The Virginia Thoroughbred Association is pleased to welcome long-time thoroughbred breeder Patricia Ramey to its Board of Directors. She will be replacing Jim Fitzgerald, who had to resign his seat due to out-of-state work obligations.
Patricia has been involved in Virginia horse racing since 1991. Her Hunt Ridge Stables are based at the Blue Ridge Farm in Upperville — a venue that has served as a horse breeding farm since 1903. The property includes three broodmare stables, two stallion stables, training stables and an implement shed. The property was purchased by Rear Admiral Cary Travers Grayson in 1928 and it is still owned today by members of the Grayson family.
Patricia has been quite active since that initial mare purchase in ’91. She acquired more mares shortly after and even purchased a stallion from Edward Evans’s farm.
Fast forward to 2022 where she has foaled 34 mares, many of which were from out of state — 12 from West Virginia with others from South Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania and of course, Virginia.
She partners with Susan Cooney in equine ventures as well. Patricia foals Susan’s mares and raises the babies, then when Patricia has a horse to race, Susan serves as trainer. This year, Patricia took 7 yearlings — of hers and Cooney’s — to the VTA’s annual Yearling Futurity at the Warrenton Horse Show Grounds. One of those won Reserve Champion honors — Pretty Jimmy, who is owned by Quest Realty and was bred by Dan Wukich.
Congratulations to Patricia and we all look forward to her further contributions to Virginia racing and breeding as a VTA Board member.
The 21st annual Virginia Breeders Fund Yearling Futurity was held September 13 at the Warrenton Horse Show Grounds which again saw solid participation from twenty different breeders who were competing for $40,000 in awards.
Prize money of $7,500 was distributed that day in each of four classes — VA-Bred/Sired yearling colts/geldings, VA-Bred/Sired yearling fillies, VA-Certified colts/geldings and VA-Certified fillies. Grooms were recognized as well with awards in each division and in the championship class.
A total of $5,000 in bonus monies will also be split between top earning Virginia-Bred/Sired participants at the end of their three-year-old seasons — based on earnings at that time. An identical prize pool and deciding factors will apply to Virginia-Certified Yearling participants as well.
2022 Yearling Futurity Grand Champion is an Un-named bay by Cooper Bullet, shown with owner Sara Miller of Timbercreek Farm, the VEA’s Jeb Hannum and event judge Frank Shipp.
Event judge was Frank Shipp, who compared each entrant’s conformation, quality, substance and suitability to become racehorses. The top two finishers in each of the four classes returned to compete for Futurity Grand Champion and Champion Reserve honors.
The Grand Champion, winner of the Virginia Certified Fillies class, was a 2021 Un-named bay by Cooper Bullet out of Worth The Risk by Bodemeister. She is owned by Timbercreek Farm’s Sara Miller. Reserve Champion honors went to the winner of the Virginia-Bred/Sired Colt/Gelding category, Pretty Jimmy. The chestnut by Jimmy Cred is owned by Quest Realty and was bred by Dan Wukich.
Finishing second in the Certified Fillies category was an Un-named bay by Good Magic (Timbercreek Farm) followed by an Un-named by Street Boss (David Ross). Rounding out the class was Made Birdie (Charles Clement & Brandon Mackey), an Un-named by Bourbon Courage (Eagle Point Farm), an Un-named by Frank Conversation (Alfred Smithwick), and a pair of Un-nameds owned/bred by Joni Fontana/Sugarland LLC and Equine Etiquette. They were by Unified and Outwork respectively.
The balance of the Virginia-Bred/Sired class included second place finisher Aonbharr (Susan Cooney), an Un-named by Limehouse (Darlene Bowlin), Nancy Made My Day (Quest/Wukich), Mister Rockefeller (Phyllis Jones), Cousin Giorgos (Quest/Wukich), Free Costs To Much (DMC Racing/Didier Plasencia), Lucky Pauper (Quest/Wukich) and Lord Rockingham (Tim Hulings & Analie Laressi).
2022 Yearling Futurity Reserve Champion is Pretty Jimmy, owned by Quest Realty and bred by Dan Wukich (in orange shirt).
Friend Fuhr Real, a chestnut by Friend or Foe, won the Virginia-Bred/Sired Fillies class. Owned and bred by Katherine Martin, the champ is out of the Fiber Sonde mare, I Am Furh Real. Runner-up was Foe What Its Worth — also by Friend or Foe — and is owned by Williams Howland Jr. and co-bred by Howland, Allison Consentino and Timothy Stephan. Am Un-named by Golden Lad was third (Patricia Ramey). The rest in order were an Un-named bay by Great Notion (Morgan’s Ford Farm), a 2021 Un-named by Street Boss (MFF/Sally Thomas) and Buzzaway (Carlos Moore/Gillian Gordon-Moore).
In the Virginia-Certified Colt/Gelding class, a 2021 Un-named dark bay/brown by Great Notion prevailed over six others. Owned by Fontana and bred by Sugarland/Equine Etiquette, the ribbon earner is out of Lemon Schnapps by Flatter. Runner-up was an Un-named bay by Great Notion owned/bred by Eagle Point Farm. Thankmyluckymoons was third (Quest/Wukich) followed by Big Happy Notion (Fontana/Sugarland/Equine Etiquette), No Cents Non Cents (Eagle Point Farm), Orienteer (Kathleen Hamlin) and a ’21 Un-named by Unified (Fontana/Sugarland/Equine Etiquette).
