Mister Big, the best older pacer in North America and winner of both the Dan Patch and Nova awards in 2008, headlines an all-star cast of 36 free-for-allers eligible to the $100,000 (est.) Winbak Farms Pace, scheduled for Thursday afternoon, Sept. 24, at the Delaware, Ohio County Fair. Mister Big won last year’s Winbak Farms Pace and among those who were nominated to challenge him are 2008 Little Brown Jug champion Shadow Play ($1,173,446), Maltese Artist ($2,259,986), Won The West ($1,333,521) and Palone Ranger ($1,177,545). The Winbak Farms Pace is sponsored by Joanne and Joe Thomson, whose Winbak Farms stand more than 30 stallions in seven states and Ontario. The Thomson’s flagship operation is located in Chesapeake City, Md. Owned by Joseph Muscara, Mister Big won 11 of 14 races last year including the $500,000 Breeders Crown Final, $659,880 Canadian Pacing Derby, $600,000 William Haughton Memorial and the $332,000 U.S. Pacing Championship. The 6-year-old son of Grinfromeartoear has career earnings of $3,225,121 and was a near unanimous pick for the 2008 Dan Patch Award presented by the U.S. Harness Writers Association. Mister Big is also the sport’s fifth all-time money winning pacer. Mister Big was bred by Kentuckiana Farms and sold as a yearling at auction for $55,000. He is trained by Virgil Morgan, Jr. and in 2008 was driven by Brian Sears. Besides winning the Little Brown Jug, Shadow Play captured the Delvin Miller Adios, Windy City Pace and the American-National. He finished second to “Horse of the Year” Somebeachsomewhere in both the Breeders Crown Final and the Messenger Pace. Shadow Play is trained by Dr. Ian Moore and owned by Moore and his partners, Ron and Gail McLellan, former professional hockey star Serge Savard, and Blue Chip Bloodstock, which purchased an interest in Shadow Play over the winter. After overcoming foot problems at the beginning of 2009, Palone Ranger appears to be approaching the form of a year ago when he won a Levy leg and just missed by a nose against Mr Feelgood in the Presidential Final. He was also fourth in both the Breeders Crown and William Haughton Memorial. His biggest career triumph came in the $546,830 Messenger Stakes at Yonkers in 2006. Greg Peck trains Palone Ranger for the Four Friends Racing Stable. Won The West finished second in his last two efforts against Mister Big. In the Winbak Final, the son of Western Hanover was locked on the rail until the stretch and then ran out of room for driver Greg Grismore. In their last confrontation, Won The West dead-heated for second with Maltese Artist behind Mister Big in the $317,000 Quillen Memorial at Harrington Raceway. Won The West captured the $200,000 Dan Patch Invitational and the $200,000 American-National for trainer Mickey Burke and the Strollin Stable, William Robinson and James Koehler. Other familiar names among the Winbak eligibles are Artist’s View, Booze Cruzin, Hot Rod Mindale, Keystone Horatio, Legacy N Diamonds, The Mohegan Pan, Moon Beam, Mypanmar, Riggins, Upfront Hannahsboy and Winbak Speed.
Below is the complete list of Winbak eligibles.
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