By Chris Lomon
Boosted by the efforts of Captain Chazz, Beren and Disco Ebo, Weigelia is out to a strong lead in the 2023 Stallion Awards Race looking to repeat as Pennsylvania champion over venerable Jump Start.
Any owner of a Pennsylvania-based stallion at the time of a foal’s conception earns stallion awards produced by a foal. Stallion owners, like WynOaks Farm for Weigelia, earn 10 percent of a purse when a registered Pennsylvania-bred and sired runner places in the top three in any Pennsylvania pari-mutuel race.
According to the stats posted by the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association through end of March, Weigelia leads the Stallion Awards with $61,206 coming from progeny competing in 55 races.
Jump Start, who won seven straight Stallion Awards titles from 2015-2021, is currently second with $44,250 in earnings. Uptowncharlybrown is a close third at $43,203.
There’s horse racing and sports betting available in Pennsylvania every day and smart horse racing bettors know that a horse’s bloodline is a key factor in their performance on the track.
Last year saw a major change atop the Stallions leaderboard with Weigelia finishing strong to win the his first Stallion Awards title.
Weigelia, now 20, stands at WynOaks Farm in Delta, Pennsylvania for a private fee. He is the great-grandson of Northern Dancer and won 13 starts in his racing career before being put out to stud.
Captain Chazz has made five starts in 2023, winning a pair of claiming races at Parx Racing and was third at an allowance race at Penn National in late May. Heading into June, Captain Chazz had earned $55,566 this racing season.
Disco Ebo was a star on the Pennsylvania racing circuit in 2022 and has continued her excellent performances this season. She’s won three starts at Parx Racing and was second in the Unique Bella Stakes.
Two other Weigelia children have also performed admirably. Ninetypercentbrynn has made four starts, winning two allowance optional races at Parx and earning $95,420 and Beren has earned $143,710 through the end of May, winning two allowance races at Parx and finishing third at the General George Stakes in February at Laurel Park.
Jump Start was the king of stallions in Pennsylvania even after his death in 2019 from complications due to colitis. His final crop of foals was two-years-old in 2022.
There is still talent flowing through the Jump Start bloodline. Dr. Steve has won three of six starts in 2023 (each win coming at Penn National) to earn $59,500 this season. Seven-year-old Galerio has finished second four times in 2023 delivering a fraction of his $59,020 earnings to the Jump Start totals.
Jump Start was the leading sire in the Mid-Atlantic region for almost 10 years and at the time of his death had produced 69 stakes winners and 24 graded/group winners since beginning his stud career at Overbrook Farm in Kentucky.
In 2022, Weigelia trailed in the Stallion standings through the first quarter but won the title with pieces of 319 race purses totalling $186,200. Jump Start was second at $178,938 and Uncle Lino was third producing $158,725 for the year.
