Champion Standardbreds Receive August Touch of Class Award; Harness drivers Corey Callahan and Frank Milby also honored with Secretary’s Citations

ANNAPOLIS, MD – A family of champion Standardbred racehorses and breeding stock, owned by Joe Thomson of Winbak Farm in Chesapeake City (Cecil County), were presented with the Maryland Horse Industry Board’s (MHIB) August Touch of Class Award on last night during the evening race card at the Casino at Ocean Downs in Berlin.

MHIB established the Touch of Class Awards in 2011 to honor Maryland horses and people who achieve national and international recognition. The award is made each month and is named after the Maryland-bred mare, Touch of Class, who won two show jumping gold medals at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. The August Touch of Class Award was the second for Winbak, which is one of the nation’s leading Standardbred farms. Winbak was honored then for their champion colt Roll With Joe.

“Winbak continues to produce Standardbreds of the highest quality, which they race and sell all over the country and around the world,’ said MHIB chair Jim Steele. “We are proud they call Maryland home and continue to breed and raise so many fine horses in our state.”

The four Winbak horses honored – all of whom are related in some fashion – were:

• The broodmare Lady Ashlee Ann and the stallion Bettor’s Delight, who were installed in the Living Harness Horse Hall of Fame on July 7, in Goshen, NY.
• Betterthancheddar, a son of Lady Ashlee Ann (another Winbak-owned horse) who was named Canadian Champion Pacer in 2013.
• The late Classic Wish, another Winbak Hall of Fame honoree, who is the dam of Bettor’s Delight.

In addition, two harness racing drivers, Corey Callahan and Frank Milby, both Maryland natives, received Secretary Citations, presented by Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance, for their 3,000th and 1,500th career wins, respectively.

“That Corey and Frank are outstanding harness racing drivers comes as no surprise,” said Secretary Hance. “Both are native sons of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, which has a long and proud heritage of producing top Standardbred horsemen. We are happy to have this opportunity to honor their successes.”

For more information, contact MHIB Executive Director Ross Peddicord at 410-841-5798 or [email protected]

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