E Z Kitty named 2013 Washington Horse of the Year

Bruce and Cass Maller’s E Z Kitty took home three accolades during the Washington Champions Annual Awards Banquet on Saturday, highlighted by the state’s 2013 Horse of the Year honors.

The banquet was held at Emerald Downs in Auburn, Wash., and honored the state’s top Washington-bred runners, connections, and other industry figures.

E Z Kitty, a 6-year-old He’s Tops mare, also took home awards as champion turf horse and champion older female. Running for the Mallers’s Highlander Racing Stable and trained by Jeffrey Metz, E Z Kitty won six of 13 starts last year at Emerald Downs and Turf Paradise for earnings of $183,026.

Her campaign was highlighted by wins in the Emerald Distaff Handicap, Hastings Handicap, and Pegasus Training Center Stakes at Emerald Downs, as well as the Kachina Handicap and Sun City Handicap at Turf Paradise. E Z Kitty, who has already scored a repeat win in the Kachina Handicap this year, was bred in Washington by Jerry and Peggy Woods.

Karl Krieg finished the year as the leading owner by Washington-bred earnings, with $184,080. The bulk of that money came from Absolutely Cool, who was named Washington’s champion sprinter.

The 7-year-old Absolute Harmony gelding competes as a homebred for Krieg, and won one of seven starts in 2013 for $56,255. While his lone win came in the Bienvenidos Stakes at Turf Paradise, Absolutely Cool also finished in the money in five other stakes races last year at Turf Paradise and Canterbury Park. He picked up a first stakes win of 2014 in the Phoenix Gold Cup Handicap on Feb. 15 at Turf Paradise.

Rick and Deborah Pabst of Blue Ribbon Farm were the leading breeders of Washington-breds by earnings, totaling $446,570. The Pabsts stand Washington’s 2013 freshman sire of the year Nationhood, a 12-year-old son of Cherokee Run, at Blue Ribbon Farm in Buckley, Wash.

Parker’s Storm Cat, a 14-year-old son of Storm Cat and a sibling to top sire Malibu Moon, was Washington’s overall leading sire with progeny earnings of $1,105,719. He stands at Gibson Thoroughbred Farm in Thorp, Wash.

Julia Rose earned 2013 Broodmare of the Year honors. The deceased Basket Weave mare produced nine foals, all winners, highlighted by two-time Washington Horse of the Year Noosa Beach. She also produced Music of My Soul, a Harbor the Gold colt who earned the state’s champion 3-year-old male honors in 2013 after being named champion juvenile male last year. Her final foal, Harbor the Gold colt Noosito, was a stakes winner at 2 in 2013.

Pam and Neal Christopherson owned Julia Rose, who died in 2011.

Following is a list of winners from the 2013 Washington Champions annual awards banquet:

Champion Older Female: E Z Kitty
Dk. b. or br. m., 2008, by He’s Tops—Envision the Cat, by Lost Code
Owner: Highlander Racing Stable
Trainer: Jeffrey Metz
Breeders: Jerry D. Woods & Peggy F. Woods (WA)

Champion Older Male: Stryker PHD
B. g., 2009, by Bertrando—Striking Scholar, by Smart Strike
Owners: Mona and Jim Hour
Trainer: Margo Lloyd
Breeders: Char Clark Thoroughbreds & Todd Havens (WA)

Champion 3-year-old Male: Music of My Soul
Dk. b. or br. c., 2010, by Harbor the Gold—Julia Rose, by Basket Weave
Owner: Elttaes Stable
Trainer: Doris Harwood
Breeder: Bar C. Racing Stables Inc. (WA)

Champion 3-year-old Female: Madame Pele
B. f., 2010, by Salt Lake—Striking Scholar, by Smart Strike
Owner: Kama’aina Thoroughbreds
Trainer: Jim Penney
Breeder: Char Clark Thoroughbreds (WA)

Champion 2-year-old Male: Del Rio Harbor
Ch. g., 2011, by Harbor the Gold—Bahati, by Horse Chestnut
Owners/Breeders: Bar C Racing Stables & Desert Rose Racing (WA)
Trainer: Doris Harwood

Champion 2- year-old Female: Chu and You
B. f., 2011, by You and I—Bronze Charmer, by Volponi
Owners/Breeders: Michael & Amy Feuerborn (WA)
Trainer: Robert Baze

Champion Sprinter: Absolutely Cool
Ch. g., 2007, by Absolute Harmony—Coupe de Foudre, by Basket Weave
Owner/Breeder: Karl Krieg
Trainer: Valorie Lund

Champion Turf Horse: E Z Kitty

Horse of the Year: E Z Kitty

Leading Sire: Parker’s Storm Cat

Leading Freshman Sire: Nationhood

Broodmare of the Year: Julia Rose

Leading breeders by Washington-bred money won: Fred and Deborah Pabst (Blue Ribbon Farm)

Leading owner by Washington-bred money won: Karl Kreig