| PHBA AWARDS |
2017 PHBA CHAMPIONS he Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association (PHBA) hosted the 39th Annual Iroquois Awards Banquet on June 8 at the Hotel Hershey for a great night of dinner, cocktails, and conversation. Retired Hall of Fame jockey and three-time Eclipse Award winner Ramon Dominguez gave the keynote speech. New this year was the Lifetime Achievement Award, given to Hall of Fame trainer and long-time Pennsylvania breeder Jonathan Sheppard. New awards were added for any PA-bred that has achieved a million dollars or more in lifetime earnings. Brushwood Stable’s Unique Bella was crowned Horse of the Year after her incredible achievements in 2017, and she has recently cracked the million dollar mark herself. Additional photographs and video from the evening are available at www.pabred.com.
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HORSE OF THE YEAR Three-Year-Old Female and Female Sprinter UNIQUE BELLA GR/RO, F, Foaled March 2, 2014 / Tapit – Unrivaled Belle, by Unbridled’s Song Bred by Brushwood Stable The 2017 Eclipse Award champion female sprinter competed solely in graded stakes and won five of her six starts while earning $550,000, making her the richest PA-bred three-year-old of 2017. Her victories, all at Santa Anita, came in the Grade 1 La Brea, Grade 2 Santa Ynez and Las Virgenes, and Grade 3 Santa Ysabel and L.A. Woman.
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Two-Year-Old Male PRINCE LUCKY B, G, Foaled April 13, 2015 / Corinthian – Lucky Notion, by Great Notion Bred by Daniel W. McConnell Sr. Winner of the Pennsylvania Nursery at Parx by nearly three lengths, which was one of the gelding’s three wins from four starts at three different tracks. By former Pennsylvania stallion Corinthian, he finished third in the First State Dash Stakes at Delaware Park in his other start. BELOW LEFT: Unique Bella BELOW RIGHT: Prince Lucky
Keynote speaker, retired Hall of Fame jockey and three-time Eclipse Award winner Ramon Dominguez
Two-Year-Old Female DAISY B, F, Foaled May 3, 2015 / Blame – Lovely Stay, by Flower Alley Bred by Jonathan E. Sheppard The richest PA-bred juvenile of 2017, she won her first two starts, including Aqueduct’s Grade 3 Tempted Stakes, by a combined 12¾ lengths, and was fourth in her only other outing, the Grade 2 Demoiselle Stakes.