2-Year-Old Glengarry Earns Dual Honors as Iowa HOTY

The talented and eye-catching gray Glengarry earns double honors from the Iowa Thoroughbred Breeders & Owners Association for his accomplishments in 2023. The strapping son of Maximus Mischief—L. A. Way (Into Mischief) is the 2023 ITBOA Horse of the Year and the Champion ITBOA Two-Year-Old Colt/Gelding.

Glengarry, bred by Highpoint Bloodstock, earned $237,501 in total purse money last year, winning his two Prairie Meadows starts for owners Aaron Kennedy, Toby Joseph, and trainer Doug Anderson.

Glengarry was a first-time starter when he stepped on the track at Prairie Meadows for the sixth race on August 28. But the backside had been buzzing for quite some time about his potential and the unraced colt left the starting gate that night as a prohibitive odds-on favorite.

The Equibase chart shows Glengarry as a wire-to-wire winner in his Maiden Special Weight debut under jockey Ken Tohill. He repelled an early pace challenge from Don Juan Bubba up the backstretch, took a clear lead inside the half-mile pole, thwarted a challenge from Ore Mine near the top of the stretch, and drew clear to win by six lengths. Glengarry stopped the timer in 1:12.65 for six furlongs, recording internal splits of 22.63, 47.17, and 59.71. Trainer Doug Anderson sent Glengarry out for a pair of maintenance works in the month leading up to the Iowa Cradle on September 30, with the colt drilling 4F in 48.96 on September 15 and 48.65 on September 23.

Glengarry was well-primed for his stakes debut on Iowa Classic night. He broke sharply from the outside post at odds of 7-5 in a field of seven runners, crossed over to the rail, saved ground to the top of the stretch, and drew off to win by 12 lengths as jockey Ken Tohill sat chilly in the saddle. Prairie Meadows track announcer Bobby Neuman brought the winner to the wire with an emphatic, "Put that coffee down because Glengarry is strutting his stuff in the Iowa Classic!"

Aaron Kennedy took note of Neuman's reference to the critically acclaimed 1992 movie Glengarry Glen Ross, which featured an award-winning all-star cast including Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, and Alec Baldwin.

"That's always been one of my favorite movies," said Kennedy. "I had been sitting on the name for a horse with the Jockey Club for years. When we bought this horse I knew he was the one who would get it! It was great to see him win the Iowa Cradle and hear Bobby's race call."

Glengarry was timed in a solid 1:09.42 for six furlongs, including a quick 21.76 first quarter and a 44.94 half-mile. He earned $59,700 for his Classic Night score, giving him $86,826 in winnings over his first two starts. Glengarry followed his Iowa tallies with a victory in the $170,000 Bowman Mills Stakes at Keeneland on October 28 and a second-place finish in the $300,000 Springboard Mile at Remington Park on December 15.

"He was unlucky not to win the Springboard Mile," added Kennedy. "The track was muddy and he didn't break as well as he usually did, but we were pleased with his performance." "I see him as a miler," Kennedy said. "He's back in Doug Anderson's barn and we're plotting a 2024 campaign that might include races at Oaklawn Park or Kentucky, with Iowa definitely on the radar too."

The other Iowa-bred champions of 2023:

2YO Iowa-bred Filly—Won Happy Mama, bred by Kenneth White and owned by trainer Travis Murphy, Matt Trent, and Allen Poindexter, won the Iowa Sorority and ended 2023 with $89,963 in earnings. The daughter of Run Happy—Vicarious Won earned her first lifetime stakes victory with a determined victory by a neck over Shezawildstorm under Kevin Roman in her third career start on September 30. Won Happy Mama broke her maiden with a strong six-length victory over Maiden Special Weight foes in her first lifetime start on July 31.

3YO Iowa-bred Colt/Gelding—Rockin The Dad Bod (Dads Cap—Cagey Girl), a homebred owned by Nick & Tamara Metzen and trained by Esteban Martinez, scored his biggest 2023 win on Iowa Classic night. Rockin The Dad Bod, at 51-1, stalked the pace in the Iowa Breeders' Derby under Alberto Pusac before angling out and finishing best to win by a neck over Succession and 2022 2YO champion Wildatlanticstorm. The victory was the second in eight starts last season for Rockin The Dad Bod, who wrapped up his 3YO campaign with a mark of two wins, one second, and three thirds for total winnings of $102,997.

3YO Iowa-bred Filly—Fit And Famous, the daughter of Sock Hop—Fit Performer, recorded a pair of stakes victories in four starts during the 2023 season in Iowa, ending the meet with $124,293 in total earnings. Running for owner/breeder Joel Hunsburger out of the barn of Tanner Tracy, Fit And Famous led "from flag fall to that's all" under jockey Kevin Roman to win the Iowa Breeders' Oaks on Iowa Classic night. In early June, the filly took the Bob Bryant Stakes over 2022 2YO champion My Happiness.

Older Iowa-bred Horse—Ain't Life Grand, the son of Not This Time—Cat D'Oro (Medaglia D'Oro), bred and owned by RPM Thoroughbreds (Peggy & Ray Shattuck) and trained by Kelly Von Hemel, won the Jim & Sandra Rasmussen Stakes in June of 2023 before finishing third in the G3 $300,000 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap during the Iowa Festival of Racing on July 8. Last season's 3YO champion, Ain't Life Grand earned $178,267 in purse money at Prairie Meadows in 2023 and finished his year with $667,550 in lifetime winnings.

Older Iowa-bred Mare—Demidanu, the ITBOA 2YO champion filly in 2021, bounced back from a sub-par 3YO season to record five victories in eight starts as a 4YO and log earnings of $136,830 in 2023. The daughter of Formidable—Soaring Goddess, bred by Iowa State University, started her season with a sprint victory on May 19 for original owners Patrick Kuta, Lynette Dreifurst, Anthony Schieffer, Jr., and Warren Hellbusch. She was claimed twice during the meet and finished the year with her fifth victory of the season under jockey Ken Tohill for owners Jashua Robinson and trainer Tim Martin on September 29.

To qualify as an Iowa-bred champion, a horse must make at least one start IN Iowa during the year for which the horse is receiving the award.

The ITBOA also named champions based on earnings at Prairie Meadows in 2023:

Breeder & Owner of the Year—Poindexter Thoroughbreds LLC/Allen Poindexter earns double honors again as the ITBOA owner and breeder of the year. Poindexter's Iowa-bred foals --led by Shemeansbizness ($93,142), Miss Peach ($74,230), and Interstella ($72,165)-- earned $929,155 and his Iowa-owned runners earned $549,491.

Stallion of the Year—Horses sired by Stroll (Stroll LLP) earned $578,576, led by Inca Stroll, who earned $57,65.

Broodmare of the Year—Paws Up (Midnight Thoroughbreds), was the top broodmare as her offspring accounted for $181,458 in winnings, with the lion's share of $142,049 earned by Sir Wally Wally.