George Schwartz’s Way With Words, a winner of three stakes races last year, has been named New Jersey-bred Horse of the Year for 2009. Way With Words also garnered honors as champion handicap mare.
Bred in New Jersey by George & Margaret Schwartz, Way With Words showed her versatility by winning three stakes races in 2009, each at a different distance. The six year old mare captured the $60,000 Spruce Fir Handicap at the distance of one mile & seventy yards on July 12 at Monmouth Park for her first stake victory of the year. Way With Words then blew away the competition by four lengths in the $75,000 Eleven North Handicap at six furlongs. The champion horse, trained by Mary Eppler, then won her next start on September 20 at the one mile and one sixteenth distance winning the $70,000 Politely Stakes at Monmouth Park.
Headless Horsemen Racing, LLC campaigns the champion two-year-old filly, Karmageddon. The daughter of Wildcat Heir captured two of her three starts including the $60,000 filly division of the Jersey Juvenile Stakes. Karmageddon was bred in New Jersey by her owner and is trained by Douglas Nunn.
David Wilkinson’s Love Who was named champion two-year-old colt or gelding after winning two of his five starts including the $60,000 colt division of the Jersey Juvenile Stakes. Bred by Hidden Acres 4-D Farm, Love Who is by Not For Love out of the Deputed Testamony mare Laura Who. The two-year-old champion is trained by Steven Krebs.
Clear Faith was named champion three-year-old colt or gelding after winning three of his nine starts and earning $126,678. The son of Cryptoclearance was bred by Golden Dome Stables and is owned by Maggie Moss. Clear Faith is trained by Bruce Levine.
John Petrini’s homebred Love That Dance was named champion three-year-old filly after winning two stakes races in 2009. The daughter of Not For Love captured the $60,000 Open Mind Handicap at Monmouth Park and the $95,000 Maryland Million Oaks at Laurel Park. Love That Dance also finished second in the Spruce Fir Handicap and Trenton Stakes en route to earnings of $ 157,854. She is trained by Ben Perkins, Jr.
Ed Broome is the breeder, owner, and trainer of the champion sprinter Lucky James. The son of Sultry Song won four races, including the $75,000 New Jersey Breeder’s Handicap at Monmouth Park and the $78,000 Eillo Stakes at the Meadowlands. Lucky James is out of the North Prospect mare, Zul, and has career earnings of $294,894.
Kevin Sleeter’s homebred Talkin About Love was named champion turf runner after winning the $118,000 Maryland Million Ladies Stakes at Laurel Park in her initial start on the grass. The 2008 New Jersey-bred Horse of the Year also won the $85,000 Revidere Stakes at Monmouth Park and has career earnings of $715,003. Talkin About Love is trained by her owner.
Patricia Generazio’s homebred At the Disco was named champion handicap horse after winning three stake races in 2009. At the Disco captured the $60,000 Bernie Dowd Handicap at Monmouth Park, the $60,000 Lincroft Handicap and the $80,000 Alysheba Stakes at the Meadowlands. Trained by Mary Hartmann, At the Disco earned $166,924 in 2009.
She’s Jane, a daughter of Northern Idol-Sharon’s Stunning, by Ziad is the 2009 recipient of the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association of New Jersey Broodmare of the Year award. She’s Jane is owned by Kevin Sleeter.
She’s Jane produced four foals, three of which have raced. Her top foal to date is the multiple stakes winner and 2009 champion turf runner, Talkin About Love
Defrere has been named the 2009 recipient of the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association of New Jersey stallion of the year. A dark bay or brown horse by Deputy Minister-Sister Dot, by Secretariat, Defrere has sired 36 stakes horses in his career.
His lifetime progeny earnings total over $21.2 million, with the stallion’s average earnings per starter at $66,614. Defrere’s top earner, Le Mars Girl won 11 races and earned over $3 million while racing in Japan. Defrere is also the sire of New Jersey-bred stakes winners Carrots Only ($367,053), Open Skies ($182,047) and A Dynamite Time ($108,330).
Defrere is owned by a syndicate and stands at Walnford Stud in Allentown.