The Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association’s Iroquois Awards, honoring the top Pennsylvania-bred Thoroughbreds of 2019, was held via Zoom Friday night, June 26.

Mirth The big winner of the night was GI victress Mirth (Colonel John), who took home Horse of the Year, Older Female and Turf Female.

She wired both the GI Rodeo Drive S. and GIII Robert J. Frankel S.

Bred by Barlar, LLC, Mirth didn't make her stakes debut until June of her 4-year-old season in her 13th career start.

Three months later, she was a G1 winner by taking Santa Anita's G1 Rodeo Drive Stakes at 1 1/4 miles while leading at every call in 1:58.47, and then wrapped up the year with a score in the G3 Robert J. Frankel Stakes, and in between, set the pace in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf before giving way late to be beaten less than six lengths.

She won or placed in seven of 11 starts for the year and earned $347,281.

The steeplechase category went to Senior Senator (Domestic Dispute).

Bred by Charles C.D. McGill, the timber star made history by winning the Maryland Hunt Cup for a third time, the first horse to do so in 36 years, and also accounted for his third consecutive Grand National Timber Stakes.

 

TOP 2-YEAR-OLD filly went to stakes winner Weed Wacker (Artie Schiller), bred by Triple Threat Stables LLC, and the leading juvenile colt was Newstome (Goldencents), a three-time stakes winner bred by Equivune Farm.

The leading sophomores were stakes-winning filly Gotta Be Strong (Strong Mandate), bred by Scott Naylor, and GSP Parsimony (Dominus),bred by Maria Montz Haire, who captured the Curlin S. in Meydan.

MGSW Prince Lucky (Corinthian), bred by Daniel McConnll, Sr., took home top older male, and dual graded victor Pumpkin Rumble (English Channel), bred by Smart Angle LLP, was named leading turf male.

Pennsylvania’s best sprinters last year were Bronx Beauty (Liaison), bred by Blackstone Farm LLC, a three-time stakes winner in 2019, and Midtowncharlybrown (Uptowncharlybrown), bred by Godric, LLC, who captured a pair of black-type events.

PA-Preferred Female was awarded to Imply (E Dubai), bred by Barlar, who also took home leading breeding fund recipient, and the PA-Preferred Male was Midnightcharly (Uptowncharlybrown), bred by Godric.

Mirth’s dam DI’s Delight (French Deputy) was named top broodmare.

Leading total breeding fund recipient was Northview Stallion Station with $434,751; Leading overall breeder of PA-breds was Blackstone Farm with $2,151,160; Leading stallion was the late Jump Start; and OTTB went to Fairly Obvious.

Bettina Jenney, who managed Derry Meeting Farm after her husband's death, took home the lifetime achievement award, and the award of merit went to Touch of Kindness Sanctuary.