Indian Miss, dam of Hot Rod Charlie and Mitole, honored as Kentucky's Broodmare of the Year

Indian Miss, the dam of 2019 Eclipse Award champion Mitole and classic-placed Grade 1 winner Hot Rod Charlie, has been honored as Kentucky's Broodmare of the Year.

The award, considered the national honor for a broodmare, was officially announced on Wednesday at the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association and Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders' annual awards luncheon in Lexington. The KTA/KTOB also presented its other awards to Kentucky-breds in various divisions, led by Essential Quality, honored as horse of the year and champion 3-year-old male to go with his second divisional Eclipse trophy that he was presented in February. .

Indian Miss, a 13-year-old Indian Charlie mare, was bred in Kentucky by the late Edward Cox, Jr. She was winless in two starts in the fall of 2011 before joining the broodmare band. She is the dam of five winners from six starters. Her two best foals, Mitole, a 2015 colt by Eskendereya, and Hot Rod Charlie, a 2018 colt by Oxbow, were both bred by Cox, who died in March 2019.

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Mitole, racing for Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt, won 10 of 14 starts and never missed the board while earning more than $3.1 million. Of his seven stakes victories, five came in 2019, including Grade 1 triumphs in the Churchill Downs Stakes, Metropolitan Handicap, Forego Stakes, and Breeders' Cup Sprint to secure divisional Eclipse Award honors.

Hot Rod Charlie has earned more than $5.1 million for his ownership of Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing, Strauss Bros Racing, and Gainesway Thoroughbreds. Last year, he won the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby and Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby and placed in four other graded stakes events. He finished second to champion Essential Quality in the Belmont Stakes and crossed the line third in the Kentucky Derby.

Hot Rod Charlie spent the winter campaigning in Dubai, and was second in last month's Dubai World Cup.

Indian Miss was purchased for $1.9 million by Larry Best's OXO Equine out of the 2020 Keeneland November breeding stock sale. She delivered the Into Mischief colt she was carrying at the time in January 2021 and was subsequently bred to Best's first-year stallion Instagrand, a son of Into Mischief. She delivered a colt in January of this year.

Also honored by the KTA and KTOB were Corniche and Echo Zulu as Kentucky-bred juvenile champions; Malathaat as champion 3-year-old filly; Maxfield and Letruska for the older dirt male and female awards; Colonel Liam and War Like Goddess for turf honors; Jackie's Warrior and Ce Ce as male and female sprint champions; Mystic Guide as outstanding Kentucky-bred racing abroad; and Snap Decision as outstanding steeplechaser.

Merit awards were also presented to individuals for their contributions to the Kentucky Thoroughbred industry, with the P.A.B. Widener Trophy for KTOB Breeder of the Year going to Godolphin; the Hardboot Breeders’ Award presented to Hargus and Sandra Sexton; the Charles W. Engelhard Award for outstanding coverage presented to Alicia Hughes; and the William T. Young Humanitarian Award recognizing Earle Mack. A lifetime contribution award acknowledged the contributions for Dr. Peter J. Timoney.

The 2021 Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF) money earners in five categories were also recognized at Wednesday's event in sire of the year Into Mischief, KTDF top-earning racehorse of the year Gear Jockey, owner and breeder of the year Godolphin, and trainer of the year Brad Cox.