Stage Magic, dam of Justify, Kentucky broodmare of the year

Stage Magic, whose two graded stakes winners last season included unbeaten Triple Crown winner Justify, has been named Kentucky's broodmare of the year for 2018.

The broodmare of the year award was among a number of honors picked up by those connected to Justify at the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association's annual awards luncheon on Wednesday at Keeneland.

Justify, who swept the Triple Crown for the partnership of WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners, and Starlight Racing, was honored as the Kentucky-bred horse of the year and champion 3-year-old male, after also picking up Eclipse Awards in the same categories. Justify's breeder, the Glennwood Farm of John and Tanya Gunther, also earned Eclipse Award honors, and on Wednesday, Gunther was honored with the P.A.B. Widener Trophy as the Kentucky's breeder of the year.

The Broodmare of the Year trophy was first presented in 1946, making it KTOB's oldest award. Its latest honoree is the Grade 3-placed Ghostzapper mare Stage Magic, who was also bred and campaigned by Glennwood before joining the broodmare band. Justify, by Scat Daddy, is the mare's second foal, and Tanya Gunther says that there are physical and personality traits shared by the mare and her most famous son.

"They've got a similar hind end, in terms of the hind leg," Tanya Gunther said. "He's a bigger, stronger, 'man' of a horse, of course, but they do share a lot of similarities in terms of their physical traits. And she's also a mare who knows what she wants. I've heard [trainer Bob Baffert] talk about how he'll tolerate you for a minute and then he's kind of done. She is exactly like that. When she's foaled, she'll let a couple people in there, but if there's too many, she'll let you know."

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Stage Magic is also the dam of The Lieutenant, by Street Sense, who won the Grade 3 All American Stakes at Golden Gate and placed in three other stakes, including a runner-up effort in the Grade 2 Suburban. Overall, the mare is the dam of three winners from four starters. Her next runner in the pipeline will be One More City, a 2-year-old Will Take Charge colt who was retained by Glennwood after failing to meet his reserve at last year's Keeneland September yearling sale. After delivering a Pioneerof the Nile colt in April 2018, Stage Magic was bred to Quality Road, and she is booked to Curlin for this breeding season.

Other Kentucky-bred equine honorees at the KTOB awards included Accelerate (older dirt male), Abel Tasman (older dirt female), Monomoy Girl (3-year-old female), Oscar Performance (male turf), Rushing Fall (female turf), Roy H (male sprint), Marley's Freedom (female sprint), Game Winner (2-year-old male), Jaywalk (2-year-old female), Balance the Budget (steeplechaser), and Roaring Lion (racing abroad).

Kitten's Joy, who stands at Hill 'n' Dale Farm, was recognized by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund as the leading Kentucky sire of the year. Ken and Sarah Ramsey, who bred and raced the turf champion, were recognized as the KTDF's leading owner and breeder by earnings. Bound for Nowhere was the KTDF's top earner, and Mike Maker was recognized by the Fund as leading trainer.

Alice Headley Chandler of Mill Ridge Farm and Keeneland's James E. Bassett, III, were honored at the luncheon with lifetime achievement awards.

The William T. Young Humanitarian Award was presented to Thoroughbred Charities of America, the Hardboot Breeders’ Award was presented to Frank Penn Jr., and the Charles W. Engelhard Award for media coverage was presented to Horse Racing Radio Network.