Knockgriffin Farm’s Virginia-Certified 2019 Causin Commotion colt took Grand Champion honors in the annual Virginia Breeders Fund 2020 Yearling Futurity, which was held September 9 at the Warrenton Horse Show Grounds.
The champion is owned/bred by Jim & Katie Fitzgerald at their Marshall, Virginia farm. The dark bay/brown colt is by Unified (Mineshaft).
The Yearling Futurity Champion was a Virginia-Certified 2019 Causin Commotion colt. Photo by Anna Purdy.
Morgan’s Ford Farm’s 2019 Smart Believer bay, who took top honors in the Virginia-Bred/Sired Fillies division, was named 2020 Reserve Champion. She is a daughter of Animal Kingdom (Smart Strike). A total of $22,500 in prize money was distributed between the three divisions. The top two winners from each advanced to the Grand Championship final round.
Virginia Yearling Futurity awards were given out to competitors in three different classes.
In the Virginia-Bred/Sired Colt & Gelding class, Althea Richards’ 2019 Darting colt won top honors. Also named “Best Turned Out”, the dark bay is by Divining Rod (During). Susan Cooney’s Celtic Sea, a chestnut colt by English Channel out of Embarr by Royal Academy, took second. Rounding out the class in order was Knockgriffin Farms’ 2019 Trishas Even colt by Street Sense (Even the Score), Becky & Andy Lavin’s 2019 Falsehood chestnut colt by Madefromlucky (Awesome Again), Knockgriffin’s 2019 Looking Great colt by American Freedom (Include), Daniel Wukich & Quest Realty’s E.P Milton by Jack Milton (Stephen Got Even), Darlene Bowlin’s 2019 Cape Cod Bay gelding by Great Notion (Cape Town) and Frazer Hendrick’s colt, Maximum Momentum by Koda Chrome (Frost Giant).
Althea Richards’ 2019 Darting colt was named top Virginia-Bred/Sired colt. Photo by Anna Purdy.
In the Virginia-Bred/Sired Fillies category, Daybreak Stables’ 2019 Callipepla bay was runner-up behind the Smart Believer filly. The daughter of Cupid (Yes It’s True) was also named “Best Turned Out” in her class. The rest of the field in order was Corner Farm & John Behrendt’s 2019 Senate Caucus bay by MacLean’s Music (Siphon), Morgan’s Ford Farms’ 2019 Pearls by Super Saver (Black Tie Affair), Doug Daniels’ Dulini by Madefromlucky (Light the Fuse), Daniel Wukich & Quest Realty’s Music Queen by Maclean’s Music (Royal Academy), Eagle Point Farms’ Chickahominy by Great Notion (Purple Comet) and Susan Cooney’s Speak Your Mind by Mr. Speaker (Emancipator).
Reserve Champion & top Virginia-Bred/Sired Filly at the Futurity was a 2019 Smart Believer filly by Animal Kingdom. Photo by Anna Purdy.
In the large Certified class which saw colts and filles combined, Lorraine & Dennis Johnson’s colt, Bigshot On Nothing by Mineshaft finished second and was named “Best Turned Out” horse. Joanne Krishack’s filly New Age Bad Girl by Fiber Sonde was next followed by Ron Sapp’s colt Rebel Empire by Sky Kingdom, Kathleen Hamlin’s gelding Man of the Cloth by Fiber Sonde, DMG Racing Stables’ gelding Freegftwthpurchase by Freedom Child, Daniel Wukich & Quest Realty’s filly Lunar Motion by Great Notion and Michael Dalton’s colt Quincannon by Buffum.
The Futurity took place at the Warrenton Horse Show Grounds.
The judge for this year’s Futurity was Rick Abbott, a former longtime Pennsylvania bloodstock agent who along with his wife Dixie, had a successful sales consignment business.