TOBA names regional, state award winners

Juddmonte Farms, Winchell Thoroughbreds, Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey, and Kaleem Shah have earned regional Owner of the Year honors from the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA), and will be honored at the organization’s annual awards dinner Friday, Sept. 11 at Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms in Lexington, Ky.

The TOBA awards honor the achievements of Thoroughbred owners in the four major North American racing regions and breeders in 23 states and Canada. A National Owner of the Year will be named at the dinner from the four regional award winners.

Juddmonte Farms was named the Eastern Region Owner of the Year; the outfit’s season was highlighted by Eclipse Award champion older female Close Hatches. Winchell Thoroughbreds, which campaigned champion Untapable, was named Midwestern Region Owner of the Year. The Ramseys, reigning Eclipse Award outstanding owner-breeders and TOBA National Owner-Breeders of the Year, are the Southern Region Owners of the Year. Shah, owner of 2014 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Bayern, parlayed that into the Western Region Owner of the Year award.

TOBA also announced the state and Canadian breeders of the year, with the Ramseys earning the Kentucky title. Other outfits being honored are Triple AAA Ranch (Arizona), McDowell Farm (Arkansas), Nick Alexander (California), Sam-Son Farm (Canada), Ocala Stud (Florida), Richard and Karen Papiese (Illinois), Michael E. and Penny S. Lauer (Indiana), William Hobbs (Iowa), Charles Craig Smith (Louisiana), Howard M. Bender (Maryland), Arnold Farms, LLC (Michigan), Rake Farms (Minnesota), Bright View Farm, Inc. (New Jersey), J. Kirk and Judy Robison (New Mexico), Chester and Mary Broman (New York), Steve Laymon (North Carolina), Bill Maulding (North Dakota), 3 Clovers Farm (Ohio), Dr. Rodney E. Orr (Oregon), South Carolina: Franklin G. Smith (South Carolina), the Estate of Clarence Scharbauer, Jr. (Texas), the Estate of Edward P. Evans (Virginia), and Todd and Shawn Hansen (Washington). TOBA’s National Breeder and National Small Breeder of the Year will be announced at the awards dinner.

TOBA will also honor Robert Sanford with the Robert N. Clay Award. In partnership with the Equine Land Conservation Resource, this award recognizes a member of the Thoroughbred community who has made an outstanding contribution to preserving land for equine use.

Additionally, TOBA will honor Fun House, dam of champion Untapable, as the National Broodmare of the Year. This award offers catalog designation from the North American International Cataloguing Standards Committee. The mare, who is also the dam of Grade 1 winner Paddy O’Prado, was earlier this year named Kentucky Broodmare of the Year.

Successful eventer Mensa G, owned by Carl Bouckaert, Nathalie Bouckaert Pollard and Jack Michael Pollard, Jr., will be named the Rood and Riddle Thoroughbred Sport Horse of the Year. This award honors a Thoroughbred former racehorse that has excelled in sport horse competitions as tracked by the United States Equestrian Federation.

Tickets for the national awards dinner may be purchased at www.toba.org.