MANALAPAN,
NJ – December 11, 2015 – Southwind Farms in Pennington has been selected as the
New Jersey Breeder of the Year for 2015, it was announced by the Breeders
Committee of the Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey
on December 11, 2015.
Among
the Southwind standouts of 2015 was Southwind Frank, the likely divisional
champion among the two-year-old trotting colts and geldings.
Southwind
Farms will receive the presentation on January 24, 2016 at the 59th
Annual New Jersey Breeders Awards Luncheon at 1 p.m. at O’Connor’s Restaurant
[formerly Charley’s Other Brother] in Eastampton, NJ.
Southwind
Frank, a son of Muscle Hill – Flawless Lindy, won 11 of 12 starts in 2015,
earning $786,419 for the partnership of Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver
Bruscemi LLC, Our Horse Cents Stables and J&T Silva Stables LLC. A
$100,000 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale purchase, he was trained by Ron Burke
and driven in most of his starts by Yannick Gingras.
Beginning
with the $100,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes Final on July 17 at the Meadowlands,
he strung together 10 straight victories, including the $349,850 Peter Haughton
Memorial at the Meadowlands, the $283,480 William Wellwood Final at Mohawk and
the $600,000 Breeders Crown Final at Woodbine.
His
record of 1:52.2 was taken on October 8, winning an International Stallion
Stakes at Lexington’s Red Mile.
“Receiving this award is bittersweet,” said Laura Young,
Southwind’s general manager. “It is wonderful we are being recognized as
the top breeder in New Jersey, but on the other hand there are not many of us
left. At Southwind Farms, we choose to fly under the radar.
Sometimes being silent is louder than loud. We have always produced top
quality racehorses from our facility. We average 75 percent two-year-old
starter and 85 percent three-year-old starter stats, which is pretty impressive
for any breeding farm. This does not go unrecognized by owners and
trainers.
“There are many things that sets Southwind Farms apart from other
breeding facilities in New Jersey” she added “Many of these things have
assured our survival through tough times. We continue to keep everything
we possibly can in-house. We make our own hay and straw, and we outsource
very little on the facility. Southwind has also found many other ways to
ensure revenue flow to keep us going, such as managing stallions [Muscle Hill,
Sportswriter and El Titan] from afar.
“Our clients want security,” Young noted. “We offer that at
every level here at Southwind. From our yearlings to the stallions we
manage, our clients feel very secure when they do business with us.
That's a rare incentive to offer in today's world. We work tirelessly to make Southwind Farms the best it can be, and
we will continue to do so for many years to come.”
This
is the second Breeders Award for Southwind Farms. Founded by Connie &
Allen Skolnick in 1986, the farm features 235 acres near the Village of Pennington,
NJ. Both Skolnicks passed away in 2013, and the farm is currently owned
by their son, Barry.
Previous
New Jersey Breeder of the Year winners include three-time winner White Birch
Farm, two-time winner Perretti Farms, Deo Volente Farms, Valley High Stables,
Kentuckiana Farms, Fair Winds Farm, Walnridge Farm and Heritage Hill Farms.
Tickets
for the luncheon cost $40 per person and may be purchased from the New Jersey
Department of Agriculture, Division of Markets & Development, Horse
Industry, PO Box 330, Trenton, NJ 08625. For further information, call
609-984-4389 or email Lynn.Mathews@ag.state.nj.us
