Meadow Magic named MTOBA’s 2010 Horse of the Year

The connections of Michigan Horse of the Year Meadow Magic celebrate their victory with MTOBA president Patti Dickinson.

Meadow Magic took his place among Michigan’s elite after earning Horse of the Year honors at Sunday’s Michigan Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association year-end awards dinner.

The three-year-old Meadow Prayer gelding punched his ticket on the strength of his wins in this year’s Dowling Stakes and Michigan Sire Stakes, along with finishes on the board in the Mackinac Handicap and Lansing Stakes, all at Pinnacle Race Course. He was the only horse to win multiple stakes races during Pinnacle’s 2010 meet.

Meadow Magic is owned by Laura Jackson and Red Riding Hood Stable, the nom de race of George and Chrissy Kutlenios. He resides in the barn of trainer James Jackson. Those connections celebrated another award earlier in afternoon when Paris Prayer was named champion two-year-old filly.

Arnold Farm, perennially successful at the year-end awards, had another strong showing in 2010. The Hillsdale Mich. farm accounted for four trophies on the afternoon, including Breeder of the Year. Co-Stallion of the Year Meadow Prayer, who stood at Arnold Farm, sired the most award-winners in 2010, with three divisional champions, as well as the horse of the year.

Also taking home their fair share of awards was Owner of the Year Mast Thoroughbreds, who earned honors in both older horse divisions.

On a personal note, I took home my usual awesome haul in the silent auction. I came home with box seats and a dinner package from Arlington Park (got this last year and it was awesome), a gift basket from Hoosier Park and an American Racing Manual from 1972.

As one of the people who helped broker donations for the silent auction, I would like to personally thank Arabian Finish Line Magazine, Midwest Thoroughbred Magazine, Hoosier Park, ThoroFan and Hello Race Fans for their generosity. Others who donated include publications Thoroughbred Times, Blood Horse and Daily Racing Form; information services Equineline and BRISNet; racing organizations Breeders’ Cup and NTRA; stallion farms Adena Springs, Darley America, Hill ‘n Dale Farm and Winstar Farm; and many more, including contributions by several MTOBA members.

One final note related to the silent auction – The Zenyatta Breyer Christmas ornament is easily the Tickle-Me-Elmo of the 2010 holiday season. Its combination of low supply, high demand and the white-hot popularity of its subject make it a coveted item. There was one offered in the silent auction, and it did not take long for it to surpass its Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price. For those that seek it, I can only wish them good luck on their journey.

For a list of all the nominees and winners from the 2010 MTOBA year-end awards, click the link below.

Michigan Notebook: November 15, 2010

– According to the track’s Facebook page, Pinnacle Race Course will be featured in Tuesday’s episode of police drama Detroit-187. It is not known whether scenes will take place on location, or if the track will simply be mentioned by one of the show’s characters. The press release for the upcoming episode does not mention the track, but one of the characters is a high-stakes poker player. The show will air at 10 p.m. Eastern on ABC.

– The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians has unveiled a website outlining its plans for a casino and resort on the former site of Great Lakes Downs. The site includes concept art of the casino, endorsements from local and state government and the steps necessary to make the casino a reality. A compact amendment was signed between the tribe and Gov. Jennifer Granholm to proceed with the casino, but it has not been carried through by the state Legislature. The Muskegon Chronicle reports that if the compact amendment is not acted upon by Dec. 31, it will die in committee. Additional discussion on the proposed casino can be found in the Chronicle story, including arguments for and against the plans.

– The Michigan Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association is collecting donations for its annual year-end silent auction. If any readers or their businesses are interested in donating an item or service, feel free to contact myself or MTOBA directly. For more information on the MTOBA banquet, and for contact information to make reservations, click here.

– In a small bit of chest-thumping, a snippet of my epitaph on the Breeders’ Cup Classic in Thoroughbred Times TODAY was listed as a “Quote of the Day” on Horse Circle, a blog operated by an Ocala, Fla.-based Thoroughbred breeder. I am honored that readers find my work quoteworthy. I hope to supply bulletin board material to you all for years to come.

Daylight Savings colt tops 2010 MTOBA Yearling Sale

Carter Road took home top honors in every stage of Sunday’s Michigan Thoroughbred Owners And Breeders Association Yearling Show and Sale at Michigan State University.

The bay Daylight Savings colt started the day by earning grand champion honors in the yearling show, then followed through by dropping the hammer for a sale-topping price of $16,000. For the second straight year, the top seller was the only horse offered to draw more than $10,000.

The uncertain present and future of Michigan’s racing industry led to only 23 yearlings entering the sales ring, with 13 finding new owners. Of the 41 percent of the entries that failed to meet the reserve, seven did not draw the minimum $1,000 bid and two received bids, but did not meet the price set by their consigners.

For the second straight year, Dan McCarthy was the sale’s leading buyer on the strength of one purchase, which also happened to be the top-seller.

Also enjoying repeat success was leading consignor Opportunity Lane, who sold four horses for a total of $25,500, including the top bid-getter. Opportunity Lane sent out three of the top five sellers in this year’s sale.

Earlier in the day, Carter Road took home the top honors at the yearling show. The reserve champion award went to Dickinson Stable’s Equality filly Bubbicious.

For a detailed breakdown of the sale results, click here.

Let’s take a look at the top sellers from Sunday’s sale, along with a few others who were noteworthy for one reason or another.

Top Five Sellers:

#1: Hip #20 – Carter Road – $16,000

Top bid-getter and yearling show grand champion Carter Road was purchased by leading buyer Dan McCarthy for $16,000. The bay Daylight Savings colt was brought to the ring by leading consignor Opportunity Lane. Carter Road is out of stakes winning Matchlite mare Just Tricks, who notched five wins for career earnings of $96,889. Her two foals of racing age have yet to hit the track. Daylight Savings is the sire of 2007 Michigan champion two-year-old Hot Chili, Sire Stakes winner J.P.’s Big Boy and multiple stakes winner Baba Booyah.

“He’s a phenominal colt,” said Opportunity Lane’s Cami Cumper. “It’s a tough market. The racing industry is really not well. So for the buyers to stand behind a nice colt like that and still pay for him – I’m honored.”

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The rest of the notables from Sunday’s sale can be found behind the jump. Did the horses on your watch list crack the top five? Click below to find out!

2010 MTOBA Yearling Sale Preview

A full sister to last year's sale topper Noequal will be offered in the Aug. 29 MTOBA Yearling Sale.

The increasingly unsteady condition of Michigan’s racing industry is reflected in the low number of entries in the Aug. 29 Michigan Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association Yearling Sale.

This year’s sale catalog features 25 yearlings, a ten-horse decrease from the 35 offered after outs in last year’s installment.

The sale will once again be held at the Michigan State University Pavilion’s south barn in East Lansing, Mich.. The first horse will go through the ring at 1 p.m., preceded by the yearling show at 9 a.m..

Though the catalog may be small, the MTOBA Yearling Sale is a historically fertile ground for Michigan stakes winners, and there are plenty of prospects here with the potential to have successful careers on the racetrack.

To view the online catalog for the 2010 MTOBA Yearling Sale, click here.

Behind the jump are some of the yearlings that caught my attention for one reason or another while browsing the catalog. I welcome reader input on who you think will make a splash in the sale as well.

2010 MTOBA Stallion Season Auction

The Michigan Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association will conduct its annual Stallion Season Auction on Monday and Tuesday.

Over 110 stallions from 14 states have seasons donated for the sale.

Bidding began Monday morning and will continue through Tuesday at 6 p.m. Phone bidding will be available Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For more information on the MTOBA Stallion Season Auction and to see a full list of the seasons being offered, click here.

Let’s have a look at some highlighted stallions from Michigan and elsewhere offering seasons in this sale…

Valley Loot claims third MTOBA Horse of the Year title

Valley Loot won or placed in stakes races at three tracks on her way to being named MTOBA's 2009 Horse of the Year.

For the third straight year, Michigan champion Valley Loot was named Horse of the Year by the Michigan Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association at its year-end awards banquet.

The five-year-old Demaloot Demashoot mare tallied two wins from nine starts during her 2009 campaign for earnings of $112,875.

Valley Loot notched stakes wins in the June 16 Golden Sylvia Handicap at Mountaineer and the Older Filly and Mare division of the Oct. 3 Sire Stakes at Pinnacle Race Course. She finished second in the Farer Belle Lee Handicap at Pinnacle and third in the Larkspur Handicap at Pinnacle, the Autumn Leaves Stakes at Mountaineer and the Windward Stakes at Presque Isle Downs.

Valley Loot is owned by Felicia Campbell and trained by Ronald Allen, Sr.. She was bred in Michigan by Marilyn McMaster. Her regular rider was Federico Mata.

For more information on the winners from the MTOBA Awards Banquet and other happenings during the event, check out my writeup on the MTOBA website.

In related news, I recently accepted a gig writing news updates for the MTOBA website, so if I write anything exciting over there, I’ll post a link to it. Don’t worry, I assure you the new venture will not affect the quality, quantity or objectivity of the content on this site. To quote my favorite recurring character from In Living Color, “Homey don’t play dat.”

As always, I enjoyed myself at the awards banquet. Catching up with people and making new connections in the industry is always a good time.

The silent auction is often my source of reading material for the following year, and there is always some cool memorabilia to bid on. I chipped in a few items myself by donating a few framed photos I took of the scenery at Keeneland Race Course and one I took of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin in the paddock prior to the 2008 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs. Both sold pretty well.

My haul was not as visually impressive as in previous years (I’ve needed a good sized box to carry everything out on more than one occasion), but I still walked out with some goodies. I snagged a set of clubhouse passes to Arlington Park for next year’s meet, so look for a nice recap from the not-so-cheap seats sometime this summer.

In a move to expand my knowledge of the world of horse racing, I bought a book on harness racing – “Harnessing Winners” by Dave Brower. There were also a few Christmas presents in the pile, but to reveal what they were would compromise their surprise value. I’m sure you understand.