Klarman, Lawrence, WinStar Farm honored with TOBA awards

Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables and longtime partner William Lawrence were honored as the 2016 Owners of the Year, and WinStar Farm was named Breeders of the Year as the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association held its annual awards dinner Saturday at historic Calumet Farm.

The Klaravich team, which was named Southern Region Owner of the Year, earned the national award over fellow regional honorees Juddmonte Farms (Eastern), John Oxley (Midwest), and Spendthrift Farm (Western).

The outfit's top runners in 2016 included multiple Grade 1 winner Practical Joke, Grade 1 winner Annals of Time, multiple Grade 1-placed Money Multiplier, and Grade 2 winners Paid Up Subscriber and Deeply Undervalued. This year, the operation has reached new heights, campaigning Preakness Stakes winner Cloud Computing and with Practical Joke adding another Grade 1 win to his résumé.

WinStar Farm adds to its trophy case after earning the 2016 Eclipse Award as the nation's outstanding breeder, leading its peers by earnings ($10,516,427), winners (239), and graded stakes wins (15). WinStar’s season was highlighted by breeding a pair of Breeders’ Cup winners.

The homebred Tourist, by flagship sire Tiznow, won the Breeders’ Cup Mile by a half-length over defending winner and two-time Eclipse champion Tepin. One day earlier, New Money Honey, whom WinStar bred and sold for $450,000 at the Keeneland September yearling sale, captured the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in the colors of e Five Racing.

TOBA also presented its Small Breeder of the Year Award to Bob Manfuso, who operates Chanceland Farm in Maryland with Katy Voss. The outfit bred 2016 Kentucky Oaks winner Cathryn Sophia.

TOBA had previously bestowed best-in-state breeders awards to both WinStar (Kentucky) and Manfuso (Maryland) as it awarded 2016 honors to operations from several states and Canada.

The other honorees were Bill McDowell (Arkansas), Heinz Steinmann (California), Adrian and David Munro (Canada), Gilbert G. Campbell (Florida), Barney and Anne Gallagher (Illinois), Michael E. and Penny S. Lauer (Indiana), Allen Poindexter (Iowa), Lance and Valerie Gabriel (Kansas), Irwin Olian (Louisiana), Ken Posco (Massachusetts), Lisa Campbell (Michigan), Rick Bremer and Cheryl Sprick (Minnesota), Daniel Lopez (New Jersey), Chester and Mary Broman (New York), Nancy Shuford (North Carolina), Tim Hamm (Ohio), Neil Knapp (Oregon), Franklin Smith Sr. (South Carolina), Craig Upham (Texas), Mrs. William M. Backer (Virginia), and Jean and Jeff Harris (Washington).

Leslie's Lady, the dam of four-time champion Beholder and Grade 1 winner Into Mischief, was named TOBA's Broodmare of the Year after earlier being named Kentucky's Broodmare of the Year.

Also honored at Saturday night's ceremony were Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association Claiming Crown Horse of the Year Royal Posse and Rood and Riddle Thoroughbred Sport Horse of the Year Zine Dine. The Robert Clay Award recognizing land conservation went to the Heubeck family.

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