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SARATOGA SPRINGS — Grade I winner Spendarella was named New York-bred Horse of the Year at the New York Thoroughbred Breeders Inc.’s annual awards ceremony at Saratoga National Golf Course on Monday night.
Bred by the Kentucky-based Gainesway Thoroughbreds and foaled at Sequel New York in Hudson, Spendarella also won NY-bred championships in two other divisions, 3-year-old filly and female turf horse.
Trained by Graham Motion, she won 4 of 5 starts, including the Grade I Del Mar Oaks in California on Aug. 20. Her only loss in 2022 was a second-place finish at Ascot in England, in the Group 1 Coronation Stakes.
She also won the Grade II Appalachian at Keeneland and the Grade III Herecomesthebride at Gulfstream Park.
“It’s amazing having homebreds perform so well,” Gainesway’s Antony Beck said in a NYTB release. “She’s a machine, an incredibly athletic, very well-balanced filly with an amazing hind leg. She has superb action and power and seems to be extremely intelligent and likes to win. That’s what you want.”
In her 2023 debut, Spendarella finished second in the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile on the Kentucky Derby undercard at Churchill Downs last Saturday.
Spendarella’s success also earned her dam, Spanish Bunny, the honor of New York Broodmare of the Year.
Americanrevolution was named top New York-bred older dirt male, in part because of his second-place finish to Olympiad in the Grade I Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga Race Course.
Olympiad went on to be a Eclipse Award finalist for older dirt male, won in a landslide by Flightline.
Besides Spendarella, City Man (male turf horse champ) was a New York-bred multiple graded stakes winner in 2022, in the Grade III Forbidden Apple at Saratoga and the Grade II Fort Lauderdale at Gulfstream Park. He was also second to Emaraaty in the Grade III Bernard Baruch on closing day of the Saratoga meet.
Other NY-bred champions who ran at Saratoga include Wudda U Think Now (male sprinter), who won the John Morrissey; Acoustic Ave. (2-year-old male), who broke his maiden there in July; and Les Bon Temps (2-year-old filly), who was fourth in the Seeking the Ante.
Bank Sting was a double winner, for female sprinter and older dirt female. She won two stakes restricted to New York-breds at Aqueduct and one at Belmont Park, and tested graded stakes company twice, finishing second in the Grade III Go for Wand at Aqueduct to close out her 2022 season in December.
The 2022 New York-bred Horse of the Year and divisional champions were chosen by a vote of New York turf writers, handicappers, photographers and television and radio hosts and analysts.
Horse of the Year: Spendarella
2-year-old filly: Les Bon Temps
2-year-old male: Acoustic Ave
3-year-old male: Rotknee
3-year-old filly: Spendarella
Older dirt female: Bank Sting
Older dirt male: Americanrevolution
Female sprinter: Bank Sting
Male sprinter: Wudda U Think Now
Male turf horse: City Man
Female turf horse: Spendarella
Steeplechase horse: Down Royal
Broodmare of the Year: Spanish Bunny
Breeder of the Year: Chester and Mary Broman.
Trainer of the Year: Christophe Clement.
Jockey of the Year: Manny Franco
Contact Mike MacAdam at [email protected]. Follow on Twitter @Mike_MacAdam.
Categories: -Sports-, At The Track, Sports
