Starship Jubilee Named 2020 Fla-Bred Horse of the Year

Starship Jubilee  was named the 2020 Florida-bred Horse of the Year by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association in addition to her being named for the third time in four years as the Florida-bred champion older female and Florida-bred champion turf female. The well-decorated mare added to her long list of championships that also includes Canadian Sovereign Awards in 2019 as that country's Horse of the Year and champion female turf horse, the latter of which she also won in 2017 and 2018.

She was the first Florida-bred to be named the Canadian Horse of the Year since Fatal Bullet  in 2008.

She is also the only mare to be named the Florida-bred champion older mare and champion turf female three times having achieved each of those titles in 2017, 2019, and 2020. The only other mares who have won the FTBOA champion older mare crown more than once include Ta Wee (1969-70), Susan's Girl (1973 and 1975), Honey Fox (1981-82), Buy the Firm (1982-83), Halo America (1995-96), Beautiful Pleasure  (1999-2000), Ginger Punch  (2007-08), Dubai Majesty  (2009-'10), Musical Romance  (2011-12) and Sheer Drama  (2015-16).

Only Bay to Bay  has been named FTBOA champion turf female more than once having garnered the title in the first two years of awards in 2011-12.

The FTBOA annual awards were announced Aug. 27 on a Horse Capital Television broadcast, co-hosted on Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs social media pages among other marketing partners. The broadcast can be seen online.  

In addition to her taking home multiple honors for the second consecutive year, Starship Jubilee also generated an award for her dam, Perfectly Wild  (Forest Wildcat), who was named the FTBOA Broodmare of the Year.

Bred in Florida by William P. Sorren, trained by Kevin Attard, and raced in the powder blue silks of Adam Corndorf and Bonnie Baskin's Blue Heaven Farm, the then 7-year-old bay daughter of Indy Wind  started 2020 by defending another title as she won the $150,000 Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Stakes for the second consecutive year over a mile-and-one-sixteenth on the grass at Gulfstream Park in January of 2020. The Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf also started a four-race winning streak for Starship Jubilee that continued with victories in her native Florida in the Suwannee River Stakes (G3T) at 1 1/8 miles on turf at Gulfstream on Feb. 8 and in the Hillsborough Stakes (G2T) going the same distance at Tampa Bay Downs March 7. 

Attard then gave Starship Jubilee a four-and-a-half month break before returning to win the Ballston Spa Stakes (G2T) going 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf at Saratoga Race Course last July 25.

She suffered her first loss of the year in her next start when she finished fourth in the Diana Stakes (G1T) at Saratoga, a race won by 2020 Eclipse Award-winning champion turf female Rushing Fall . But Starship rebounded with fervor in her next start as she overcame a rough start and traffic down the backstretch to win the Ricoh Woodbine Mile (G1T) on turf at Woodbine. 

In the final race of the year, Starship Jubilee completed her stellar career under unfortunate circumstances as she stumbled at the start of the $2 million Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) at Keeneland, unseating jockey Florent Geroux. 

Starship Jubilee finished 2020 with five wins in seven starts with earnings of $921,682. She finished her career with 19 wins, five seconds, and three thirds from 39 starts. Her bankroll of $2,093,069 at the end of 2020 had her ranked as the sixth richest female Florida-bred of all-time and the 35th richest Florida-bred.

The Florida-bred champions in the juvenile categories included Golden Pal  in the colts and gelding division and Princess Secret  as the champion juvenile filly.

Trained by Wesley Ward for Ranlo Investments, Golden Pal won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2T) at Keeneland and the $85,000 Skidmore Stakes at Saratoga. Bred in Florida by Randall Lowe, Golden Pal is by Uncle Mo   out of Lady Shipman , by Midshipman  , and won two of four starts with two seconds while earning $593,056.

Princess Secret is a daughter of Journeyman Stud's leading sire Khozan   out of Golden Horseshoe  (Belong to Me ) and was bred in Florida by Brent and Crystal Fernung. She counts among her 2020 conquests the $200,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Susan's Girl and the $400,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes My Dear Girl, both at Gulfstream Park. She won three of five starts with two seconds and earnings of $434,300 for owner and trainer Daniel Pita.

Collusion Illusion  took home the trophy for the Florida-bred champion 3-year-old male while racing in the colors of Dan J. Agnew, Jerry Schneider, Rodney E. Orr, and MyRacehorse.com. Bred in Florida by Donald R. Dizney and trained by Mark Glatt, the son of Twirling Candy   out of Natalie Grace  (First Dude  ), won half of his six starts in 2020 with a second and a third and earnings of $317,800. He counted among his victories that year the Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) at Del Mar and the Lazaro Barrera Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park.

Speech was the Florida-bred champion 3-year-old filly of 2020 for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Madaket Stables, and Heider Family Stables and trainer Michael McCarthy.

By Mr Speaker   out of Scribbling Sarah  (Freud  ), Speech won the Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1) at Keeneland among her seven starts with four seconds and one third while earning $464,850. She was bred by Gail Rice.

Tom Kagele, Madaket Stables, and Gary Barber's C Z Rocket was a dual Florida-bred champion in 2020 having been named the champion sprinter and champion older male.

The gelded son of City Zip  out of Successful Sarah , by Successful Appeal , was bred by Vincente Perez in the name of his Farm III Enterprises and won the 2020 Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G2) and the Pat O'Brien Stakes (G2) at Del Mar while being trained by Peter Miller.

The 2020 Florida-bred female champion sprinter was Lady's Island , a daughter of Solera Farm stallion Greatness   out of Broadway Martha , by Broad Brush . Campaigned by owners Matties Racing Stable and Averill Racing and trainer Georgina Baxter, Lady's Island was a triple stakes winner in 2020 with victories in the Sugar Swirl Stakes (G3) and the $100,000 Musical Romance at Gulfstream, and the $50,000 Minaret Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.

She finished the year with four wins in eight starts with two seconds and a third while banking $219,400. 

Live Oak Plantation homebred March to the Arch  was the champion turf male after his wins in the King Edward Stakes (G2T) at Woodbine and the Sunshine Millions Turf Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Trained by Mark Casse, the son of Arch  out of Daveron  (Black Sam Bellamy ) sported a 2020 record of two wins, a second, and two thirds from eight starts and revenues of $346,691.

In other awards presented by FTBOA, Gail Rice was presented the Needles Award as the Florida breeder who owns small Thoroughbred operations and has made outstanding contributions to the Florida Thoroughbred industry; the Joe O'Farrell Award was presented to Summer, Jeanne, and April Mayberry's Mayberry Farm as the original consignor of Collusion Illusion, the year's best Florida-bred racehorse who was a graduate of an Ocala Breeders' Sales public auction; Live Oak Plantation as the year's leading owner by Florida-bred earnings with $2.085 million—an award Live Oak has now won five times; Live Oak Stud, which was named the Florida breeder of the year for the fourth time with earnings of nearly $2.5 million; Ralph Nicks as the leading Florida trainer of Florida-breds by earnings and leading Florida trainer by black-type wins, and Kathleen O'Connell, the leading Florida trainer of Florida-breds by wins—an honor she has now taken 13 times.

"Florida-breds are great racehorses and the 2020 champions are no different. While we would love to have everyone at our annual gala in person, I enjoyed learning the stories of pride and seeing the excitement of some of our winners via Zoom videos," FTBOA CEO Lonny Powell said. 

"Those moments speaking with the connections of our Horse of the Year, Stallion of the Year, Breeder of the Year, and leading Owner epitomize why we love this sport and why we breed, own, sell and race Florida-breds," Powell added.

FTBOA president Phil Matthews, DVM, pointed out the 2020 champions and their connections achieved success at the highest levels of the sport.

"I was honored to recognize the hard work and dedication that goes into each horse to achieve these awards recognizing our 2020 Florida champions," Matthews said. "The 2020 successes of Florida-bred champions include a Breeders' Cup winner, three grade 1 wins, six grade 2 wins, and two grade 3s. More than half of the champions we awarded were produced by Florida sires and they've won coast to coast and internationally.

"A huge congratulations to each and every breeder, owner, trainer, and horse for achieving success."

The FTBOA Champions Award Show was made possible by sponsors, including Stonehedge Farm South (title sponsor), Bridlewood Farm, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Peterson-Smith Equine Hospital + Complete Care, Seminole Feed, Showcase Properties of Central Florida, Horse Capital TV, and Kaplan Media.

The FTBOA has tentatively scheduled the 2022 FTBOA Champions Award Gala honoring the 2021 champions and their connections for March 2022 at the Circle Square Cultural Center near Ocala.