Pennsylvania awards checks sent out; Hanover getting $1.1 mil

April 11, 2008

The new Pennsylvania Standardbred Breeders Development Fund has sent out its first checks for breeders awards, with Hanover Shoe Farms, the sport's largest breeder, receiving $1.1 million in award money and 37 other breeders (listed below) receiving from $30,000 to $156,000.

The Harness Breeders Fund, to use its common title, is funded by a stream of revenue generated by the �win� on Pennsylvania state slot machines, and is based on the performance at Pennsylvania tracks of eligible horses sired (fathered) in the Keystone State.

For 2007, the eligible horses earned $17,811,665 at Pennsylvania tracks during their races, and $5,868,513 was the total amount generated for the Fund. With 90 percent of the Fund going to the breeders (owners of mares at time of conception), $5.28 million is being distributed to that group, while the stallion owners, who get 10 percent of the pot, are richer to the tune of almost $600,000. The awards are divided in proportion to the money won by eligible horses at the Commonwealth�s tracks.

A total of 38 entities, both Pennsylvania residents and out-of-state residents who used Pennsylvania stallions to cover their mares, saw their horses generate over $100,000 in eligible racetrack earnings, generating them proportionately-sizable checks as well.

Not all breeders have turned in the necessary W-9 tax form yet in order to claim their prizes, and the Fund would urge those people, after three mailings, to fill out and send back the simple paperwork to the Harness Commission, so that they can receive their share of the bounty.

Starting with the crop of 2-year-olds racing in 2008, the breeders share of the money will be divided differently�of the 90 percent, 70 percent will go to breeders who keep their mares in Pennsylvania for a six-month period which includes the foaling, while the remaining 20 percent will go to breeders of �non-resident� mares. The �residency� requirement will be applied to each new crop, so that by 2011 all eligible horses will be rewarded differently based on whether their dams were �residents� or not. This is another way that the Breeders Fund is seeking to promote the agrieconomy within Pennsylvania.

In addition to the startup of the Breeders Fund, the revenue from slots goes to the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes program (like the Breeders Fund administrated in-house by the Department of Agriculture), the overnight purses which are the bread-and-butter of any track�s racing, and for horsemen�s benefits. (Pennsylvania Harness Racing Commission)

Breeding Awards (does not include stallion award money)

Hanover Shoe Farms Inc		$ 785,058.61
Winbak Farm		$ 156,375.02
Jules Siegel		$ 136,586.25
Sanford Goldfarb		$ 134,969.34
Robert Key		$ 76,983.31
Peter Pan Stables Inc		$ 76,685.93
John Hurtgen		$ 75,868.34
Armstrong Holdings (Brampton) Limited		$ 71,278.34
Fair Winds Farm Inc		$ 64,064.43
Robert Waxman		$ 62,646.23
Edwin Gold		$ 58,915.83
Yankeeland Farms Inc		$ 58,025.09
Bluestone Farms LLC		$ 56,145.89
Peninsula Farm		$ 51,705.54
Sterlingbrook Farms Inc		$ 51,375.82
Lindy Farms of CT, LLC		$ 50,792.93
Brittany Farms		$ 49,009.35
Walnut Hall Stock Farm		$ 48,801.78
Vieux Carre Farms		$ 47,921.25
Andray Farm		$ 46,641.97
George Racho Marital Trust		$ 46,116.13
Kosmos Horse Breeders Inc		$ 42,342.46
Patrick E Ryan		$ 42,094.52
Dean Nachtigall		$ 41,063.07
Steve Jones		$ 41,012.93
White Birch Farm		$ 40,776.83
Walnut Hall Ltd		$ 39,692.83
C&I Siegel Racing Stable LTD		$ 37,975.06
Agricultural Tech Inst -- OSU		$ 37,039.53
Walnridge Farm Inc		$ 36,847.40
Michael D Andrew		$ 36,677.50
Richard Beinhauer		$ 34,039.86
George Hempt		$ 33,593.80
Kentuckiana Farms General Partners		$ 33,115.37
Fred Hertrich III		$ 32,349.50
William Solomon		$ 31,749.20
Harold Brocious		$ 30,918.50
Russell C Williams		$ 30,357.93

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