COUNTRY STAR NAMED AIKEN TRAINED HORSE OF THE YEAR
Article taken from the Aiken Standard
By BEN BAUGH
Stonerside Stable's Country Star, who stamped herself in 2007 as
one of the best of her generation with consecutive victories in the
Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades Stakes and the Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet
Stakes during her juvenile campaign, was named the 2007 Aiken
Trained Horse of the Year by the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of
Fame and Museum.
Country Star will be honored with a ceremony at the Aiken
Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum on March 16 at 12:30
p.m., with a reception to follow. The public is invited to
attend.
The filly joins 2002 Aiken Trained Horse of the Year Congaree and
2006 Horse of the Year Bob and John as Stonerside horses who have
been recognized with the honor. Country Star is also a finalist for
the Eclipse Award for outstanding 2-year-old filly.
"We're very honored," said John Adger, Stonerside Racing and
Bloodstock manager in a phone interview Thursday evening. "We were
fortunate to have Bob and John honored as the 2006 Aiken Trained
Horse of the Year. We're tickled to death with the honor. There
were a lot of good horses who won stakes races in 2007 who came out
of Aiken, including Dogwood Stable's Cotton Blossom."
Country Star is by the 1993 Belmont Stakes winner EMPIRE
MAKER out of the Metfield broodmare Rings A Chime. Rings A
Chime won the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes during her 3-year-old
campaign, and retired with earnings of $606,315, second most for a
Washington-state bred filly.
A dark bay filly, Country Star placed second in her debut, a 1
1/16-miles maiden special weight race on the turf at Belmont Park
on Sept. 20. She followed that race with a one-length victory in
the 1 1/16-miles Grade 1 Darley Acibiades Stakes on Oct. 5 at
Keeneland, winning decisively on the Polytrack. Her third and final
start of 2007 would see her establish a new track record over the
cushion track at Hollywood Park in the Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet
Stakes on Dec. 15, winning impressively by 2 3/4-lengths.
Country Star is campaigned by Hall of Fame conditioner Bobby
Frankel, who also trained the filly's sire EMPIRE
MAKER. Frankel is a five time Eclipse Award winning
trainer.
Country Star was broken and trained in Aiken by Stonerside Stable's
trainer Tim Jones.
"We're very pleased," said Jones. "Her record speaks for itself.
We're very honored she was selected as the Horse of the Year."
From three lifetime starts, Country Star has two wins and has
placed second once en route to bankrolling
$575,900.
Date:
14 January 2008