Determined Kingdom Captures Horse Of the Year Honors To Lead Virginia-Breds

[Wandering Eyes]

MSW Determined Kingdom (Animal Kingdom) captured the title of Virginia-bred Horse of the Year and will be recognized–along with other 2024 award winners–during Virginia Derby Day festivities at Colonial Downs Mar. 15, the track said in a Thursday press release.

A series of award presentations will take place between various races from the paddock infield that day and broadcast over the simulcast feed.

Determined Kingdom's year was marked with his third straight win in the Punch Line Stakes at Colonial last July. The 6-year-old was also rewarded as the Virginia-bred Turf Sprinter of the Year.

Gigante was named Virginia-bred Turf Horse of the Year. The son of Not This Time, bred by Ann Mudge Backer and Smitten Farm, won back-to-back black-types and was the runner-up in the GII Muniz Memorial Classic Stakes–all at Fair Grounds.

Freshman title awards will be presented to Sail Theseven Seas (Street Sense) and Saxton (Mosler) in the Virginia-bred filly and colt categories, respectively. The former finished in the top three in all five of her races, while the latter was 2-for-5 and bankrolled $110,400 last year.

Top Virginia-bred Older Female honors went to Tufani (Distorted Humor), who was bred by Chance Farm and the Distorted Humor Syndicate. Now a 5-year-old, she won the Brookmeade Stakes and Nellie Mae Cox Handicap at Colonial.

Virginia-Certified winners include Future Is Now (Great Notion) as top female performer and Book'em Danno (Bucchero) as top male. Both had outstanding campaigns–the former earned $513,155 while the latter bankrolled $807,500.

Maryland-bred Future Is Now won four stakes including a pair of Grade II races–the Intercontinental Stakes at Saratoga and the Franklin Stakes at Keeneland. The 5-year-old spent her Virginia residency at Johnson's Legacy Farm in Bluefield.

Book'em Danno collected a trio of stakes wins including the GI Woody Stephens Stakes at Saratoga. The 4-year-old gelding also connected in the Pasco Stakes and Jersey Shore Stakes. In addition, Book'em Danno was a game runner-up in the G3 Saudi Derby. The New Jersey-bred spent his six-month Virginia residency at Gracie Bloodstock's Locust Hill Farm in Middleburg.

Virginia Trainer of the Year honors go to Susan Cooney, whose farm is based in Delaplane. In 2024, Cooney had 11 wins, nine seconds and 17 third place finishes.

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