G2 Gallant Bloom (Adam Coglianese)
Cluster of Stars, an undefeated multiple Grade 2 winner for Harvey Weinstein’s Turtle Bird Stable, was voted the 2013 New York-Bred Horse of the Year. Honors for the year’s top New York breeder went to Patricia S. Purdy of Ivy League Farm in Ithaca, who bred London Bridge, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Marathon and the first New York-bred to win a race at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.
The announcements were made at the Annual Awards Banquet of the New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. (NYTB) held on April 1, 2014 at the Saratoga National Golf Club in Saratoga Springs, New York. The New York Breeding and Development Fund sponsored the event and Richard Migliore, former leading New York jockey and currently a broadcast analyst for the New York Racing Association, Inc. and The Jockey Club Tour on Fox emceed the awards program.
Cluster of Stars, who also carried off the honors for Champion Female Sprinter and Champion Older Female, was bred by Michael McPoland and Sean Finn and foaled at Rockmount in Saugerties. Retired in November undefeated in seven career starts, the daughter of Greeley’s Galaxy won four stakes races, headed by back-to-back victories in the Grade 2 Distaff Handicap at Aqueduct Racetrack and Grade 2 Gallant Bloom Handicap at Belmont Park.
Other multiple winners on the evening were Patricia Generazio’s Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks-winning homebred Discreet Marq, who was voted Champion Three-Year-Old Filly and Champion Turf Female, and Gerald and Susan Kresa’s homebred King Kreesa, who carried home the honors for Champion Turf Male and Champion Older Male. Discreet Marq and King Kreesa were also finalists for Horse of the Year.
The divisional champions and horse of the year were chosen by a ballot of New York turf writers, handicappers and racing analysts conducted by NYTB. A complete list of equine and human honorees follows:
Champion Two-Year-Old Male: Wired Bryan
Champion Two-Year-Old Filly: Artemis Agrotera
Champion Three-Year-Old Male: Notacatbutallama
Champion Three-Year-Old Filly: Discreet Marq
Champion Turf Male: King Kreesa
Champion Turf Female: Discreet Marq
Champion Male Sprinter: Palace
Champion Female Sprinter: Cluster of Stars
Champion Older Male: King Kreesa
Champion Older Female: Cluster of Stars
Champion Steeplechase Horse: Sunshine Numbers
Horse of the Year: Cluster of Stars
New York Broodmare of the Year: Babyurthegreatest (Dam of Cluster of Stars)
New York-Bred Trainer of the Year: Linda Rice
New York-Bred Jockey of the Year: Irad Ortiz, Jr.
New York Breeder of the Year: Patricia S. Purdy
