Shamrock Rose Named Pennsylvania-Bred Horse of the Year

The Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association held its 40th Annual Iroquois Awards banquet Friday, June 7 at The Hotel Hershey to celebrate the champion PA-Breds and breeders of 2018. 

Horse of the Year, 3-Year-Old Filly, Female Sprinter

Shamrock Rose

Bred by Best A Luck Farm LLC

The 2018 Eclipse Award Champion Female Sprinter capped off her year with a thrilling victory in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint-G1 at Churchill Downs, her fourth consecutive stakes win, a streak which started in the Malvern Rose at Presque Isle Downs, followed by the La Lorgnette at Woodbine and the Grade 2 Raven Run at Keeneland. Racing exclusively in stakes in her seven starts - with a second in the Cicada at Aqueduct and a third in the Weber City Miss at Laurel - she earned the most of any PA-Bred in 2018 with $848,076.

2-Year-Old Filly

Amy Farah Fowler

Bred by Blackstone Farm LLC

Three wins and three seconds in six starts and the richest PA-Bred juvenile filly of the year with $154,900, she captured the Mrs. Henry D. Paxson Memorial Stakes at Presque Isle Downs and was second in the Colleen Stakes at Monmouth Park as well as the Mark McDermott and Fitz Dixon Jr. Memorial Juvenile at Presque Isle, the latter two against the boys.

2-Year-Old Colt

Call Paul

Bred by Beatrice Patterson and Vicky Schowe 

Never off the board in five starts at five different tracks, with three wins and earnings of $279,500 to top all PA-Bred juveniles, he led throughout to win the Saratoga Special Stakes-G2 in his stakes debut, dominated the Pennsylvania Nursery at Parx by 5 lengths, and in between finished third in the Grade 1 Champagne and Grade 3 Nashua Stakes.

3-Year-Old Colt

Navy Commander

Bred by Swilcan Stables LLC

A five-time winner from 11 starts at 3, his biggest score came in Monmouth Park's Long Branch Stakes, leading gate-to-wire to win by 3 1/4 lengths.

Male Sprinter (co-winners Army Mule & Fielder)

Army Mule

Bred by Hope Hill Farm

He won both his starts, each less than a second off the track record, and earned $266,400 before being retired. First out was a 6-furlong Gulfstream Park allowance by 7 1/2 lengths in 1:08.87, followed by a 6 1/4-length romp in Aqueduct's Grade 1 Carter Handicap at 7 furlongs in 1:20.94, the latter earning him a 114 Beyer Speed Figure, the highest in the nation for an older sprinter in 2018. 

Fielder

Bred by HnR Nothhaft Horseracing LLC

Five wins from nine starts included the 5-furlong Marshall Jenney Stakes over the Parx turf, and a three-race win streak earlier in the year. He was also third in the Laurel Dash at Laurel Park in the fall, rallying late to miss winning by a half length. 

Turf Female

Fahan Mura

Bred by Michael J. Moran

Winner of seven of 11 starts, she concluded her season with a victory in the Grade 3 Robert J. Frankel Stakes at Santa Anita, where she earlier won the Swingtime Stakes at a mile on the turf in 1:32.77. Her first career stakes win came in the Osunitas at Del Mar during the summer after starting her season with four straight wins, all at Santa Anita. With $365,665 earned in 2018, she placed fifth on the top PA-Bred earners' list.

Turf Male & Older Male

Spring Quality

Bred by George Strawbridge Jr.

Winner of his first Grade 1 in one of the most exciting races of the year, the Manhattan on Belmont Stakes Day in which nine horses were separated by less than 2 lengths, he went into the race off a second in the Grade 3 Fort Marcy, and was third in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer at Saratoga. With $684,785 earned for the year in five starts, all graded stakes, he was the top-earning PA-Bred male.

Older Female & Million Dollar Round Table Inductee

Unique Bella

Bred by Brushwood Stable

The two-time Eclipse Award winner - 2017 Champion Female Sprinter and 2018 Champion Older Dirt Female - her season ended in July, but not until she added two more Grade 1 wins to her record - the Clement L. Hirsch and Beholder Mile - as well as the Grade 2 Santa Maria Stakes, and a second in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom from four starts to become a millionaire. She was the third richest PA-Bred of the year with $680,000 earned. She finished her career with $1,272,400 in earnings. She currently resides at Don Alberto's farm in Kentucky and is in foal to Medaglia d'Oro.

PA-Preferred Female

Dixie Serenade 

Bred by Fantasy Lane Stable

2018 earnings: $221,750

Won the G3 Victory Ride Stakes at Belmont Park

2nd in the Jose Flores Memorial Stakes at Parx

3rd in the New Start Stakes at Penn National

PA-Preferred Male (co-award winners Midtowncharlybrown & Smooth B)

Midtowncharlybrown 

Bred by Godric LLC

2018 earnings: $164,080

Won Fabulous Strike Stakes at Penn National

Smooth B 

Bred by St. Omer's Farm and WynOaks Farm LLC 

2018 earnings: $214,778

Won the Danzig Stakes at Penn National

2nd in the Crowd Pleaser at Parx

2nd in the City of Laurel Stakes at Laurel Park

Steeplechaser

Senior Senator

Bred by Charles CD McGill

He came back from a serious injury suffered when falling in the previous year's Maryland Hunt Cup to win his only two starts of the year - his second consecutive Grand National Timber Stakes and a second Maryland Hunt Cup.

Broodmare

Slew's Quality

Dam of Shamrock Rose

An unraced daughter of Elusive Quality owned throughout her broodmare career by Thomas and Lori Fackler's Reddick, Fla.-based Best A Luck Farm, an operation that regularly foals in Pennsylvania, she is the dam of 2018 Eclipse Award-winning Champion Female Sprinter Shamrock Rose.

Thoroughbred Makeover Top PA-Bred

B K's Angus

Bred by Briter Stable

B K's Angus was trained by Lauren Lindsay to compete in the 2018 Thoroughbred Makeover at the Kentucky Horse Park. Together they finished 13th in Eventing, making them the leading points earner of all PA-Breds entered in the Makeover. 

Leading Breeding Fund Recipient (Horse)

Imply

Bred by Barlar, LLC

$245,375

Leading Total Breeding Fund Recipient

WynOaks Farm LLC

$457,341

Leading Overall Breeder of Pennsylvania Breds

Blackstone Farm LLC

$1,928,068

Leading Stallion

Jump Start

$225,292

Lifetime Achievement Award

Ronnie & Betsy Houghton

Award of Merit

McCaulley Equine LLC

Daily Racing Form 2018 Top PA-Bred Beyer Award

Hope Hill Farm & Army Mule

Army Mule earned a 114 Beyer Speed Figure in the G1 Carter Handicap, the highest Beyer of any PA-Bred and the highest in the nation for an older sprinter in 2018.