Dominguez, Joe Bravo, Javier Castellano and DeShawn Parker.

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Produced by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) in partnership with FOX Sports, “America's Day at the Races” is hosted by Greg Wolf with a team of handicappers and racing analysts that includes Paul LoDuca, Andy Serling, Maggie Wolfendale, Acacia Courtney, Richard Migliore, Gary Stevens and Jonathan Kinchen. The full schedule can be found on NYRA's website.

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The festivities start with “A Day at the Races” from 1-6:30 p.m. with a dining buffet in The Rail at the exclusive 1863 Club at Saratoga, which will host four New York-bred stakes, worth $500,000 in purses, on the day's card.

The proceedings continue across Union Avenue from 7-8 p.m. with the 2021 New York-Bred Annual Awards Presentation and Cocktail Hour at Fasig-Tipton. Former leading New York jockey Richard Migliore will emcee the awards presentation, with champions crowned in the 10 equine divisions including Horse of the Year. Also honored with 2021 awards will be Broodmare of the Year, Champion Trainer, Champion Jockey and Outstanding Breeder.

“We're thrilled to have our marquee event return to an in-person format this summer during the Saratoga Race Course meet,” said Najja Thompson, Executive Director of New York Thoroughbred Breeders. “This year's New York-bred Champions Awards will allow attendees to enjoy the current success of the New York-bred program with a lunch buffet on track in the exclusive Rail hospitality area of the 1863 Club with four New York-bred stakes on the day. Following the races, we will honor our 2021 New York-bred divisional Champion nominees and winners at the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion hosted by New York riding legend Richard Migliore.”

Tickets are $150 for NYTB members and $175 for non-members. For tickets, visit nytbreeders.org/events.

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A homebred for Al Fried, Jr. and trained throughout by Rich Schosberg, Affirmed Success won the first three starts of his career and was third to Awesome Again in the 1997 GII Jim Dandy S., but made his name as a top-class sprinter/miler on the dirt, winning the GI Vosburgh S. and the GI Carter H. at seven furlongs and the GI Cigar Mile H. In his first of eight appearances on the turf, Affirmed Success won the first of his two Pokers in 2000 and was beaten a neck and two noses behind War Chant, North East Bound and Dansili (GB) in that year's GI Breeders' Cup Mile. He became the oldest winner of the GIII Toboggan H. at the age of eight in 2003. He retired with 17 wins overall from 42 career starts and earnings in excess of $2.2 million. Affirmed Success was originally retired to the Kentucky Horse Park and featured in the daily 'Parade of Breeds' show, but when soundness issues precluded his continued participation, he was transferred to Old Friends.

“He was such an incredible race horse, and he had such a great personality,” said Schosberg. “Beside his obvious talent, he had class, was brilliant, and was a joy to train. He always put in his best effort. And with his high cruising speed and running style he was exciting for the fans to watch, too.

“You think of a horse like that as the iron horse, as indestructible,” Schosberg added, “but being in this business my entire life, you know that day is going to come. But he had an incredible life. He had a great life on the track and an incredible life in his aftercare at Old Friends.”

“I like my horses the way I like my people, honest and hardworking, and Affirmed Success completely embodied that,” said jockey Richard Migliore, who rode Affirmed Success to four victories, including the 2002 Carter. “He was as hard-working and tenacious as any horse that I've ever been around, and I am happy to have been a small part of his history. I take comfort in knowing that he had a great twilight of his life.”

“He was one of my first horses, and he was a great champion,” said owner-breeder Al Fried, Jr. “I am so sorry to lose him.”

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