Stakes winner Lonesome Boy (Nationhood) was named Washington's Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old at a ceremony held Saturday at Emerald Downs Racetrack. Owned by John Parker and campaigned on the East Coast, the bay colt won the City of Brotherly Love Stakes at Parx last March. Parker repeated as the state's leading owner for the second year in a row.
Top 2-year-old honors were shared by Blue Ribbon Racing #23's unbeaten three-time stakes-winning filly Precise Timing (Dialed In) and Dr. Jack and Margaret “Cookie” Root's homebred Big Bowie (Mr. Big).
Jill Fabulich and Lori Heist's Chai (Race Day), who like Precise Timing was bred by Rick and Debbie Pabst, was named champion 3-year-old filly.
Older horses Slew's Tiz Whiz (Slew's Tiznow) and Blazingbellablu (Grazen) were each named state champions for the third time in a row. Slew's Crew Racing's Slew's Tiz Whiz, who was the 2022-23 Washington Horse of the Year, earned the title of champion older horse for the third time and is now a two-time champion sprinter. Petra Lewin and trainer Charlie Essex's homebred Blazingbellablu was the state's 2021 Horse of the Year and the now-retired broodmare was named champion older filly or mare in 2022 through 2024.
Tampa Bay Downs race caller, podcast host and Washington native Jason Beem was honored with the Mark Kaufman Media Award and retiring Washington Horse Racing Commissioner Robert Lopez was given the WTBOA/WHBPA Special Recognition Award.
Four other special recognition awards were given to trainers Bonnie Jenne and Tim McCanna (for reaching the 2,500th pinnacle), jockey J. Carlos Montalvo and Emerald Downs track superintendent Wayne Damron.
For the second year in a row, and eighth time overall, Nina and Ron Hagen were named the state's breeders of the year.
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