Washington Headlines

Washington Sires Figure On National 2007 Year-end Lists
    Deceased Polish Gift, Washington’s leading freshman sire of 2007 and sire of 2007 Washington champion Margo’s Gift, ranked 33rd on the national leading first-crop sire list with earners of $269,885 and three winners from nine starters. Topping the list was the Silver Deputy stallion Posse with seven stakes winners – including Canadian champion Kodak Cowboy and $1,765,338 in earnings.
    The late Tribunal, who has sired two state champions in first crop, and Polish Miner, a full brother to Polish Gift who replaced his brother at Allaire Farms, were both among the nation’s second crop leaders last year. The list was topped by Street Cry, who was also the leading freshman sire of 2006 and who was represented by a dozen stakes winners last year, including Kentucky Derby Presented by Yums (G1) winner Street Cry. Polish Miner, who originally stood in Maryland, was ranked 35th with earners of $547,128. Tribunal, whose earnings were led by the $142,259 earned by Washington champion three-year-old Mulcahy, finished in 38th place with total year earnings of $492,133.

2007 Eclipse Awards
    Strong early favorite Curlin was named horse of the year and champion three-year-old male runner of 2007 at the 37th annual Eclipse Award ceremony held in Beverly Hills on January 21. Unraced at two, Curlin won six of his nine races including the Preakness Stakes (G1), Breeders’ Cup Classic Powered by Dodge (G1) and Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) in a strong three-year-old division.
    Three of this year's winners have connections to Washington, as does two-year-old filly runner-up Country Star, a daughter of Washington horse of the year Rings a Chime, who finished second in the voting to Indian Blessing.
    Two-year-old colt War Pass, a son of Cherokee Run, is out of a graded stakes-placed half-sister to former Washington sire Country Light.
    Maryfield, a daughter of Elusive Quality and winner of the inaugural champion filly sprinter division, is out of a daughter of classic-placed Desert Wine, who was raced in partnership by Dan Agnew and stood his final years at stud at Gary Jackson’s St. Hilaire Thoroughbreds.
    Midnight Lute, who races for a partnership that includes Mike Pegram – as did the runner’s champion sire Real Quiet – was voted champion sprinter.
    Other Eclipse Awards were given to: Rags to Riches (three-year-old filly); Lawyer Ron (older male); Ginger Punch (older female); English Channel (turf male); Lahudood (GB) (turf female); Good Night Shirt (steeplechase horse); Shadwell Stable (outstanding owner); Adena Springs (outstanding breeder); Todd Pletcher (outstanding trainer); Garrett Gomez (outstanding rider, with Russell Baze third); and Joe Talamo (outstanding apprentice rider).

The Win, Place, Show Radio Program Returns to KJR Sports Radio
     The popular The Win, Place, Show radio program, which focuses on Thoroughbred racing, returned to the airwaves over KJR Sports Radio 950 on January 19. The hour-long program, which airs on Saturday mornings from 8 to 9 a.m., is hosted by Joe Withee and Rob Rao and features racing news from all over the country, as well as Emerald Downs. A Sunday morning program will be added to the lineup starting on February 10.

Rider Frazier Finalist for P-I “Sports Star of the Year”
    2007 Emerald Downs leading rider Ricky Frazier, who won his 3,000th race this past November at Turf Paradise, was among the six finalists in the men’s category at the 73rd annual Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sports Star of the Year banquet held on January 22. Seahawks wide receiver Bobby Engram, who had come back after a serious medical condition, was honored as the winner, who is determined by a vote of the fans.
    The four other male finalists were University of Washington basketball player Jon Brockman; Seattle Mariner’s reliever J. J. Putz; UW football player Louis Rankin; and ultra-marathoner Scott Jurek.
    UW softball player Dannielle Lawrie was voted the top female star.
    Frazier rode 157 winners – nine more than Vann Belvoir’s previous record set in 1996 – at Emerald last year, including a dozen stakes victories. Frazier earned a record $1,632,102 in purses.

Runners with Washington Connections Ranked on 2007 Experimental Free Handicaps
    Several runners with Washington connections were weighted on the 2007 Experimental Free Handicaps for two-year-olds, which was released by The Jockey Club on January 24, including the second highest ranked colt and filly.
    Unbeaten champion War Pass topped the 105 colts and gelding weighted by this year’s weighting committee, composed of racing secretaries Ben Huffman (Churchill Downs), P.J. Campo (New York Racing Association) and Thomas S. Robbins (Del Mar), with a weight of 127 pounds. Three individuals were co-weighted in the next spot with 120, including Herman Sarkowsky’s homebred Dixie Chatter (Dixie Union—Mini Chat, by Deputy Minister), who was ranked with Into Mischief and Pyro. Another trio of runners were ranked at 119, including Georgie Boy, a son of Tribal Rule out of Washington-bred stakes winner Ippodamia, by Peterhof. The lone Washington-bred ranked this year was Elttaes Stable’s accomplished Margo’s Gift. The gelded son of Polish Gift—Burgundy Jones, by Knights Choice, a WTBA Winter Sale graduate, was bred by the late Barbara Nelson and was awarded 109 pounds, along with seven other male runners. Mike and Amy Feuerborn’s WTBA Lads Stakes winner Gallon (Victory Gallop—Bellehop, by Hennessy) was given 104 pounds. Moonrunners LLC’s Lads runner-up Café Tortoni (Katahuala County—Trillia, by Regal Classic), who also placed in a $100,000 stakes in California and was a 2006 WTBA Summer Yearling Sale alumni was among the dozen male runners ranked at 100 pounds.
    Indian Blessing, who also was named champion of her division after an unbeaten campaign, was given the top post among the 99 distaffers ranked with 123 pounds. Ranked in second place, two pounds below her, was two-time Grade 1 winner Country Star, a daughter of Empire Maker out of Washington horse of the year Rings a Chime, by Metfield. Graded stakes filly Grace and Power (More Than Ready—Lady in Power, by Defensive Play) was among three fillies given 114 pounds. Northwest Farms homebred star Smarty Deb (Smart Strike—Taste the Passion, by Wild Again) was among four fillies weighted at 108. Melissa Jo, the Fusaichi Pegasus filly who became fourth stakes horse produced out of Washington broodmare of the year Takeaway, by Fly So Free (dam of Washington champions No Giveaway and Youcan’ttakeme) was ranked at 103 pounds, along with eight other fillies. Stakes-placed Dagger, a daughter of Tactical Cat out of Mr. and Mrs. David Thorner’s broodmare Pat Hand, by Cape Town, was among 11 fillies weighted at 102. Another filly weighted with Northwest connections was Bill Feeley’s homebred stakes winner The Golden Noodle (D’wildcat—Golden Genie, by Beau Genius) who was foaled in Montana.
    The complete 2007 Experimental Free Handicaps can be viewed http://www.jockeyclub.com.