Breeders' Cup honors Fink as top breeder of 2012

Morton Fink, the owner and breeder of Horse of the Year contender Wise Dan, has received the John Deere Award for Outstanding Breeder by Breeders’ Cup Ltd., the organization announced on Friday.

The award is presented to the breeder who amasses the most points in a system based on wins in Breeders’ Cup races and the races within the Breeders’ Cup Challenge series. Fink’s total was 30, based on Wise Dan’s wins in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, Woodbine Mile, and Shadwell Turf Mile. All are Grade 1 races, worth 10 points each.

Bred in Kentucky, Wise Dan is by Wiseman’s Ferry out of Lisa Danielle, by Wolf Power. Fink named Lisa Danielle after a granddaughter. “I’ve been in the business for more than 40 years and it’s a major miracle when you breed and race a horse like Wise Dan,” Fink said in a release from Breeders’ Cup. “I bought Lisa Danielle for $29,000 and she won all of one race in her career. Wiseman’s Ferry’s stud fee was $1,000, so there are no words to describe when something like this happens. With a few distractions, everything has worked out perfectly.”

Trained by Charles Lopresti, Wise Dan won five races, all graded stakes, and finished second in his only other start this year, the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap. His impressive record, with dominating wins on three different surfaces, has made him a leading candidate for Horse of the Year.