Monticello, NY --- Joe Thomson, the squire of Winbak Farms, has emerged as one of the leading figures in the Standardbred sport. Over the past ten years or so, Winbak has been among the top breeding operations in the sport.
Later this fall the Monticello-Goshen chapter of the U.S. Harness Writers Association will honor Joe Thomson. He will be the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award and the presentation will be made when the chapter holds its 54th annual awards banquet at The Fountains on Sands Road in Middletown, N.Y., on Nov. 18.
Joe and his wife JoAnn founded Winbak Farm in 1991. They had purchased Winfield Farm, where the great Thoroughbred Northern Dancer was foaled. Not being able to use the name Winfield the Thomsons shortened it to Win and used the initials of their children, Bradley, Ashley and Kimberly, to form the name Winbak.
Winbak Farm is the Standardbred breeding industry's largest single family owned and operated breeding farm. Winbak specializes in standing, breeding, raising and selling some of the best Standardbred horses in the industry. Winbak Farm is located on 2,000 acres of lush farmland in Maryland horse country near Chesapeake City, not far from Philadelphia and Baltimore.
In the last ten years, Winbak bred, raised and sold three Horse of the Year champions: No Pan Intended, Rainbow Blue and Muscle Hill. Winbak is also the breeder for Hambletonian winners Vivid Photo and Muscle Hill. This past year, Winbak bred the 3-year-old Pacing Colt of the Year, Roll With Joe. Since 1998 Winbak has bred winners of over $150 million.
A graduate of Transylvania University in Lexington, Ky., Thomson earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and economics. Upon graduation in 1966, he served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. Today he is currently a trustee of his alma mater.
Thomson was recently elected president of the Standardbred Breeders Association of Pennsylvania and is an honoree of the Little Brown Jug Hall of Fame. He is also a trustee and director of the Harness Racing Museum and Hall of Fame in Goshen, N.Y., and a director of the Hambletonian Society. He is also one of four owners of The Red Mile in Lexington, Ky. In addition to his holdings in harness racing, he is president of Pacer Financial Inc., a financial planning company.
With his outstanding credentials and his dedication to the harness racing industry, there is little doubt that the Harness Racing Hall of Fame will come calling in the very near future.