Gigante, owned by L and N Racing LLC and Clark Brewster, had three wins last year – two on grass and one on dirt – and $241,578 in earnings. The 6-year-old Not This Time horse was also named the Virginia-bred Turf Horse of the Year. Gigante started the year with a win in the Colonel ER Bradley Stakes at Fair Grounds, and after putting in efforts in the Grade 2 Muniz Memorial at New Orleans and the Find Stakes at Colonial Downs, won back-to-back starts at Remington – the Remington Green Stakes and an allowance. The Steve Asmussen trainee was bred by Ann Mudge Backer & Smitten Farm.
Of Gigante’s 31 career starts, seven have come at the New Kent circuit, including victories in the 2023 Secretariat Stakes (Gr. 2), 2022 Kitten’s Joy Stakes and a first special weight score the same year. In total, the Virginia Award winner has funded $1,371,978 to take action this spring.
Another million dollar earner was named the Top Virginia-bred older man. Eight-year-old Tapiture gelding Repo Rocks swept the bill by winning the Edward P. Evans Stakes at Colonial and posting top-three finishes in two other stakes – a third in the Grade 3 Philip H. Iselin at Monmouth and a second in the Boston Handicap at New Kent. Jamie Ness’ trainee also came second in a Parx benefit. Repo Rocks, bred by Mrs. C. Oliver Iselin, has career earnings of $1,150,466 – including $184,875 in 2025. The award recipient is owned by Double B Racing Stables.
John Wade’s 4-year-old Not This Time filly Winfinity took home the honors as Top Virginia-bred older filly/mare. The prize winner, bred by Ann Mudge Backer & Smitten Farm, made her presence felt in New Kent with a win in the $125,000 Miss Disco Stakes on July 12, a close second in a $101,000 spring allowance and the summer $127,000 All Brandy Stakes. She even collected a third in a $100,000 handicap on the final day. The John Ortiz intern banked $143,480 last year after seven starts.
Top honors for Virginia two-year-olds went to Larry Johnson’s Doubting Thomas, who captured the $125,000 Jamestown Stakes on grass in gate-to-wire fashion. A month earlier, the Carvaggio colt came from behind to win a first special weight of $87,500 against ten other turf sprinters. With just two starts in life, Michael Trombetta’s intern has an income of $127,500. He was bred by the late Larry Johnson at his Legacy Farm in Bluemont and is owned by Johnson’s Estate.
The multimillion-dollar Mindframe, also bred by Johnson, was named Top Virginia-Certified Older Male on the strength of a stellar season with two grade-level victories and a Grade 2 score. The 5-year-old Constitution horse won the Churchill Downs Stakes (Gr. 1) by a neck in May, came back a month later to prevail in the Stephen Foster (Gr. 1) over Sierra Leone. He started the 2025 campaign with a win in the Gulfstream Park Mile (Gr. 2) and totaled $1.4 million in winnings last year alone. Mindframe is owned by Repole Stables and St. Elias Stables, trained by Todd Pletcher and has $2,054,580 in career earnings from just nine appearances.
Larry Johnson’s estate of the future is now home to three stakes wins in 2025, compiling earnings of $366,000 and as a result was named Virginia-certified older filly and mare of the year. The 6-year-old Great Notion mare reached the winner’s circle in the Giant’s Causeway Stakes (Gr. 3) at Keeneland by a nose in April, the Caress Stakes (Gr. 3) at Saratoga by a half-length in July, and the Smart and Fancy Stakes at Saratoga the following month. In June, Future Is Now finished second in the Intercontinental Stakes at Saratoga (Gr. 2). In total, the Michael Trombetta trainee has earned $967,000 in winnings through 18 career starts. He was bred by Johnson and was certified at his Legacy Farm.
Just Philtored, a now three-year-old great Notion filly, was named Top Virginia-Certified 2-Year-Old thanks to an outstanding 2025 campaign in which she won four races and raised $279,430. The winner, bred by ZWP Stable & Non Stop Stable of Maryland, spent her six-month Virginia residency at Woodberry Payne’s Braeburn Training Center in Montpelier Station. Another Trombetta trainee, Just Philtored, won two shares in New Kent, including the Dolley Madison in an impressive gate-to-wire performance with Mychel Sanchez in the irons, and the Keswick Stakes neck-and-neck with Sanchez back on top. Later that year she prevailed in the Maryland Juvenile Filly Stakes at Laurel.
Madison Meyers, whose operations are based out of the Middleburg Training Center, will receive the Top Trainer award on March 14. In 2025, she sent 146 starters to compete and recorded 19 wins, 15 seconds and 12 thirds for $1,043,173 in purse earnings. Desvio, her star performer, won the Grade 2 Sycamore Stakes at Keeneland in October, followed by a second-place finish in New Kent’s Colonial Cup Stakes and a third-place finish in a pair of Grade 2s: the Red Smith at Aqueduct and the Dinner Party at Pimlico. Meyers also scored wins with six different horses at Colonial Downs: Secure’s Hope, Rector, Phil’s Prince, Twain, War Madam and Ruby Hamilton.
Larry Johnson, who fielded 18 Virginia-breds last year and netted $861,273 in winnings, was named Virginia Breeder of the Year. In addition to Doubting Thomas, this included Noquestionaboutit, who banked $111,600 and had a maiden special weight and allowance win at Laurel, Hark Theangelssing who collected $108,900 and had a winning maiden special weight effort at Colonial, and Noquestionaboutit ($107,613), whose 2025 highlight was a triumph in the Glen Petty Stakes.
This press release has not been edited by BloodHorse. If there are any questions, please contact the organization that produced the release.
#Gigante #named #VAbred #horse #year