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Congratulations to all the 2011 Horses of the Year!
Click here go to our Horse of the Year page.
To download the articles on 2011 Horses of the Year featured in Louisiana Horse Magazine, click here.
2011 Two Year Old Filly
Little Ms Protocol
Sire: El Corredor
Dam: Character Builder
Breeder: Coteau Grove Farms, LLC
Owner: Coteau Grove Farms, LLC
Trainer: Patrick Devreux, Jr. |
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Sometimes we invest in breeding stock and we ending up looking very smart. That is the case when Coteau Grove Farms LLC purchased Character Builder at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale in the fall of 2008. She was carrying the future champion Two-Year-Old Filly who was named Little Ms Protocol by her breeders, Ginger and Keith Myers who own Coteau Grove Farms LLC.
Little Ms Protocol broke her maiden in her second start in the Princess Stakes at Louisiana Downs, in late June, running about five furlongs on the turf in 57:18 to take home the $30,000 winner’s share of the purse. She closed out her year with an impressive win in the $150,000 Louisiana Jewel Stakes at Delta Down in November and finished her year with three wins from six starts and earnings of $153,840 which is not a bad return on investment for the $65,000 paid for Character Builder.
Character Builder, a daughter of Coronado’s Quest, was a Grade II placed runner who earned $186,307 while finishing third in the Fleur De Lis Stakes at Churchill Downs. She has a current Two-Year-Old filly by Porto Foricos named She’s A Character. She also has a yearling colt by Tale of the Cat and is due for a Yankee Gentleman foal in 2012. |
2011 Two Year Old Colt or Gelding
Beanwah'smachine
Sire: Succesful Appeal
Dam: X Strawdnair
Breeder: Brittlyn Stable, Inc.
Owner: Brittlyn Stable, Inc.
Trainer: Albert Stall, Jr. |
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How do you beat someone in the voting for horse of the year that has started four times and won four times? You don’t! Beanwah’smachine broke his maiden in early September with an easy win at Louisiana Downs, winning by a comfortable four and one half lengths. Put on the shelf until the Fair Grounds opened, he quickly established himself as the favorite for the Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile by winning on Thanksgiving while running 1:10:63 for the six furlongs. His win in the Juvenile may not have been as comfortable as his connections were hoping, but his come from behind running style always makes for some anxious moments in every race he runs. He finished out the year on December 31st with a more sigh of relief win by one and a half lengths in the Colt and Gelding division of the Louisiana Futurity. His earnings for the year total $161,742.
Beanwah’smachine is by Successful Appeal and out of this year’s Broodmare of the Year, X Strawdnair. He was bred and raced by the Brittlyn Stable, Inc. of Maurice and Evelyn Benoit. The Benoit’s are looking forward to the Brahms two-year-old half brother to Beanwah’smachine. They also have a yearling half brother by Quiet American and the mare is currently in foal to Half Ours. |
2011 Three Year Old Filly
Lovenotlost
Sire: Lost Soldier
Dam: Seattle Savoy
Breeder: Charles Hicks
Owner: Tri-Star Racing, LLC
Trainer: Wesley E. Hawley |
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Tri Star Racing’s Lovenotlost excelled at the Fair Grounds in the 2010-11 season. She won a starter Allowance race in early February against open company. Three weeks later she got up in the last stride to score the first stakes win of her career in the Sarah Lanes Oates at one mile on the turf. She closed out her Fair Grounds campaign with a win in the Crescent City Oaks at a mile and seventy yards. Her winning ways stayed with her at Evangeline Downs when she scored as the favorite in the Louisiana Showcase Mile for fillies on the 4th of July weekend. At Louisiana Downs she added the Louisiana Cup Day Oaks for her fourth stakes of the year for a year end total of five wins from nine starts and earnings of $210,632.
Tri Star Racing bought Lovenotlost from Robert Brewer, Agent for $15,000 at the Texas March Two-Year-Old in Training Sale. She was bred by Charles Hicks. Lovenotlost is by the deceased Lost Soldier who stood at Buck Pond Farm in Lexington, Ky. Seattle Savoy, the dam of Lovenotlost has a two year old colt by Grand Appointment. |
2011 Three Year Old Colt or Gelding
Populist Politics
Sire: Don't Get Mad
Dam: Cedar Summer
Breeder: Spendthrift Farm
Owner: Klaravich Stables, Inc. and William H. Lawrence
Trainer: Thomas Amoss |
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In the most evenly matched field for a division, the Three-Year- Old colt or geldings, it seems that money talks. Populist Politics, with the most money earned for the year was the winner in a closely contested race. Early in the year, Populist Politics briefly appeared to avenge his loss to Man of Strife in the Gentilly with a nose victory in the Crescent City Derby. The stewards saw it differently and disqualified him for interference in the stretch run. In the Louisiana Showcase Mile for males he ran a straighter course and won by a widening four and one half lengths. His class was displayed with a second in the Prelude Stakes at Louisiana Downs then a creditable third in the Super Derby, beaten just 2 1/2 lengths. The Mr. Sulu on Thanksgiving Day at Fair Grounds was easy for him as he won by six and a half lengths. In his last race of the year, he chased home Star Guitar in the Louisiana Champions Day Classic. For the year his official record stands at two wins, three seconds and two thirds with earnings of $210,300.
Populist Politics is bred by B. Wayne Hughes of Spendthrift Farm. His sire, Don’t Get Mad, is also owned by B. Wayne Hughes. Cedar Summer, the dam of Populist Politics has a Two-Year-Old by Osidy. Populist Politics was sold twice, once as a yearling for $20,000 then as a Two-Year-Old in training for $70,000. |
2011 Four Year Old and Up Filly or Mare
Speedacious
Sire: Yankee Gentleman
Dam: Blushing Trish
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With a name like Speedacious you would expect her to have speed; it seems like she is living up to her name. Speedacious started the year at the Fair Grounds with an impressive win in the Happy Ticket Stakes going five and one half furlongs in 1:03:37 while leading every step of the way. In February she added the five furlong Louisiana Premier Night Matron, once again leading from gate to wire while finishing in 56:73 to set the track record for the distance at Delta Downs. Her venture to Kentucky resulted in stakes placings in the Giant’s Causeway Stakes at Keeneland and the Unbridled Sidney Stakes at Churchill Downs. A trip to Presque Isle Downs in Pennsylvania resulted in an unusual come from behind victory in the $100,000 Satin and Lace Stakes. Speedacious completed her year back at the Fair Grounds with a win in the Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Sprint to end the year with four wins, all in stakes races, a second and three thirds for earnings of $249,850.
Speedacious was sold by Elysian Bloodstock, Agent for Elm Tree Farm at the Fasig-Tipton Texas Yearling Sale where she was purchased by Carl Moore Management, LLC for $30,000. Elm Tree Farm in Kentucky, owned by Louisiana native Jody Huckabay and his wife Michelle, bred Speedacious from the Rahy mare Blushing Trish, who had previously produced the stakes placed Prince Benjamin. Speedacious is by Yankee Gentleman who stands at Brett Brinkman’s Le Mesa Stallions in Carencro, La. |
2011 Four Year Old and Up Male
Star Guitar
Sire: Quiet American
Dam: Minit Towinit
Breeder: Brittlyn Stable, Inc.
Owner: Brittlyn Stable, Inc.
Trainer: Albert Stall, Jr. |
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| What more can you say about Star Guitar; he seems to have answered the bell every time. With a current lifetime record of twenty two wins from twenty eight starts, at the time of this writing, he is just short of becoming the all time leading Louisiana bred money earner. Star Guitar was the Champion Two- Year-Old Colt in 2007 and had now repeated for the third time as the Champion Older Male. His record for 2011 is six starts, all in stakes races, with wins in all of them. He started the year with his third consecutive win in the Louisiana Premier Night Championship Stakes at Delta Downs. The Costa Rising Stakes at Fair Grounds saw him go off at a nickel to a dollar and not disappoint. The Louisiana Showcase Classic at Evangeline Downs on 4th of July weekend was his third stakes win of the year. He showed that riders don’t much matter to him when regular rider, Corey Lanerie, missed getting there in time to ride him in the open Evangeline Mile Handicap and substitute rider Gerard Melancon won with ease. He erased the bad memories of the Gold Cup at Delta Downs, where he was unexplainably beaten the previous year, with a victory by two and a half lengths. As usual, he finished his year with a victory on Louisiana Champions Day. He has won five consecutive years on Louisiana Champions Day. Beginning as a two-year-old in 2007 when he won the Juvenile, the next year it was the Louisiana Champions Day Sprint and in 2009, 2010 and 2011 he has won the Louisiana Champions Day Classic. With current lifetime earnings of $1,635,862 he is approximately $52,000 behind Happy Ticket as Louisiana’s all time money winner. |
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2011 Broodmare of the Year
X Strawdnair
Sire: Malagra
Dam: Zacado Zacado, by Buck 'N Bronc
Owner: Brittlyn Stable Inc. (Maurice & Evelyn Benoit)
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| Those Malagra dams just keep on producing for the Brittlyn Stable. Last year Minit Towinit was Broodmare of the Year. This year another Malagra daughter, X Strawdnair is the winner of the Broodmare of the Year voting. X Strawdnair is the dam of six named foals, all to race and all are winners with four being stakes winners and one stakes placed. Her first foal was Mean Butterbean, by My Friend Max, who won the Lookout Stakes at Delta Downs and earned $223,850. Next came a full brother named Brother Bean, who won the Junius Delahoussaye Memorial Sprint at Evangeline Downs, the Louisiana Cup Sprint at Louisiana Downs, the Louisiana Premier Night Sprint at Delta Downs and the Big Earl Stakes at Louisiana Downs to earn $434,460. Miss Bean Wah, by Afternoon Deelites, came along in 2005 and won the Louisiana Showcase Distaff at Evangeline Downs in track record setting time and earned $205,890. Good Human Bean, by Langfuhr, while not winning any stakes was stakes placed three times to earn $141,160. Her youngest foal to race is this year’s Two- Year-Old Champion Colt, Beanwah’smachine, a winner of $162,992 to put X Strawdnair’s progeny earnings at $1,173,489 and counting which makes her a very deserving winner of the Broodmare of the Year Award. |
2011 Andrew L "Red" Erwin Stallion of the Year
LeestownSire: Seattle Slew
Dam: Bright CandlesOwner: Leestown Syndicate
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| Leestown was once again on top of the sire list for 2011. For the year he had 73 winners from 173 starters and two stakes winners who won a total of four stakes races during the year. Total earlings for Leestown's Louisiana bred progeny in 2011 was $2,322,613 which was nearly double the runner up's total. Leader among his stakes winners is Skipping Town who won the open Matron at Evangeline Downs in July then added the Louisiana Cup Distaff at Louisiana Downs to earn $153,452 for the year. Gentilly Stakes winner Man of Strife was Leestown's other stakes winner of the year. he added the Crescent City Derby by disqualifiation at the end of the Fair Grounds meet and finished the year with $116,374 in earnings. Leestown died in a paddock accident in November of 2008. |
2011 Leading Breeder by Breeders awards
Foxwood PlantationWilliam Boorhem
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| With nearly a quarter million dollars in breeders' awards, Bill Boorhem's Foxwood Planation was once again the leading breeder in Louisiana based on breeders awards paid. Foxwood seems to have the magic touch when it comes to stallions. Their stallion Zarbyev was perennially a leading sire in Louisiana for years. Then they purchased Run Production and stood him from 2003-2010 before selling him to Circle H Farms for the 2011 breeding season. Foxwood has bred Run Production to those Zarbyev mares and they are producing stakes winners. Foreign Gal, a two-year-old of 2011 was two for two including a win in the Louisiana Stallion Stakes at Louisiana Downs and is by Run Production and out of the Zarbyev dam, Foreign Envoy. My Star Runner, the three-year-old champion colt in 2010, continued his winning ways in 2011 with wins in the Louisiana Premier Night Sprint, The Louisiana Showcase Sprint and the Louisiana Cup Day Sprint. He is also by Run Production out of the Zarbyev mare, Zarb's Star. Add to these the stakes winner Cat's Production, also by Run Production, and it is easy to see how Foxwood Plantation Continues to lead in breeder's awards. |
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