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NEWS AND INSIGHT ON WINBAK FARM

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It will be 'party on' for the connections of Winbak Farm on Sunday, July 7 as two of their horses, Pennsylvania sire Bettor’s Delight and broodmare Lady Ashlee Ann will both be inducted into the Living Hall of Fame at the Harness Racing Museum.


"I'm planning on being there," said Winbak owner Joe Thomson, "It's a very nice situation for us and we are very fortunate to have two of our horses being inducted. It will be a great evening."


For anyone who has never been to Goshen or to the Hall of Fame induction dinner, well you need to make it happen and tickets are still available for the dinner at www.harnessmuseum.com or call them at 845-294-6330.


And what a "daily double" Winbak Farm has going into the Hall of Fame. Bettor's Delight, career winner of $2,581,461, winner of the Breeder's Crown, Governor's Cup, Nassagaweya Stakes, North America Cup Final, Little Brown Jug, New Jersey Pacing Classic, Tattersalls Pace, Simcoe Stake, and more. He currently stands in Pennsylvania for Winbak Farm.


Since 2002 he has sired 1106 registered foals with 792 starters, 610 with marks of under 2:00 and 366 with records of 1:55 or less. Those 792 starters have earned an impressive $93.7 million.


"I remember selling him at Harrisburg as one of their Sunday Night Specials." Thomson recalled.


"On that night you usually saw the best yearlings of the sale and this time they were some big good looking colts. But Bettor's Delight was a little on the smaller side. He brought $65,000 and what a horse he turned out to be, both on the racetrack and as a stallion. We are so pleased to have him."


But there are two parts of a Daily Double and the second half for Winbak Farm will be the induction into the Hall of Fame of their top broodmare, Lady Ashlee Ann.


She was a good racehorse, sired by Camtastic from the Adios Vic mare, Preacher Edith. Lady Ashlee Ann took a record of 1:51.3 at age 3 and retired to the broodmare barn after her four-year-old season with career earnings of $95,481. She is also a full and half sister to eight winners, including five sub 1:56 pacers.


But it was who Lady Ashlee Ann foaled that has earned her induction into the Hall of Fame. She has had 13 foals of racing age, one is a two-year-old getting ready for his first start, but of the other 12 foals, only has not raced and from the other 11, well her breeding record is one that may never get beaten.


Let's start with her first foal, BJ's Squall in 1998. She took a record of 1:53.1 and earned $261,750; then came Ashlee's Big Guy 1:50.4 and $978,168 in earnings, then three pacers that were just OK, but then Artist's View 1:49.4 with earnings of $788,811 then three more raceway horses and then she dropped a bomb by the name of Betterthancheddar. He is only one of the best pacers currently in harness racing, has a record of 1:48 and earnings of $1.6 million which in all likelihood will surpass $2 million by year's end.


"I bought her dam, Preacher Edith," Thomson explained, "and she was in foal to Camtastic and when she foaled on June 15, I named the filly after my daughter Ashlee Ann. She was a small filly so instead of selling her I gave her to Joe Holloway to train and she barely covered her training and stakes costs as two-year-old. But at age three she improved but one day Joe called me and said that Lady Ashlee Ann got a spider bite and might die from it. Well, two weeks later she not only recovered but took her mark of 1:51.3. So I knew she was something special, we tried to get $100,000 in earnings on her card and then bred her. She has done us great as a broodmare."


And just by chance, who might the sire be of Lady Ashlee Ann's best foal, Betterthancheddar? Well it's none other than the first half of Winbak Farm's Daily Double induction into the Hall of Fame, Bettor's Delight!


But Lady Ashlee Ann's story does not end so fast as she just had a foal on May 9, a colt and it's sired by none other than Bettor's Delight...anyone want to start the bidding for this foal in two years?