Knockgriffin Farm, Audley Farm Equine and Morgan’s Ford Farm were the top recipients of 2022 Virginia Breeders awards from 46 Commonwealth-based farms that shared a total of $975,000 in bonus monies. The trio earned $94,630, $94,290 and $86,846 respectively.
Knockgriffin scored 18 separate awards — most of any farm or breeder — led by Seaside Dancer’s five-pack at Golden Gate Fields and Mo Clare’s, who won the Brookmeade Stakes at Colonial Downs along with an allowance there. The awards from that pair were $19,489 and $12,473 respectively. Sendero won a $19,489 bonus via another New Kent stakes — the Jamestown for two-year-olds. Other multiple award winners bred by Knockgriffin were Smart Battle and Soupster with three each.
Audley’s 11 awards were led by Determined Kingdom’s pair — a victory in Colonial’s Punch Line Stakes and one in a Laurel allowance. Those $19,489 and $8,107 awards highlighted Audley’s ’22 portfolio. Glowcity had a trio of winning scores in Maryland — a maiden special weight and two claimers — which totaled $20,892. In addition, Jane Mast won a maiden special weight at Saratoga which produced a handsome $15,006 bonus.
Morgan’s Ford Farm-bred horses combined for 15 wins including two each by Surya, Alex Joon, Flat Cat and Akingisalwaysking. Both of Surya’s came locally — in a maiden special weight and an allowance at Colonial. Alex Joon, whose $12,473 bonus from a Colonial allowance was tops among the 15, also scored in a claimer at Oaklawn. In addition, Morgan’s Ford Farm partnered with Godolphin and Tiznow Syndicate in other breeding ventures. Tango Charlie (two wins) and La Samana Laura (one win) earned awards respectively from those.
Rounding out the top five were breeders Althea Richards and Chance Farm.
Richards had eight wins including four by Green Up, winner of two stakes — the Cathryn Sophia at Parx and the Boiling Spring at Monmouth. In all, the Upstart filly amassed $54,101 of Richards’s $75,467 total. Kenny Had a Notion, with two Charles Town allowance wins, chipped in nicely with over $11,000 in bonuses.
Chance Farm, with 17 wins and $56,342 in bonus award monies, was fifth best. Princess Kaira’s four wins at Parx led the way and five others chipped in with two wins apiece including Executive Chef, who captured the Auburn Stakes at Emerald Downs and a maiden special weight at Golden Gate. Red Pepper Grill prevailed in a pair of claimers at Aqueduct. Others in the two-win group include Call the Po Po, Ready and Rich and Upgrade Me.
Gigante’s two wins at Colonial Downs pushed breeder Ann Backer and Smitten Farm into sixth place among bonus earners with $47,296. The Not This Time colt bankrolled a $25,000 award by winning the TAA Kitten’s Joy Stakes and $14,032 from a maiden special weight, both in New Kent.
Lazy Lane Farm’s $46,852 in awards came from eight winners, led by Largent’s score in the Edward P. Evans Stakes at Colonial — a $19,489 bonus. Their Sing Along Suzy had a pair of claiming wins at Tampa Bay Downs.
Victories by Repo Rocks in the Let’s Give Thanks Stakes at Parx and a Belmont allowance paid off nicely for breeder Mrs. C. Oliver Iselin. The triumphs earned respective bonuses of $10,758 and $13,434. American Dubai’s March 26 win at Oaklawn — as a 9-year-old — added to Iselin’s $31,003 final tally.
Shaaz’s two allowance win at Santa Anita as a 4-year-old produced five-digit awards for the William Backer Revocable Estate. The Uncle Mo horse triggered bonus paydays of $11,225 and $10,758 which helped trigger Backer’s total of $29,981 in rounding out the top ten.
Chambeau’s stakes win in the M. Tyson Gilpin produced a $19,489 score for breeder Sam English II. The daughter of Karakontie followed that with an allowance win at Pimlico in September. English’s overall 2022 award totaled $29,903.
Other ’22 notables include Boldor — bred by Carlos Moore and Gillian Gordon-Moore — who prevailed in the Meadow Stable Stakes last summer. The now 7-year-old Munnings gelding produced a $23,387 reward in winning his third career Virginia-bred stakes.
The Virginia-bred with the most bonus earning wins was Determined Love, who got his picture taken five times at Fort Erie and once at Penn National. The now 6-year-old Shackleford mare was bred by Mr. & Mrs. C. Oliver Iselin.
Boondoggle, owned and bred by Leanne Hester, produced five wins in Maryland resulting in $16,012 in Breeders bonus monies. The 9-year-old gelding’s wins also provided Hester with over $20,000 in stallion awards. Boondoggle is a son of Gone Clubbing, who she stands. Hester had two other Stallion bonus scores with Spritzer, who was also sired by Gone Clubbing. In all, she received $37,514 in stallion awards from a $75,000 pool.
Ruxton Farm was next with $29,933 in stallion bonuses courtesy of Fierce Wind, whose offspring won a trio of races. Tolaga Bay captured two last August at Colonial — an allowance and starter allowance — and Itsknownasthebern won a claimer at Timonium.
Lady Olivia at North Cliff, LLC got a $5,090 check for stallion Cosa Vera, whose mare Osa won a maiden claiming race at Colonial July 20. Smallwood Farm earned $2,460 in awards from stallion Friend or Foe, whose filly Almendra R. won back-to-back claiming races at Camarero Race Track.