A Publication of the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association PAThoroughbred pabred.com February 2020 pabred.com Issue 71 REPORT Betty Moran passes Bartkowski and Bunker bringing up Page 3 babies A move to a bigger farm kicked off a chain Legendary breeder and longtime owner of events that led Cindy Bartkowski and of Brushwood Stable was 89. Scott Bunker into the world of Thoroughbred Page 16 breeding and racing. Fish to Fry is Penn National HOY PA Breeding Program Page 18 Continues to Grow Bucking a nationwide trend, New Stallions at the number of mares bred in Pennsylvania in 2019 was 686, Equistar an increase of 12.5 percent over 2018. It was the third straight year Page 9 that the number of horses bred in Page 5 Pennsylvania has increased. Early Arrivals The first reported foal for a PA first-year stallion is this filly by Hoppertunity Page 10 born Jan. 14. The PA crop A Letter from Executive of 2020 is growing rapidly Secretary Brian Sanfratello with reports coming in from across the state. Page 15 Making brave babies with Bartkowski and Bunker by Emily Shields A quarter century ago, Cindy A serious health scare cropped up and end- she said. “I call them my five-minute mini-les- ed Foster’s time in the sport of racing. “That’s sons. They are getting constant schooling Bartkowski could not have guessed how we ended up in the business,” Bartkowski about manners: don’t kick, don’t drag, don’t that she would ever be involved in said. “It was a blessing in disguise for us.” rear, those kinds of things. I think by the time Around the same time, a neighbor with they go to the sale every October they are in horse racing. She and her partner Thoroughbreds on an adjoining farm passed pretty decent shape to move onto the next of 30 years, Scott Bunker, were away, and Bartkowski and Bunker inherited chapter of their lives.” living on a seven-acre farm and one of his broodmares, as well. Their first foal The program is working. Three years af- was a Weigelia colt named Our Georgio who, ter Mr. Monster was born, Spunky Sparrow happily raising Arabians and per- “Didn’t want to be a racehorse, but he’s loving foaled a Weigelia colt named Delta Express. formance Quarter Horses, mostly life as a show horse.” An $8,000 yearling purchase, Delta Express Enter Mr. Monster, a homebred son of Polit- became Bunker and Bartkowski’s first stakes reining and working cow horses. ical Force out of Spunky Sparrow. The gray or winner when winning the $100,000 Mark The couple needed a bigger farm, but it roan gelding won three of 18 starts with seven McDermott Stakes at Presque Isle Downs in took three years to find the 81-acre New Jer- top three finishes, all in Pennsylvania. “He was 2018. sey spread where they now reside, just three a super racehorse who gave us millions of dol- “I can’t tell you how exciting that was for and a half miles away from their lars of thrills,” Bartkowski us,” Bartkowski said. “We went to Presque original farm. That move kicked off said. “He brought home a Isle to see it. It was our first year of picking a chain of events that led them into check in every single race.” the stallion to breed to the mare, and we pro- the world of Thoroughbred racing. Although their Birch- duced a black-type winner. It was like hitting “As we moved to the new farm, wood Farm is in New Jer- the lottery for us!” Delta Express has earned I was able to help a senior citi- sey, Bartkowski and Bun- $122,169 with three wins in 13 starts. zen – Dan Foster – with his Thor- ker quickly discovered the Another horse they bred, Tomboy Tuff, is a oughbred broodmares,” Bartkow- benefitsof the Pennsylvania filly by Weigelia out of Red Bank Robin. She ski said. “He had them scattered breeding program. Now is a two-time winner, and after being claimed across several different properties their mares foal in the Key- recently the new owner, “couldn’t rave more and wanted to find a central place stone State before returning about the manners of the horse.” Tomboy to keep them all together.” to their New Jersey base for Tuff’s younger half-brother by El Padrino, Fear At the time, Bartkowski and the babies to be raised. None, was also claimed recently and Bart- Bunker had no experience with “I’ve always felt that ev- kowski made a point of checking on him with Thoroughbreds. “I almost didn’t ery baby needs boot camp the new trainer. “I wanted to see if they have want to be involved, because I had heard all training, no matter the breed or discipline,” questions or concerns about the animal, and the things people say about them when they Bartkowski said. “They learn how to lead, learn if there is anything else I can be doing to don’t have first-hand experience: that they are accept a halter, pick their feet up, stand for better prepare them for this stage of their life. crazy, and high strung. But I felt compelled to fly spray, and load on a trailer comfortably. People seem to enjoy the animals more when help this kindly gentleman out, and it turned We first started our Thoroughbreds doing the they come with kindness and good manners.” out all three horses were quite lovely. I had so same basic stuff we had been doing with our Bartkowski doesn’t mind putting in the extra much fun working with a different breed.” other breeds, but we’ve added more stuff as effort; now retired, she “has all the time in the Two years later, Foster had acquired we went along.” world to bring up baby.” She and Bunker have half-sisters named Spunky Sparrow and Red Now their foals get acclimated to motor- three broodmares, two yearlings, and two foals Bank Robin, both out of the Robin Des Pins ized vehicles, with Bartkowski driving tractors on the way. “Right now we’re thinking we are at mare Robin the Rich. Bartkowski loved to lis- through the barn, and using a leaf blower to our limit,” she said. “We are happy with it.” ten to Foster discuss his charges, and ended clean the aisles. The horses are taught to both They love breeding to sell in Pennsylvania. up helping groom Foster’s 2-year-olds at the cross tie and stand on a single tie, and recently “Racing commercially is nice, but I really like training facility down the street. “He just loved they’ve been introduced to a treadmill. “These those mailbox checks,” she joked. “This is the them, and had such a passion for them,” she are the bare necessities that will carry on no best chapter of my life right now, it just keeps said. matter what discipline the horse goes into,” getting better and better.” n PA THOROUGHBRED REPORT 3 Reprinted by permission of Thoroughbred Daily News Pennsylvania Breeding Program Continues to Grow Bucking a nationwide trend, the touched there would be penalties that it seems like people want the newest number of mares bred in Pennsylvania had to be paid.” and most recent. In Pennsylvania, we in 2019 was 686, an increase of 12.5 The legislation that protected racing’s were looking for something that was percent over 2018. It was the third money does not have an expiration date established. It worked for them and it straight year that the number of horses and the penalties are substantial enough worked for us.” bred in Pennsylvania has increased. that the state will not come out ahead if The Pennsylvania breeding and Overall, the number of mares bred raiding the fund again. racing program also includes some of the in 2019 in the U.S. declined by 3.5 The results were immediate. most lucrative bonuses in the sport. In percent. There was a 15.1 conjunction The growing popularity of the percent boost to the with the Pennsylvania program is a direct result Pennsylvania foal of the establishment of the Racehorse crop in 2017 and Development Fund Trust in 2017. The an 8.3 percent jump trust guaranteed that the government in 2018. This came could no longer raid the Horse Racing after there was a Development Fund, which funneled 70 percent decline in the Pennsylvania Development Fund Trust, breeder slot machine revenues into a fund that foal crop from 2009 to 2016, when 529 awards were increased, with the mares were bred in the state. supported breeding and racing in the maximum now set at 40 percent of “What’s going right in Pennsylvania? state. In 2011, then Governor Tom the purse. That’s what a breeder earns Everything,” said Bob Hutt, the president Corbett began to take money from when a horse is by a Pennsylvania sire of Uptowncharlybrown Stud LLC, which the fund and directed it to the state’s and was foaled in the state and picks up owns and stands Uptowncharlybrown. general fund. That kicked off years a check in open company. “The program is healthy and we got of uncertainty in which Pennsylvania “The Pennsylvania program is very legislation to protect the funds for breeders scaled back, not knowing rewarding and can give you best chance Pennsylvania breeders. It’s just getting to recover on your investment if you don’t whether or not Pennsylvania’s lucrative bigger and better.” purses and breeder awards would still breed the next Derby or Breeders’ Cup In addition to the increase in the winner,” Brown said.