Caravel Named Pennsylvania Horse of the Year

Caravel  was named Pennsylvania's Horse of the Year during a virtual ceremony held May 21 for the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association's annual Iroquois Awards celebrating the state's 2020 champions.

Bred, owned, and trained by Elizabeth Merryman, Caravel was also named champion 3-year-old filly. The Mizzen Mast   daughter won four of five starts last year, including the Malvern Rose and Lady Erie stakes at Presque Isle Downs. Her earnings for the year were $140,872 and she picked up another black-type win this year in Pimlico Race Course's The Very One Stakes May 14.

Three Diamonds Farm's Jakarta  came away with three titles—champion older female, champion turf female, and champion female sprinter. Bred by Arrowwood Farm, the Bustin Stones   mare won four times from nine starts in 2020 for trainer Mike Maker. She won the Powder Break Stakes and Claiming Crown Distaff Dash at Gulfstream Park and placed in the Buffalo Trace Franklin County Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland. The richest Pennsylvania-bred runner of the year, she earned $245,727.

Monster Racing Stables' The Critical Way  claimed the titles of champion turf male and champion male sprinter. The Blackstone Farm-bred son of Tizway  won or placed in five of six starts last year and earned $87,780. Trained by Jose Delgado, his best performance was a victory in the Marshall Jenney Handicap at Parx Racing.

Pennsylvania's champion older male award went to Uptowncharlybrown Stud's Wait for It , a winner of half of his eight starts and earner of $208,610 in 2020. Edward Coletti Jr. trains the son of Uptowncharlybrown  , who won last year's Storm Cat Stakes at Parx and Hard Spun Stakes at Presque Isle. Wait for It was bred by Fantasy Lane Stables. He was also named the PA-Preferred Male and leading breeding fund horse recipient. 

Triple Threat Stables' homebred Plane Drunk  was named champion 2-year-old filly. The Stay Thirsty   daughter trained by Phil Schoenthal won the 2020 Shamrock Rose Stakes at Penn National Race Course and earned $99,600 for the year. 

Kenwood Racing and Degaetano and Pastore's Fire's Finale  received champion 2-year-old male honors. Kelly Breen trains the Jump Start  son, who won the Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes at Parx and earned $108,315 last year. He was bred by Kenwood Racing.

Dreams Untold , a homebred for Patricia Chapman's Someday Farm, was awarded the champion 3-year-old male title. The son of Smarty Jones  trained by John Servis won four of eight races and $146,400 last year. Chapman also received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Northview Stallion Station's Jump Start was named Pennsylvania's leading stallion of 2020 while Vicky Schowe and Beatrice Patterson's Avani Force  earned Broodmare of the Year honors. Avani Force has produced grade 2 winner Call Paul , 2020 stakes winner Pink Caddy , and 2021 stakes winner Maythehorsebwithu .

Blackstone Farm and Glenn Brock were recipients of the leading breeder award. Blackstone was also the leading overall breeder of Pennsylvania-breds.

Northview Stallion Station was the leading total breeding fund recipient, Gap View Stables and Jagger's Its a Journey  was named the PA-Preferred Female, and Pastures of Point Lookout received the award of merit.