Heavenly Score to be honored as top Arkansas-bred

Trainer John Terranova’s barn at Belmont Park houses the 2017 Arkansas-bred of the Year.

Heavenly Score will be honored with that title Friday night during the Arkansas Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Horsemen’s Association annual awards banquet. She led all Arkansas-breds in earnings last year with $222,750.

Heavenly Score went 4 for 10 last year, with all of her starts coming in New York. She was a maiden special weight winner last January at Aqueduct, then won allowances at Saratoga, Belmont, and Aqueduct. Heavenly Score also finished second in the Cicada Stakes at Aqueduct.

“She’s been a fun filly,” said Terranova. “She’s been successful so far on turf and dirt. We kind of figured out she’s more of a one-turn filly – here in New York, anyway. She’s been versatile on either surface.”

Heavenly Score is a daughter of Even the Score who races for Curragh Stables. It is a New York-based partnership, said Terranova, with the lead partner being Michael Devlin.

McDowell Farm bred Heavenly Score and will receive her award Friday. McDowell also will be honored as the 2017 Arkansas Breeder of the Year after the farm last year produced Arkansas-bred earners of a record $1.1 million. Celestial Crown is the dam of Heavenly Score.

Terranova said Heavenly Score has been freshened and is gearing up for the launch of her 4-year-old season.

“We’re getting ready for something mid- to late April, maybe at Belmont,” he said. “We want to kick off the spring nice and fresh. We have a lot of options.

“She’s a nice, big, strong-looking filly, and we’re happy to have her.”

Heavenly Score was a private purchase at 2.

Jesse Ullery, the former announcer at Will Rogers Downs who now is the pedigree announcer for auctions at Keeneland, will be the keynote speaker during Friday night’s awards banquet at the Clarion on the Lake in Hot Springs.