3-Year-Old Colt nominees
Cool Sand Luke
Faraac
Intryge
Kryptonite CS
Our Machine

DARLEY WINNER- OUR MACHINE

2007 race record 7(5-0-0)3-0 $59,180
(photo by Hoofprints, Inc.)
The strikingly handsome chestnut colt Our Machine made a lot of noise in 2007. In addition to being voted Darley Champion 3-Year-Old Colt, he was also named by the Arabian Jockey Club as “Claim of the Year”. Our Machine won his first start for breeder Cre Run Enterprises LLC, but was entered next in a $20,000 claiming race. Bill Waldron took notice of the colt’s French/Egyptian pedigree and solid conformation and dropped in a claim slip. Our Machine rewarded him with wins in the Liberty Bell S., Alec Courtelis Juvenile (G2) and Arabian Cup Juvenile (G1). Racing exclusively at Delaware Park, Our Machine finished the season with 5 wins in 7 starts and almost $60,000 in earnings. In his acceptance speech during the Darley awards, owner/trainer Waldron expressed his disappointment with others in the racing industry that began investigating him partly because of the colt’s impressive juvenile season. Nothing was ever proven and Waldron hoped that this treatment would cease because of its detriment to Arabian racing.

Regardless of the controversy, Our Machine was a standout colt and bred to be a success. He is an excellent blend of the “hot” Egyptian blood crossed with the “cold” French blood. He was from the first crop of Nivour De Cardonne, an imported French stallion who stands at Cre Run Farm. A son of legendary sire Manganate, Nivour De Cardonne was a highly competitive racehorse who won Arabian racing’s premier stakes, the Kahayla Classic. He has also sired the graded stakes-placed winner Case Dismissed. Our Machine is the second foal from the unraced mare Dreams R Forever, a daughter of Cre Run’s deceased stallion MHF Eclipse. MHF Eclipse was a speed specialist who set a new track record at Los Alamitos.

3-Year-Old Filly nominees
Abra Caadabra
Dixie Dance
Ruby Earrings
Stars The Limit
Tri Spring Proof

DARLEY WINNER - DIXIE DANCE

2007 race record 6(4-1-1)2-1 $48,800
(photo by Hoofprints, Inc.)
Even before ever setting foot on a racetrack, Dixie Dance had quite a reputation to live up to. Her dam, Dixie Darlene, is a multiple Darley winner and member of the Racing Hall of Fame. Her half-sister, Dixies Delight, is two-time Darley winner. Her sire, Line Dancer, won five Darley awards and is well on his way to becoming a successful sire.

Dixie Dance did not disappoint her famous lineage. She won or placed in all six of her 2007 starts, including wins in the Betsy Ross S. and Dr. Sam Harrison Juvenile (G1) as well as a second place finish to Stars The Limit in the Arabian Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). Her earnings for the year almost reached $49,000 and she became the next Darley champion for the family.

Another successful homebred for Bill and Cathy Waldron, Dixie Dance also raced exclusively at Delaware Park in 2007. She will likely compete there again this year where she could eventually face Dixies Valentine, her 3-year-old half sister (by Nivour De Cardonne). That filly has even more to live up to in this Darley studded family.

4-Year-Old Colt nominees
Cromwell
Fryvolous
Gimme A Break
Sakbee
Sey Spottsproof

DARLEY WINNER - FRYVOLOUS

2007 race record 8(6-1-0)2-0 $111,220
(photo by Hoofprints, Inc.)
If there was ever a nick established in breeding Arabian race horses, it is that of Dormane, France’s leading sire, and Fryga, a multiple Darley winner and member of the Racing Hall of Fame. Already this cross has produced Frynge Benefit, last year’s Darley Champion Sprinter, and Frynch, Darley Champion 4-Year-Old Filly in 2004. And it was the iron mare Fryga, among others, that owner/breeder Dianne Waldron thanked when accepting Fryvolous’s award for 4-Year-Old Colt of the Year.

While Fryvolous won six of eight starts in 2007, there were three standout races at Delaware Park that clinched his championship season. The first was when he easily put away rival Gimme A Break in the Bob Magness Derby (G2), the third leg of the Arabian Triple Crown. It was the last time these two would race against each other because Gimme A Break was injured in that race and wasn’t seen again that year. One of Waldron’s favorite wins was not in a stakes at all, but rather a 9-furlong allowance race where he gave 12 pounds to Aim South and still managed a win. His authoritative victory over Aim South and Thoroughbred in the $100,000 UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation S. (G1) all but locked up divisional honors. While racing fans hoped to see him one more time in the Arabian Cup Classic (G1), it was not to be. Fryvolous was purchased by HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahayan in October 2007 and exported to the UAE to continue his racing career. Overall, the handsome bay colt, trained by Phil Saxer, Jr., was the 2007’s leading earner in the U.S. with $111,220.

DARLEY WINNER - ROLLY POLLY

2007 race record 6(3-1-0)3-1 $80,150
(photo by Coady photography)
Rolly Polly is the quintessential tough filly that never stops trying to win. Fans only saw her race 6 times in 2007 with 3 wins and one second – all stakes. Ken and Nancy Blewett purchased the bay filly early in the year, and they were not disappointed by their investment. Not nominated to the Daughters of the Desert Oaks (G1), she nonetheless took the other two legs of the Arabian Triple Crown for Fillies, the Texas Yellow Rose (G3) and Cre Run Oaks (G2). However, it was the Wes & Betty Wright Distaff that was her most impressive race of the year. In it she battled older mare Cath throughout the stretch and simply out-gamed her rival at the end. She earned over $80,000 to lead all 4-year-old fillies and was one of the leading earners of the year.

Bred and trained by Loren Nichols of Trackside Farm, Rolly Polly took home the Darley for 3-Year-Old Filly in 2006. She is by the ill-fated stallion Falina des Fabies, who stood at Trackside Farm before his untimely death in December 2006. He set a record for the number of winners for a juvenile stallion and sired the likes of stakes winners Scoot, The Last Dance and Kittilina. Rolly Polly is out of the *Negor mare SS Nellie Bly who has also produced the winner Johnny B Goode.

Older Horse nominees
Aim South
Frynge Benefit
Nassem De Blaziet
Ordained
Thoroughbred

DARLEY WINNER - AIM SOUTH

2007 race record 9(4-3-1)2-3 $99,634
(photo by Hoofprints, Inc.)
Aim South has been trading punches with the best of them for 4 years, but in 2007 he finally took home his first Darley award. While he won or placed in 7 of 9 starts last year, he saved his best for when it really counted. First he walked away with the Arabian Cup Sprint (G2) winning in his typical gate-to-wire fashion. Then on closing weekend at Delaware Park, he went postward in the Arabian Cup Classic (G1). It was a race that owner/breeder/trainer Bill Waldron thought his other standout Cath would win. But the “old” guy had something to say about that. He showed all of them that he was the best older horse on the east coast with a determined victory over Thoroughbred and Cath. He closed out the season with almost $100,000 in earnings making him one of Burning Sand’s leading earners.

Aim South’s sire Burning Sand has been the U.S. leading sire for two years now. In addition to Aim South, he has also sired U.S. stakes winners Line Dancer, Big Easy, Cath and Sand Tiki Special among others. Aim South is out of SS Doctor Sam (by Sam Tiki), who has also produced Edee Rose. In his acceptance speech at the Darley awards, Bill Waldron remarked on what a tough little horse Aim South is, and mentioned that competitors would be seeing him again in 2008.

Older Mare nominees
Bessemer
Cath
Dancers First Luv
Dixies Delight
Sandytiki

DARLEY WINNER - CATH

2007 race record 6(3-2-1)3-2 $84,500
(photo by Hoofprints, Inc.)
Cath has already won Darley awards in her 3 and 4-year-old seasons, so it was really no surprise to see her dominate again as an older mare. She only won 3 races in 2007 for owner/trainer/breeder Bill Waldron, but they were all top quality stakes races, including the Delaware Season Opener Distaff and the Buzz Brauninger Distaff (G1). Her most impressive race of the year was in the Arabian Cup Distaff Sprint (G2). She was coasting to an easy victory in the 6 furlong sprint when jockey Gabriel Saez shook her up a bit. She extended her lead to 14 lengths and stopped the clock in 1:16 – equaling the track record set by her sire Burning Sand and Unchainedd Melody.

Waldron was disappointed that a trainers’ boycott caused the Gladys Brown Edwards Arabian Cup (G1) not to fill. Instead he ran Cath against the boys in the Arabian Cup Classic (G1) where she finished a respectable third and earned $84,500 for the year.

She is another outstanding champion by leading sire Burning Sand out of the ZT Ali Baba daughter Halianna, and according to Waldron, one of the best horses they have ever bred. Halianna has also produced the winner AKA Alluring (by Dreams Of Valor). In February of this year, Cath was sold to Arabian racing newcomer Simon Clode of Bozeman, Montana.

Sprinter nominees
Aim South
Cath
Gimme A Break
Ordained
Sandytiki

DARLEY WINNER - GIMME A BREAK

2007 race record 6(3-2-1)2-2 $66,240
(photo by Los Alamitos Publicity)
From 2004 through 2006, the Darley Champion sprinter was the winner of the Drinkers of the Wind Derby (G1). This race, one of the most historic in Arabian racing, carries a lot of weight and is a race many owners point their horses towards. The Sprinting champion in 2007 continued this trend. Gimme A Break’s two biggest wins in 2007 were at 6 furlongs. Initially there was a powerful victory in the first jewel of the Arabian racing Triple Crown, the Drinkers of the Wind Derby (G1). Several months later he gave a gutsy performance to win by 5 lengths over older horses in the Bay View Farms Delaware Park Season Opener. Unfortunately, an injury sustained in the Bob Magness Derby (G2) kept him out of action the rest of the year. Still, his strong performances and swift times gave him the edge in the Sprinter category.

Bred by Thomas and Eunice Luckett of Kentucky, Gimme A Break was sold alongside his dam, TC Break Dancer, at the Arabian Race Horse Sale’s Company’s 2003 Spring Sale. Alan Kirshner and Deb Mihaloff of Cre Run Farm purchased the pair. Trained by Lynn Ashby, Gimme A Break had 3 wins, 2 seconds and a third from 6 starts in 2007 and earned over $66,000. He is by Darley Horse of the Year and Racing Hall of Fame member Patriot Missle who sired the 2006 Horse of the Year MD Blue Chip as well as TC Toms Delight, Murkanas Glory and Doc Toothman. Amid Abdelhamid, Mr. Benjelloun and his daughter Dounia together purchased 50% of Gimme A Break late in 2007.

Trainer nominees
Lynn Ashby
Billy Lewis
Loren Nichols
Jerry Partin
Bill Waldron

DARLEY WINNER - BILL WALDRON

2007 race record 81(22-20-8)10-9 $384,709
see his story under Darley Owner

Owner nominees
Ken and Nancy Blewett
Guy Neivens
Sam Vasquez
Bill and Cathy Waldron
Dianne Waldron

DARLEY WINNER - BILL AND CATHY WALDRON

2007 race record 72(22-20-8)10-9 $383,345
In 2007, for the first time ever, an Arabian owner was the top owner by earnings at Delaware Park with $383,345. Bill and Cathy Waldron breed a small number of horses every year, but they have a high-powered group of broodmares and breed them to only the best stallions. What Waldron breeds and raises, he also trains himself so it is little surprise that he was also the leading trainer by earnings. This year, since he was lacking a standout 3-year-old colt, he took the opportunity to claim Our Machine early in the year and added him to his arsenal. Combine that with champions Dixie Dance, Cath and Aim South and you have an outstanding stable. As owners, the Waldrons’ horses won 22 races (10 stakes) from 72 starts. Similarly as a trainer, Waldron’s horses won 22 races from 81 starts with $384,709 in earnings.

Not one for the spotlight (or cameras), Cathly Waldron did come on stage to accept the Owner statue with her husband. She declined to speak however, leaving her husband to say thank you to the voters.

Breeder nominees
Cre Run Enterprises LLC
Darley Stud
Trackside Farm
Bill Waldron
Dianne Waldron

DARLEY WINNER - DARLEY STUD

2007 race record 596(73-83-83)6-18 $523,980
The backbone of the racing industry is the breeder for without a new crop of horses born every year, racing would dry up very quickly. Whether dealing in Arabians or thoroughbreds, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Darley Stable has been a force in racing worldwide for decades. Even though they have significantly reduced the number of horses in the United States, they still continue to support Arabian racing here. Many racehorses have been sold to a variety of individuals who continue to run them throughout the country. Darley Stable’s numbers are staggering. Horses bred by the farm started 596 times in 2007 with 73 wins, 83 seconds and 83 thirds. These horses earned nearly $524,000 – almost $200,000 more than the runner-up.

Stakes-winner Kittilina, purchased in 2007 from Darley by Terry Andreasen, was one of their standout horses, but they also bred quality runners such as Bessemer, Cruz Along, Dunorie, and French Express. Darley Stable will continue to be a force among breeders as more of their horses will be going to different owners to continue their racing careers.

Jockey
Otto Arriaga
William Hollick
Gabriel Saez
Joy Scott
Esteban Unsihuay

DARLEY WINNER - WILLIAM HOLLICK

136(20-22-19)2-8 $287,616
(photo by Hoofprints, Inc.)
A regular rider at Delaware Park makes William Hollick among the leading riders by earnings every year. In 2007, he led all jockeys in earnings with $287,616, but he made that money the hard way since he had only 2 stakes wins and 8 stakes placings. From 136 mounts, he had 20 wins, 22 seconds and 19 thirds for an impressive “in the money” percentage of 45%. He rode regularly for trainer Ron Martino and owner Guy Neivens with mounts such as Thoroughbred (with whom he won the Mandolynn Hill Farm Delaware Park S.) and Cromwell. He also won the Iron Butterfly Claming Championship aboard Mandolynn Hill Farm’s Lulu Gamboo and finished second in the Drinkers of the Wind Derby (G1) on Sey Spottsproof.

Deb Mihaloff of Cre Run Farm accepted the Darley award on Hollick’s behalf. The previous year he was hoping to win the award so he could dedicate it to fellow jockey Alison Hershbell who died shortly before that ceremony. This year, Mihaloff took the award for both Hollick and Hershbell.

Horse of the Year
Aim South
Cath
Fryvolous
Rolly Polly

DARLEY WINNER - FRYVOLOUS

2007 race record 8(6-1-0)2-0 $111,220
(photo by Hoofprints, Inc.)
see his story under Darley 4-Year-Old Colts