Adding in $75,000 in Virginia Stallion awards — up $25,000 from 2020 as well — a total of $1,050,000 in bonus monies will be distributed via the Breeders Fund. A total of 46 different breeders will share in the prize pool, which comes from 161 winning Virginia-bred horses that accumulated purse earnings of $2,916,905. The bonus averaged 32 percent of each winning purse. As recently as 2019, that figure was 19 percent.

The Virginia Breeders Fund is generated by one percent of every dollar wagered in Virginia on live racing and via OTB and ADW betting. Each year, the Virginia Racing Commission approves how the money in the Fund is allocated. A large portion is set aside for payments to breeders of registered Virginia-breds that win a race at any track in North America. There is a $25,000 cap on any single award.

Morgan's Ford Farm, based in Front Royal, led the charge with $126,694 from 15 wins. Chess Chief, who scored a pair of stakes wins, and Bella Aurora, who connected in a single stake, were both key. The former, a 6-year-old Into Mischief horse, scored a maximum $25,000 award in winning the New Orleans Classic and a $19,027 bonus in the Tenacious Stakes. Both were held at Fair Grounds. Bella Aurora won the Interborough Stakes, good for $17,441 while Supply and Demand, with three wins in New York, produced over $32,000 in awards.

Mr. & Mrs. C. Oliver Iselin III finished second in awards with $113,855 led by several key contributors — Passion Play, Virginia Beach and Attachment Rate. Passion Play's victories in the Bert Allen and Edward P. Evans Stakes each returned a $19,027 award as did Virginia Beach's win in the Camptown Stakes. Attachment Rate, a former Kentucky Derby participant, captured an $11,035 payday for winning a February allowance at Gulfstream.

Knockgriffin Farm did not have any five-digit award winners but did have 14 overall. Multiple victors Vincent Van Gogo and Gimme Some Mo collected three each and Mucho Mas and Mo Clare's each had a pair. The combined total of $72,346 was good for third in the standings. Gimme Some Mo's $9,944 award from a Churchill Downs claimer was tops and Shastee's maiden special weight $8,562 bonus score at Gulfstream was next best.

Audley Farm Equine's bonus tally of $69,353 came from just five wins, but three were $100,000 stakes. Determined Kingdom prevailed in the Jamestown, Tasting the Stars was best in the Nellie Mae Cox, and Urban Fairytale finished first in the Brookmeade. Each provided an extra $19,027 on top of purse money earned.

With Repo Rocks' three wins and American Dubai's two, Mrs. C. Oliver Iselin took fifth place with $69,166. She had seven triumphs in all but benefitted most from American Dubai's dominating 7-length allowance win at Oaklawn with a $106,000 purse. Repo Rock's hat trick of wins all took place in New York — a maiden special weight at Belmont followed by two winning allowance efforts at Aqueduct.

Carlos Moore and Gillian Gordon-Moore's bonus of $55,443 was good for sixth among breeders. All came from Steve Asmussen trained Boldor, who prevailed in three stakes last year — the Sam's Town at Delta Downs, the King Cotton at Oaklawn and the Punch Line at Colonial.

Quest Realty's $49,799 figure came from six different horses, two of which reached the winners circle three times each — Drosselmoon and Stay Out. Another trio had their picture taken twice — Jestful, Point of Grace and Stay In.

The William Backer Revocable Trust reached the $40,000 level thanks to Shaaz's late season win in a $67,000 maiden special weight at Santa Anita. The Uncle Mo colt, a Bob Baffert trainee, was making his first lifetime start.

Tango Charlie's three wins in 2021 helped Morgan's Ford Farm and Godolphin reach $38,361 in bonus earnings. The 4-year-old Hard Spun gelding took a maiden claimer at Oaklawn followed by claiming wins at Ellis Park and Churchill. Oviatt Class chipped in with a maiden special weight victory at Del Mar, good for a $13,318 check.

Rounding out the top ten was Lazy Lane Farms with $37,659 from nine wins. Forloveofcountry was best on three different occasions while Dublin Yinz Money and Sing Along Suzy won twice each.

A total of $75,000 in stallion awards were distributed among six owners with 11 winners and combined purse earnings of $250,920.

Horses sired by Smallwood Farms' Friend or Foe won three and took $39,248 of the stallion reward pool. Mr. Buff led the way again with two stakes scores in New York — the Stymie and Jazil. The 8-year-old gelding has amassed $1.4 million from 17 lifetime wins.

Goodluckchuck, sired by Anne Louise Bonda's Big Picture, won three races to produce a $14,481 bonus. The 6-year-old gelding won an allowance at Charles Town, a claimer at Timonium and a starter optional claimer at Laurel.

Third largest award went to Lady Olivia at North Cliff, whose $8,967 bonus came courtesy of Heart Light's maiden special weight win at Colonial on Aug. 2. The 3-year-old Cosa Vera filly was best by a nose.

Other awards were received by Leanne Hester (Gone Clubbing), Ruxton Farm (Fierce Wind) and the late Sara Collette (Xenodon).

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Four divisions were contested — Virginia-bred/sired colts/gelding and fillies, and Virginia-certified colts/geldings and fillies — and the top two finishers from each returned to compete for Grand Champion and Reserve Champion honors.

Congratulations to Djuric Sporthorses LLC, Anna M. Simms DVM and Patrick Nuesch's bay Virginia-certified filly by Outwork, who took Grand Champion honors shortly after winning the Certified-Fillies category, final class of the morning's festivities. The victorious filly is out of Tanguerray by Good Journey.

Reserve Champion title went to breeder/owner Susan Cooney's unnamed colt by Mucho Macho Man out of Leva Mae by Emancipator, who kicked things off earlier by winning the Virginia-bred/sired colt/gelding class.

Runner-up in the colt/gelding category was My Friend Paddy, a bay colt by Friend or Foe out of Banco Banner by Parker's Storm Cat bred and owned by Renee Bourke. Quest Realty and Daniel Wukich's grey colt Here's Liam took third. He is by Liam's Map out of Stay Here by Dehere.

Phyllis Jones' chestnut Friendly Teller prevailed in the Virginia-bred/sired fillies division. She is by Friend or For out of Money Chaser by Central Banker. A grey filly by Cross Traffic finished second. Owned by Pat Ramey and Macie Szwarc, the runner-up is out of the Great Notion mare, Happiest Ending. An unnamed bay filly owned and bred by Morgan's Ford Farm took third. She is by Midnight Lute out of Skipalong by Include.

Joan Fontana's dark bay by Great Notion was awarded blue ribbon in the Virginia-Certified colt/gelding class. The winner is out of the Broken Vow mare, Perfect Cocktail. Quest Realty and Daniel Wukich's bay colt by The Factor was runner-up (Moon Stepper- Lo Bucker) and bay colt Shade Tree Corner, owned by Tim Hulings and Analia Larossa finished third (Friesan Fire – Birch Circuit – Jiggs Coz).

To view the full list of winners, click here.

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The top earners in bonus winning order were Patriotic Punch ($3,000), Appraised ($1,000), Lady Fox ($700) and Beach Traffic ($300).

Maryland-bred Patriotic Punch, bred by Charles Reed and Michael Zanella, bankrolled $125,969 from 17 career starts through Dec. 31. The Carpe Diem filly, out of Lori Z's Punch by Two Punch, reeled off three wins in a row during a five-week period in Maryland last year. She was best in maiden claimer and a pair of starter optional claiming races between Sept. 11 and Oct. 17. Overall, she has 10 top-three finishes. Patriotic Punch spent her Virginia residency at Karen Godsey's Eagle Point Farm in Ashland.

Virginia-bred Appraised also has recorded a trio of victories and ten top-three finishes. The Shanghai Bobby gelding, bred and raised at Morgan's Ford Farm in Front Royal, collected his wins in a series of claimers at Delaware Park over a nine-week period last year. Out of the Include mare, Looking Great, he has earned $70,067.

Lady Fox finished 2020 with $56,540 in earnings — third best from the '18 yearling class — and has kicked off 2021 with back-to-back wins. The Imagining filly, bred by Lady Olivia at North Cliff, LLC., had four runner-up finishes and a trio of thirds through 2020, good for $56,540. This year, she broke her maiden and prevailed in another claiming race, both at Laurel. The Maryland-bred, out of Lady Olivia by Silver Deputy, spent her residency at David Dobson's Lady Olivia at North Cliff Farm in Rixeyville.

Beach Traffic, reserve grand champion and winner of the “certified” class at the 2018 Futurity, has collected wins at both Gulfstream and Monmouth. The Maryland-bred gelding, by Cross Traffic, has bankrolled $53,365 to date. Out of Pink Sand by Sky Mesa, Beach Traffic was bred by Patricia Ramey and Maciej Szwarc and raised at the Hunt Ridge Stables at Ramey's Blue Ridge Farm in Upperville. He has hit the board in half of his 16 starts.

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That call has been heard outside the state as well. The Virginia Thoroughbred Association will feature a group of offerings during its upcoming stallion season auction where the full proceeds will benefit the Kentucky Equine Education Project's lobbying efforts toward restoring HHR in the state and putting it on firmer legal ground.

The auction, set to take place Wednesday, Feb. 10, features four seasons donated thus far by Kentucky stallion operations where the money will go toward the KEEP Alliance, a branch of KEEP specifically dedicated to lobbying, grassroots campaigns, and otherwise raising awareness among key people and groups about the importance of HHR in Kentucky.

As of Friday morning, the seasons benefitting the KEEP Alliance come from Airdrie Stud's Complexity, Spendthrift Farm's Goldencents, Gun Runner of Three Chimneys, and Not This Time of Taylor Made Stallions. Farms are welcome to donate further seasons to benefit the KEEP Alliance prior to the auction.

VTA executive director Debbie Easter said the seasons were added to the auction in recent weeks, helping push the total number of different stallions on offer near 220 from 11 different states.

“Obviously, it's a good cause,” Easter said. “Everybody gets too regionalized sometimes, and it's important for us to work together to help each other. This is an important thing for Kentucky, and helping keeping things going along is important. Horse people working together always do better than working apart, so we're trying to move the needle a little bit.”

Virginia's Thoroughbred economy is familiar with the benefits HHR can have on a program.

Gov. Ralph Northam signed an HHR bill into law in 2018, which set into motion the re-opening of Colonial Downs and significant funding sources to fuel purses and incentive programs on and off the racetrack. The Virginia-Certified program paid out a record $1.77 million in awards in 2020, and Easter said HHR revenues have just started to kick into that pool, leaving even more room for growth in the future.

“We certainly know how important HHR is going to be to us,” Easter said, “and we've certainly seen what it's done for Kentucky, and they can't afford to lose that.”

While Virginia has been able to show positive growth with the help of HHR, it's widely accepted that Kentucky's Thoroughbred market is the tide that lifts and sinks the other regional-market boats in North America.

Even the largest foal-producing jurisdictions outside of the Bluegrass State are supported heavily by Kentucky stallions, and its starting gates are filled by Kentucky-breds. A weakened Kentucky racing industry would have ripple effects on the state's breeding program, and the rest of North America would feel the aftershock whether they race or breed in the state or not.

“Debbie was very enthusiastic about helping us,” said Elizabeth Jensen, KEEP's executive vice president. “I think everybody realizes as goes Kentucky, so goes the rest of the country's racing industry, so we need to keep it strong and vibrant here. We're happy that our counterparts in Virginia are willing to help us out and support us.”

Beyond the season donations, Jensen said Kentucky's major stallion operations have supportive of the advocacy measures to preserve HHR in the state. She noted that farms including Ashford Stud and WinStar Farm have made cash donations, and many stallion stations have sent out emails to their client lists urging them to take action.

“Preserving historical horse racing has to be the entire industry in Kentucky's priority right now,” Jensen said. “If we lose that, we lose 1,400 jobs overnight, and losing those purses and the horses that we're getting at Ellis Park and Kentucky Downs during summer racing, and just the whole racing circuit in Kentucky will be severely impacted if we don't get this done.”

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A total of 486 wins in 2020 came from 328 individual horses, versus respective numbers of 338 and 212 in the prior.

“These are exciting times to do business in Virginia,” said VTA executive director Debbie Easter. “This is the most lucrative of the three year-round incentive programs we offer. Despite the issues everyone faced in a challenging year, we still distributed almost $1.8 million in residency awards. And we expect that to grow to $3.1 million in 2021. Historical horse racing revenues have just started kicking in as well so there is lots of growth still to come. It's exciting,” she added. “Doing business in Virginia really pays right now.”

The average certified win award was $3,644. A total of 173 bonuses went to 4-year-old horses, 257 to 3-year-olds and 56 to 2-year-olds. Of those victories, 225 of the 486 wins came in West Virginia, tops among the Mid-Atlantic states. Furthermore, 104 came in Pennsylvania, 87 in Maryland, 36 in New York, 19 in Delaware, 10 in New Jersey and 5 in Virginia, but the 2020 Colonial Downs meet was cancelled after six days to COVID-related issues.

The top owner from bonus monies paid out was Taylor Mountain Farm, with $80,1260. They had six horses earn multiple awards topped by Rush to the Castle with four. The 5-year-old Windsor Castle gelding won four straight allowance races at Charles Town. Their College Kid, with three wins, scored in back-to-back Charles Town allowance races in October while Sweetin Bread also had three, including an allowance score. Candyforacause, Hero's Man and Lufty's Kisses won two each.

Runner-up John Casey bankrolled $62,658 in bonuses led by Coach Rube, a 4-year-old Windsor Castle filly who had four wins at Charles Town. Three of those came in consecutive allowance events during August and September. Casey's Love Happy and Take Time each won three while Fancy Castle, Wish in the Castle, and Feisty and Sassy collected a pair.

Four stakes wins by Maryland-bred Street Lute pushed Lucky 7 Stables' reward total to $46,000, third best among recipients. After breaking her maiden Sept. 7 at Delaware, the 3-year-old Street Magician filly won the Small Wonder Stakes there, then captured the Gin Talking, Sweet Halo and Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship Stakes at Laurel. She was one of four Virginia-certified horses to win five races last year.

Huntertown Farm's Star of Night was the winningest certified horse with six, all at Charles Town, which resulted in $43,488 in bonus monies. The 4-year-old Creative Cause filly was six-for-seven in 2020 and her only blemish was in an allowance race where she lost by a head. She finished the year with three stakes victories in the Sylvia Bishop Memorial, West Virginia Tourism Office Breeders Classic and My Sister Pearl Stakes.

O'Sullivan Farms finished fifth in the bonus standings courtesy of a big year from their 5-year-old Midshipman mare, Dubai Was Lit. The consistent West Virginia-bred, responsible for much of the $41,818 in awards, won a four-pack of allowance races at Charles Town, and finished second in another four.

The rest of the top ten owners, by earnings, includes Larry Johnson ($38,975), Corrales Racing ($26,653), Nancy Heil ($26,237), Javier Contreras ($23,531) and James Wolf ($21,506). Both O'Sullivan Farms and Larry Johnson had other partnerships that produced wins and bonuses on top of their individual totals.

Other certified horses that won $100,000 stakes, and capped $10,000 awards, include Larry Johnson's Never Enough Time, who won a pair — the Alma North at Laurel and Skipat at Pimlico. Corrales Racing's Air Token won five races, highlighted by Laurel's Concern Stakes. Others at Laurel included Karan's Notion in the Maryland Million Sprint Handicap for Nancy Heil, and Miss Leslie in the Anne Arundel County Stakes for BB Horses. Eddie F's Racing's Chowda captured the Gander Stakes at Aqueduct.

Two others earned a capped award from maiden special weight wins in New York. A One A Racing's Apurate was best Oct. 22 at Belmont while Woodslane Farm's Wolfie's Dynaghost crossed first November 14 at Aqueduct.

Joining Street Lute and Air Token with five wins each were Ronney Brown & John Cefalu's Bold Valor and Robert Cole's Sniff. The victories all came at Charles Town except Sniff's most recent, which was at Mountaineer.

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The initiative is just one of three offered annually by the VTA. Almost $​​​1.8 million was awarded in the popular Certified Residency program while another $1 million was doled out to breeders in the Commonwealth via the Virginia Breeders Fund program.

“These are exciting times to do business in Virginia,” said VTA executive director Debbie Easter. “Even though Colonial Downs will offer seven weeks of racing this summer, these three incentive programs offer year-round bonus opportunities for breeders and owners. The 2020 monies awarded are all very positive developments. Historical horse racing revenues have just started kicking in so there is lots of growth still to come. We anticipate awarding $3.1 million this year in the Certified program alone. Doing business in Virginia really pays right now.”

The top award of $30,000 went to Chester and Mary Broman, whose Virginia-sired homebred Mr. Buff — with career earnings of $1,295,786 — had a trio of stakes victories in 2020. The 7-year-old New York-bred prevailed in the Empire Classic Handicap, Haynesfield and Jazil Stakes, all at Aqueduct or Belmont. The gelding is by Friend of Foe, who stands at Robin Mellen's Smallwood Farm in Crozet. Mr. Buff kept right on winning as 2021 kicked off with a dominant seven-length triumph in the Jazil again, on Jan. 23.

Louis Ulman and Neil Glasser's Kenny Had a Notion's three wins translated into a $16,000 reward, second among the 57 recipient owners. The 3-year-old Great Notion gelding had victories in a maiden special weight at Delaware and in the Maryland Million Nursery and Jamestown Stakes at Laurel. Bred by Althea Richards, Kenny Had a Notion started out the new year — just like Mr. Buff — with a stakes win in the Spectacular Bid Stakes.

Sir Rockport's six wins, as an 8-year-old, provided the Sola Dei Gloria Stable with $14,100 in reward monies. The ageless Rockport Harbor gelding won four at Penn National and one each at Monmouth and Laurel. Bred by Legacy Farm and Larry Johnson, Sir Rockport also kicked off 2021 with a victory — an impressive four length, gate-to-wire effort at Penn National. That was his 12th win in just over 24 months.

New Farm in Marlton, N.J., had two nice wins with their 4-year-old Summer Front gelding, Reconvene, which triggered a $13,762 bonus. Both victories came at Monmouth and were maiden special weight and allowance scores. Reconvene was bred by Lazy Lane Farms.

Rounding out the top five was Gillian Gordon-Moore and a trio of co-owners who earned $11,835 in awards courtesy of Great Camanoe's two wins last year. The 4-year-old Tonalist gelding, bred by Corner Farm and Patrick Lawley Wakelin, won a maiden special weight at Delaware and an allowance at Laurel.

Paul Hirsimaki's 8-year-old gelding, Divine Interventio, earned over $62,000 in purse monies and a $9,832 incentive bonus last year from three claiming wins at Laurel. The son of Malibu Moon was bred by the William Backer Revocable Estate. His career bankroll of $376,000 has come from 30 “top three” finishes.

Michael Overfelt's Goodluckchuck had a pair of claiming wins at Laurel which spearheaded $9,712 in bonus earnings. The 5-year-old Big Picture gelding was bred by Heidi Overfelt and ushered in the new year with a wire-to-wire allowance victory at Charles Town at 16-1 odds.

My Meadowview Farms was eighth in bonus monies with $9,625 courtesy of Lenstar's win in a $70,000 allowance optional claimer at Belmont. The 7-year-old Shackleford gelding is trained by Nick Zito and was bred by Lazy Lane Farms.

Reiley McDonald's Passion Play was best in a $66,178 allowance at Delaware Park, which led to a $9,450 reward. The 5-year-old Hold Me Back gelding was bred by Mr. and Mrs. C. Oliver Iselin III.

Finishing out the top ten in bonus awards is eFive Racing Thoroughbreds, whose Tan and Tight prevailed in a maiden special weight at Aqueduct last January. The 5-year-old Uncle Mo mare was bred by Jim and Katie FitzGerald. She followed up that success with runner-ups in a Monmouth allowance and the Camptown Stakes at Colonial Downs.

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“I'm extremely excited that the Virginia breeders are starting to reap the rewards from the growing revenue streams we have now in Virginia,” said Virginia Thoroughbred Association executive director Debbie Easter. “We certainly don't breed as many horses as we once did, but I have to believe that our breeders are as happy as they have ever been. What other state pays a 40 percent breeders bonus for a win anywhere in North America? What's even better is I expect that percentage to increase in the coming years. Right now, it really pays to breed horses in Virginia.”

Lazy Lane Farm in Upperville topped all breeders with $176,385 in overall bonus earnings courtesy of 17 winners. Largent, a Todd Pletcher trainee that is headed to the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational, led the way with five wins including a pair of early season allowance scores at Gulfstream, Virginia-bred wins in the Edward P. Evans and Bert Allen Stakes, and a season-topper in the Grade 2 Fort Lauderdale Stakes, good for a $25,000 bonus. Lazy Lane's Creative Genius also chipped in with four wins from a busy 13-start year.

Mr. and Mrs. C. Oliver Iselin III were next with 13 wins and bonus earnings of $119,993. Five different horses won a pair of races including Virginia Beach, who delivered a $18,997 bonus in capturing the M. Tyson Gilpin Stakes at Laurel. Attachment Rate, Holding Fast, Hold Me Black and Assume each had two wins while their Passion Play, with an allowance win at Delaware, produced a $15,958 bonus.

Audley Farm Equine was third in bonus winnings of $63,199 with seven wins. Tasting the Stars tied for the fourth highest bonus, $18,997, by winning the Brookmeade Stakes. The 5-year-old Bodemeister mare is four-for-six lifetime but made only two starts in 2020. Steeplechase jumper Curve of Stones earned a pair of $6,332 bonuses by winning the National Sporting Library Stakes in Middleburg and the International Gold Cup at Great Meadow.

Morgan's Ford Farm was next with Breeders' prize earnings of $59,526 from nine winner's circle trips. Chess Chief, a 5-year-old Into Mischief horse trained by Dallas Stewart, captured a pair of allowance races at Fair Grounds while Lynchburg recorded a maiden special weight win at Colonial Downs last summer. Bear Trappe and Appraised chipped in with two wins apiece.

Jim and Katie FitzGerald bankrolled $55,923 in bonuses from eight winners. Tan and Tight, a 5-year-old Uncle Mo mare, delivered their bonus high of $15,789 from a maiden special weight score at Aqueduct while Soldado's two allowance wins at Gulfstream returned a pair of $11,000-plus rewards.

Kenny Had a Notion's trio of wins gave breeder Althea Richards a series of five-digit bonuses. The now 3-year-old Great Notion gelding connected in late July with a maiden special weight triumph at Delaware followed by wins in the Jamestown and Maryland Million Nursery Stakes, both at Laurel. The three combined to produce $54,882 in awards.

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