PA Horse Breeders Association to Host First-Ever Yearling Show
The Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association (PHBA), a statewide organization representing thoroughbred breeders in the state, will host the Commonwealth’s first-ever Pennsylvania Yearling Show on Saturday.
Lizzie Merryman, who breeds and trains thoroughbreds, is pleased that Pennsylvania is having its first yearling show. She started in Maryland, which always had yearling shows, but now has a horse farm, Buffalo Run Ranch, in Chester County.
Merryman will show a chestnut-colored colt with a white mark on his face and one white stocking, but he does not yet have a name. She said her other yearling is in Kentucky getting prepped for a sale in Sarasota.
At the farm, she has mares, some retired horses, and some “laid up” and recovering.
One of the horses she bred won the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, a filly named Caravel, she said. And another, a colt named Witty, won a stake race on Preakness Day at Pimlico.
DVJ asked Merryman how she picks names for her thoroughbreds.
“They’re both out of the same mare,” said Merryman. Her name is ZZ Zoomzoom.
Caravel’s sire was Mizzen Mast, the third mast on a sailboat.
“So I was looking for something related to that,” she said. A caravel is “a fast sailboat.”
So, that moniker was a nod to her dam, Zeezee Zoomzoom, as was Witty.
“So, I feel like witty people think very quickly. I have a friend. He’s named after him. He’s very witty and smart, very quick thinking.”
DV Journal asked why she became a horse breeder.
“I love the babies,” Merryman said. “But the yearlings are tough. They go through a teenager stage.”
Having the yearling show is “great” because “it forces you to spend a lot more time with them, work with them a lot more, and teach them more. You get them prepared for the show, and then ship them and have them out in public. It’s very good for them mentally, as well as physically. I think that’s an important aspect of the show.”
Pennsylvania-bred horses will be vying for more than $5,000 in awards and prizes at the yearling show. The yearlings will be placed in one of four classes depending on whether they are colts, geldings, or fillies, as well as whether a Pennsylvania stallion sired them.
A yearling will be judged based on conformation (the overall shape, structure, and balance of its body) and racing suitability, with the top two horses from each class advancing to the championship.
In addition, a horse from each class will receive an award for best “turnout,” which evaluates the horse’s grooming, coat, mane, tail, hooves, and overall health and cleanliness.
“We created the Pennsylvania Yearling Show as a way to showcase our Pennsylvania-bred thoroughbreds and generate interest in horse breeding here in the Commonwealth,” said Brian Sanfratello, executive secretary of the PHBA. “Our goal is to build on this inaugural event and expand the size and scope each year to create a major annual showcase of Pennsylvania yearlings. We encourage the public to come out and enjoy a family-friendly day at the Brandywine Polo Club and see some of our Pennsylvania-bred horses up close.”
Trophies and ribbons will be awarded to each class’s top-placing horses/breeders. Russell Jones, a long-time Pennsylvania breeder and member of the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission, will judge the horses. Jones formerly led the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association.
The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place this Saturday, June 21, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at the Brandywine Polo Club in New Garden, PA (232 Polo Road, Toughkenamon, PA 19374). It will be followed by a “Starlight Polo” match at the polo grounds at 6:00 pm.
