The Virginia Harness Horse Association (VHHA) announced that $800,000 in 2024 bonus monies were awarded to 2 and 3-year-old horses that participated in its lucrative Certified Residency program. A total of $400,000 was doled out to owners of 50 horses foaled in 2021 and another $400,000 to owners of 68 horses foaled in 2022.
Top overall bonus earner was Platinum Proposal, a Les Givens trotting mare who pocketed $31,548. In 2024, she bankrolled $195,031 from nine wins including a sweep in the Virginia Breeders 3-Year-Old Filly Trotting Series at Shenandoah Downs. The daughter of E L Platinum scored in both $8,000 elimination legs and a $90,000 final. Her biggest win came in the $110,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund Trot at Dover Downs in December. The 2021 Maryland-bred foal spent six months at Robert McKim’s standardbred farm in Bealeton, Virginia prior to the start of her racing career in order to meet eligibility requirements for the VHHA’s lucrative residency program.
Other top bonus winning horses from the ’21 foal crop included Pretty Two ($23,277), Gerald’s A Keeper ($20,415), Kissapotamus ($17,456) and Bgoing Away ($17,381). A total of 50 horses received awards.
Pretty Two, a Dusty Winner gelding trained by Carlo Poliseno, had 21 starts and earned $110,676 including a Virginia Breeders championship win in the 3-Year-Old Colt/Gelding Trot which carried a $86,000 purse. Gerald’s A Keeper and Bgoing Away finished second in their respective Virginia Breeders divisions. The former finished behind Pretty Two in Woodstock but reached the winners circle in a pair of $87,500 Maryland Sire Stake finals. The latter was a runner-up in Virginia’s $84,400 3-Year-Old Colt/Gelding Pace — one of 16 starts the Tracy Bradshaw trainee made in Woodstock. Horses earn double points that apply toward residency bonus awards from starts at a Virginia track. Kissapotamus, who spent her residency in the Commonwealth at Betsy Brown’s Woodstock area farm, competed in the New York circuit and earned $40,928 in purse winnings.
The top bonus earner among 2022 foals was Louprint, a Ron Burke trainee who bankrolled $737,939 from just ten starts. The Sweet Lou colt closed out his freshman campaign by capturing the $700,000 Breeders Crown Colt/Gelding Pace by a head at The Meadowlands. His seasonal mark of 1:48 4/5 came in a $400,000 Kentucky Sire Stakes win at The Red Mile September 15. The Pennsylvania-bred spent his six-month Virginia residency at Elmington Farm in Berryville and earned a $23,952 Certified bonus award.
The next bonus earners in order were KJ The Thirteenth ($21,099), Rusty’s Lancelot ($19,361), Foxy Amee ($17,649) and Mane Man Charlie ($16,560).
KJ The Thirteenth had a solid 2024 campaign, finishing with a four-pack of wins, seconds and thirds from just 14 starts. The trotting filly finished second in her $94,500 Virginia Breeders title bout and won her $87,000 Maryland Sire Stake divisional final. Pacer Rusty’s Lancelot was bred in Virginia at Andrew Scheller’s farm in Gloucester and bankrolled $72,145 in his freshman season while consistent trotter Foxy Amee — who competed at Woodbine Mohawk Park and earned $100,909 — spent her Virginia residency in Bealeton. Mane Man Charlie competed at various New York harness tracks in the Excelsior Series early in the year then after finishing first and second in Virginia Breeders prep races last fall.
In the VHHA residency program, foal crops compete for $400,000 in Certified bonus monies each year as 2 and 3-year-olds. Certified horses also can compete as 4 and 5-year-olds in $25,000 Mountain Racing Series divisions at Shenandoah Downs. Horses that participate in the program must complete a 6-month residency at a registered Virginia farm before they turn two years of age.
In order to determine bonus awards, horses earn points throughout the year based on purses earned in races — one point per dollar earned with a per race cap of 5,000 points. At the end of each calendar year, points are added up for all horses and a dollar figure is assigned to each point. The 2021 foal crop earned .43 per point and the 2022 crop earned .50 per point. Horses receive double points from all overnight races held in Virginia.
The Shenandoah Downs racing season this year includes a 7-week spring meet (April 26 – June 8) and a 7-week fall meet (September 13 – October 26). Racing applications for the spring meet are due March 1 and can be accessed at shenandoahdowns.com.
For race meet details, contact Racing Secretary Karen Fagliarone at 732-239-0281. For details on the Certified program, visit vhha.net or call Debbie Warnick at 443-463-0917.
