Thomson’s final inspection of Winbak yearlings a key part of the sales pitch
by Dave Briggs
There are few things Winbak Farm owner Joe Thomson loves more than a horse sale and talking business with people in the industry. Winbak’s yearling manager, Jimmy Ladwig, said Thomson begins working on his sales notes a week or two before each sale by doing a final inspection of the horses the farm is selling. With respect to the Standardbred Horse Sales Company (SHSC) auction in Harrisburg, PA, that inspection came last week.
“It’s just the overall stuff, like how they look conformationally… things he likes to point out,” Ladwig said of Thomson. “I’m pretty good at knowing what he’s going to pick out ahead of time, so I try and have it covered before he gets there so he doesn’t have too much to pick out… I just tell him about the horse and he takes what he thinks he can use out of that.
“We go through them all – me, [general manager] Jack [Burke], Joe, and [head trainer] Jeff [Fout] — and banter. Everybody gives their own little feelings on them and we go from there.”
One of the downsides of preparing some 300 yearlings for auction every year is the ones that have to be withdrawn. This year, Ladwig said two very nice Chapter Seven colts — Hip #118 Fifty Seven and Hip #460 Before Eight — are out.
Still, Winbak has plenty of tremendous yearlings selling this week in Harrisburg. After all, the farm is the second leading breeder in harness racing history with over $433 million in earnings to its credit.
Ladwig pointed out several Winbak yearlings he loves.
“We’ve got a really nice Father Patrick colt out of Loyal Lynnly – he’s a nice colt [Hip #481 Loyal Son],” Ladwig said. “We’ve got a really nice Bettors Delight filly out of Flirty Forty [Hip #410 Sassy Sixty]. She’s a really nice filly, good looking, great video.
“We’ve got a King Of The North out of Spruce Creek [Hip #214 Princess North]. She’s a tiny thing, not really big, but man is she fast and mighty. She’s a nice filly.”
Then, from the farm that bred and sold Bettors Delight – the leading stallion in both standardbred and thoroughbred history with over $376 million in progeny earnings and counting — comes a nice Bettors Delight colt — Hip #183 Bridge The Sand. Not many more Bettors Delights will be sold in North America. His last crop produced on the continent were bred in 2024.
“He’s a good-looking colt,” Ladwig said of Bridge The Sand. “He’s not really big, but he is powerful looking. I like him and he had a good video.”
Ladwig also mentioned:
• Hip #131 Well Of Hope, a Captain Corey filly out of Hopes N Wishes.
• Hip #401 Rockstar Vibes, An Always B Miki colt out of Feelinglikeastar.
• Hip #507 Far North, a King Of The North colt out of Northern Starlight.
• Hip #571 Miki Ann Keen, a Pebble Beach filly out of Shake It Miki.
• Hip #573 Rule The Court, a Courtly Choice colt out of Shes A Pansation.
• Hip #575 Exhale, a Courtly Choice colt out of She’s Poison.
• Hip #586 Cha Cha, an Always B Miki filly out of Southwind Tango.
• Hip #634 Wiggletime, a Courtly Choice colt out of Winbak Wiggle.
• Hip #663 Myway Hyway, a Shadow Play colt out of Ahsleeswayrhighway.
• Hip #728 Diebler, a Shadow Play colt out of Dreams Are Great.
• Hip #880 Silver Moon, a Shadow Play filly out of Platinum Choice. “That’s a really good-looking grey filly,” Ladwig said.
In the mixed sale, where Winbak is selling a number of regional horses such as the ones eligible to Delaware, Ladwig pointed out an Indiana-eligible filly that has blossomed significantly in recent weeks.
Hip #990 Maid In Maryland, a Rebuff filly out of Maiden Knight, has transformed during yearling prep.
“It wasn’t until I looked at her the last time the other day with Joe that I said, ‘Oh, you look like a really nice horse now,’” Ladwig said. “Thanks to five weeks in the barn and getting worked on and eating well… she looks really good.”
