Effinex Named 2015 NY-Bred Horse of Year
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Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
Effinex, winning the Clark Handicap.
Effinex, a grade I winner and $2.2 million earner, was named New York's 2015 Horse of the Year at the New York Thoroughbred Breeders annual banquet April 4 at the Saratoga National Golf Club in Saratoga Springs.
Mark Vondrasek's Eklektikos Stable, breeder of 2015 Eclipse Award champion female sprinter La Verdad and her graded stakes-winning half sister Hot City Girl, both New York-bred honorees, was named the state's top breeder. Their dam, Noble Fire, was selected as the state's outstanding broodmare.
In addition to being voted Horse of the Year, Effinex picked up the hardware for champion older dirt male. The other multiple honoree of the night was La Verdad, who was voted champion female sprinter and champion older dirt female. Repeat honorees were Lubash in the male turf division and Palace as champion male sprinter. Upstart, voted top New York-bred juvenile in 2014, won the 3-year-old male division in 2015.
Linda Rice was the top-earning trainer of New York-breds for the third year in a row, while Jose Ortiz repeated as the top jockey for state-breds by earnings.
The evening's program was kicked off this year by two special presentations: a Lifetime Achievement Award to past NYTB President Barry Ostrager and a Thoroughbred Charities of America Award of Merit to ReRun Inc.
2015 New York-bred champions:
Horse of the Year, champion older dirt male: Effinex
(Mineshaft —What a Pear, by E Dubai)
Breeder: Dr. Russell S. Cohen
Owner: Tri-Bone Stables
Trainer: James A. Jerkens
Champion female sprinter, champion older dirt female: La Verdad
(Yes It's True—Noble Fire, by Hook and Ladder)
Breeder: Eklektikos Stable
Owner: Lady Sheila Stable
Trainer: Linda Rice
Champion 2-year-old male: Flexibility
(Bluegrass Cat —Santa Vindi, by Vindication)
Breeder: WinStar Farm
Owner: Klaravich Stables, Inc. and William H. Lawrence
Trainer: Chad C. Brown
Champion 2-year-old filly: Frosty Margarita
(Frost Giant —Mango Margarita, by Not For Love)
Breeder/Owner: Gabrielle Farm
Trainer: Rudy R. Rodriguez
Champion 3-year-old male: Upstart
(Flatter —Party Silks, by Touch Gold)
Breeder: Mrs. Gerald A. Nielsen
Owner: Ralph M. Evans and WinStar Farm LLC
Trainer: Richard A. Violette Jr.
Champion 3-year-old filly: Hot City Girl
(City Zip —Noble Fire, by Hook and Ladder)
Breeder: Eklektikos Stable
Owner: Lady Sheila Stable
Trainer: Linda Rice
Champion turf male: Lubash
(Freud —Nasty Cure, by Cure the Blues)
Breeder: Aliyuee Ben J Stable Inc.
Owner: Aliyu Ben J Stables
Trainer: Christophe Clement
Champion turf female: Invading Humor
(Invasor—Very Funny, by Distorted Humor)
Breeder: Dr. James Randall Mcglinn
Owner: Bloodlines Racing Partnerships
Trainer: Bruce N. Levine
Champion male sprinter: Palace
(City Zip—Receivership, by End Sweep)
Breeder: The Peter J. Callahan Revocable Trust Dated 2/28/02
Owner: Antonino Miuccio
Trainer: Linda Rice
Broodmare of the Year: Noble Fire (Hook and Ladder), dam of La Verdad, Hot City Girl
Breeder of the Year: Eklektikos Stable
Trainer of the Year: Linda Rice
Jockey of the Year: Jose Ortiz
Lifetime Achievement Award: Barry Ostrager
Thoroughbred Charities of America Award of Merit: ReRun Inc.
The event, sponsored by the New York Breeding and Development Fund, was emceed by Richard Migliore, former leading New York jockey and currently a broadcast analyst for the New York Racing Association. The New York-bred divisional champions and Horse of the Year were chosen by a ballot of New York Turf writers, handicappers, chart callers, and racing analysts conducted by NYTB.