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USHWA, in conjunction with the Harness Racing Hall Of Fame, is pleased to announce the election of racing executive Tom Aldrich, bloodstock expert Robert Boni, and trainer Chris Ryder to the greatest honor in the industry, membership to the Hall Of Fame. Harrisburg, PA – USHWA has also elected racing official and administrator Judy Davis-Wilson and writer/editor Debbie Little to the pinnacles of their professions, membership in the Communicators Hall Of Fame. Robert Boni’s parents took him to Yonkers Raceway as a youth, and upon his graduation from high school, he embarked on a harness racing career that has taken him through increasingly responsible stints with Pine Hollow Stud, International Standardbred, the Wall Street Stable with principal Lou Guida, Dreamaire Stud, and his present operation of his Northwood Bloodstock Company, which combines bloodstock agency, sales consultancy and breeding expertise. Along the way, Boni pioneered the usage of video as a marketing tool for selling top racehorses, dating back to 1978 and the Liberty Bell Sale. Among the many great horses with whom Boni has been associated are Horse of the Year Nihilator, world champion  Always B Miki , Pershing Square and Caressable ; he has been a part of six Breeders Crown championships. For Dreamaire, Boni assembled a broodmare band that contained 20 mares with 1:55 records, at a time when no one else owned two such mares. Boni’s impact has been greatly felt in the upper echelons of harness racing’s premier guiding associations. Boni is a trustee of the Harness Racing Museum, has written several timely and pertinent articles on major issues of the day, and is Chairman of USHWA’s Breeder, Sire, and Broodmare Awards Committee. In his capacity of vice president of the SBOA of New Jersey, Boni played a primary role in securing appropriation funding that helped revitalize racing and breeding in the Garden State. Aldrich, Boni, Ryder, Davis-Wilson and Little will be honored in two upcoming ceremonies. They will receive their first formal recognition at the U.S. Harness Writers Association’s Dan Patch Awards Banquet, to be held at the Rosen Centre, in Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 23, 2025 . The second event will, of course, be their formal introductions to their Halls at Goshen on the first Sunday of July 2025 . The United States Harness Writers Association (USHWA) is the leading group of communicators about the Standardbred horse. USHWA conducts the official annual balloting for the sport’s most prestigious honors: induction into the Hall Of Fame and Communicators Hall Of Fame, along with the selection of the Horse of the Year, Trotter and Pacer of the Year, and the leading divisional horses of each season. Each year, USHWA holds the Dan Patch Awards Banquet, honoring the best and brightest performers in North American harness racing. This banquet is the association’s principal source of funding, and with generous financial support from the harness racing and breeding industry, USHWA is able to host the banquet at a world-class facility in a world-class manner. Click here for the complete story “I am honored and humbled to receive this recognition and I thank all who have supported me…it has truly been a great ride with many special people and great horses and a lifetime of doing everything I ever wanted to do with no plans of stopping.” Bob Boni

Winning Key Farm acquires ownership interest in Volume Eight Worthington, PA – Jan. 21 2023  Winning Key Farm is excited to announce a partnership with the current ownership group of 2-year-old 2022 Trotting Colt of the Year Volume Eight that gives them an interest in the champion trotter beginning in 2023. The transaction was put together by Bob Boni of Northwood Bloodstock Agency , bringing the idea to his trainer Noel Daley, and then to Patty Key. “With Patty Key and Winning Key, his breeder, in mind, I reached out to Noel about the possibility of an interest in Volume Eight being available,” said Boni. “Noel said yes and Patty was immediately enthused about the possibilities. It did not take much more than that to put the parties together. I asked Patty’s farm manager Eric Crocker about the colt as well as they raised him, and being a son of the great Chapter Seven, it seemed like a perfect fit. He has shown extraordinary ability and hopefully it will be a fun year for everyone involved.” Noel Daley added that “It is a terrific opportunity at this time to have the breeder come back in with an ownership interest. He is clearly a very talented trotting colt that will be pointed for the major events in ’23 and in addition to the excitement of his racing career, as breeders he could very well prove to be an important part of their breeding program in the future.” “When Bob Boni brought this to us, I was immediately excited with the prospect of participating in his ownership as it is very much a chance to continue the legacy of my late husband Bob,” commented Patty Key. “While we have been mostly focused on our breeding program and not given much thought to racing, this is a very special situation. We followed all of his races as if we still owned him and I am thrilled that Noel and the other owners have given us this opportunity. Now we can look forward to his races with even more anticipation and I believe it is something Bob would have wanted us to do.” The Dan Patch Award winner was the fastest 2-year-old colt trotter of 2022, taking his mark of 1:52 with a last quarter of :27 flat and a dominant victory in the Kindergarten Classic Final for earnings of $432,232. He finished his campaign winning five in a row, adding the Valley Victory Final for trainer Noel Daley and driver Andy McCarthy, and he is listed as the Meadowlands Winter Book favorite for the 2023 Hambletonian.

Fate and Keen Vision Draws Boni to Indiana It is impossible to tell the story of harness racing without Robert “Bob” Boni and for over a decade it has been impossible to tell the story of Indiana harness racing without his name as well. Since 1969, Boni has been full time in some capacity in harness racing and the results have been nothing short of remarkable on the East Coast as well as the Hoosier state.  Boni’s full time involvement in harness began at Pine Hollow Stud but not exactly by design. “I finished school, got in my car, and made my way to Goshen, New York in hopes of securing a job with Arden Homestead’s main trainer Harry Pownall,” said Boni. His plan did not come to fruition as he had planned which in hindsight may have been for the best. “Mr. Pownall said he would have loved to hire me, but he simply did not have any openings or much turnover in his grooms for a spot to be available for me,” Boni remembered.  Boni’s harness racing aspirations were not squashed by the fruitless venture to Goshen as he took the short drive over to Pine Bush where Pine Hollow Stud was located. “Pine Hollow looked to be the premier farm in New York at the time and I was lucky that they had an opening when I showed up and asked for a job. It was only about an hour and a half from my boyhood home in Queens so it made a lot of sense to start there,” Boni noted. “I spent 11 years there and I do not regret it one bit.”  After his tenure at Pine Hollow, Boni ventured out on his own with almost immediate success. He managed the Wall Street Stable that went “all-in” on the first crop of Niatross which led Boni to travel all the way to Indiana one winter day where he inspected and purchased the former fastest horse of all time, Nihilator. “I’ve always said Indiana is my second favorite state and that is a big reason why,” Boni said with a laugh.  Boni has certainly been no one hit wonder with his connected standardbreds. His other standouts include $800,000 winner Pershing Square, 1987 Pacer of the Year Camtastic, Indiana standout stallion Always A Virgin, and the 2nd fastest horse of all time Always B Miki. The latter two certainly have strong connections to the Midwest and Boni was instrumental in both of their paths.  Always A Virgin was partially purchased by Boni with multiple other partners prior to his three year old season where he earned over $1 million in purses. After his 4-year-old season, the decision came on where he should stand, at which point Boni made the case for Indiana. “It definitely took some convincing of our fellow partners, but my partner Mitchell Skolnick and I had studied and admired the Indiana program and thought it was the best spot for him. We knew he would have several years of support where in some states that is not always the case because you never know which new hot sire might come in after you,” Boni stated.  The success of Always A Virgin as a sire has been immense and his impact on the growth of Indiana Standardbreds cannot be overstated. His first two two crops produced 3 millionaires, 3 Breeders Crown winners, and the at one time fastest horse of all time. In total, Always A Virgin’s offspring have earned over $60 million and still counting. “Always A Virgin is what you hope for from a regional sire. He immediately produced horses that could leave the state program and win. Once you do that, you are made as a stallion, and Indiana certainly gave him the support,” said Boni.  Boni’s connection to Always A Virgin played a role in leading him to one of Indiana sired sons, Always B Miki. After watching Always B Miki’s early baby races, Boni was enamored by the colt. “He showed incredible speed as a young horse, and my connection to Always A Virgin definitely made me take a closer look at him. Luckily, he was owned by Joe Hurley’s Roll The Dice stable who owned Always A Virgin so we already had a strong relationship there,” Boni noted.  Always B Miki took Boni and the other connections on an incredible ride, but he was not the last tie to Indiana for Boni. He has continued to play a role in sending multiple stallions to Indiana including the likes of Class Included, JK Endofanera, and newcomer in 2023 Rebuff. The latter stallion is an extremely exciting prospect in the eyes of Boni. “He is a horse that could have stood anywhere. He is a Breeders Crown winner and the fastest son of Muscle Hill, which is a remarkable accomplishment,” said Boni.  In Boni’s eyes, Rebuff is a further affirmation of the rise of the Midwest in harness racing. The massive growth of Kentucky combined with the addition of the Peter Haughton and Jim Doherty trots now at Hoosier has created a shift in the business in Boni’s opinion. “It is a validation of the midwest. Some people did not pay attention to this program due to the distance from the east coast, but with so many stables established in Kentucky, that is now changed. It really is a cataclysmic shift in the way we race horses. It is going to open up the thought process and Indiana will be looked at much differently,” Boni explained.  Besides the rise of the midwest coming in the future, Boni has glowing remarks for the current program. “People really do not realize the amount of open stakes offered by Hoosier Park. Indiana and Hoosier Park put on an excellent presentation. I think with the growth of dual eligibility in Kentucky, you are going to see nominations to the big races in Indiana rise dramatically.”

The brainchild of SBOANJ first vice-president Bob Boni — 15 years in the making Lexington, KY — Moments after his trainee Night Hawk finished second in the second of two Meadowlands Pace eliminations last Saturday night (July 9) at The Meadowlands, trainer Brian Brown thought to himself that now he will need to hold his breath awaiting the post position draw for the $600,000 final this Saturday (July 16), hoping his colt didn’t draw post 10 in the open draw among the non-winners. At the time Brown wasn’t aware that a format change had been made for this year’s Pace final draw and that Night Hawk was guaranteed a spot on the starting gate no farther out than post seven. …. read the complete story

Bob Boni Talks with Dave Brower abou t the Winter Mixed Sale at the Meadowlands On Jan. 17 2022

Toscani nabs Whichwaytothebeach for $390,000  It was the second highest-priced hors e sold in sale history and it came during an auction that set new records for average ($47,259) and median ($29,500). With one significant purchase, Gino Toscani of Mount Hope, ON led the buyers at the Tattersalls Winter Mixed Sale held Monday (Jan. 17) in the paddock at the Meadowlands Racetrack in New Jersey. Bidding online via ProxiBid, Toscani spent $390,000 to collar the sale topper,  Hip 77 Whichwaytothebeach , a 4-year-old gelded son of Somebeachsomewhere out of Swinging Beauty consigned by Bob Boni’s Northwood Bloodstock. “He seems like a nice horse,” Toscani told the USTA’s Ken Weingartner. “I hope he can come through. He’s just going to be 4. His brother, Captain Barbossa, was good as a 4-year-old and hopefully he’s going to be the same for us and we can get our money back.” Whichwaytothebeach will be trained by Desiree Jones. It was the second highest sale-topper since at least 2014. The record was set in 2020 when Lindy The Great sold for $450,000. Previously trained by Brett Pelling, Whichwaytothebeach earned $546,425 with a record of 12-6-6 in 27 starts and a mark of 1:49.2. “He’s a legit horse and he was younger than the others. I think that was a big edge,” Boni said. In all, 90 racehorses, stallion shares and breedings collectively sold for $4,253,300 to produce an average of $47,259 and a median of $29,500. The sale set new records for average and median. This year’s auction also set a record for the fewest offerings sold. “(The record average is) partly a reflection of the number of horses sold, but, on the other hand, it is a fair representation of what we did offer. I was very happy with that,” said sale manager David Reid. “It’s always exciting to have a live sale, for sure.” This year’s gross was up 14 per cent from last year’s total of $3,741,400. The average was up 50 per cent from $41,244 in 2021 and the median was up 55 per cent from $19,000 last year. The record for gross was set in 2018 when 221 horses/stal- lion shares — 131 more offerings than this year — grossed $6,694,000. Northwood also sold  Hip 83 Belmont Major N  to Amanda Kelly of Greenfield Center, NY for $200,000 — “A very strong price. The half-mile track miles he showed earlier really helped him a lot,” Boni said — and  Hip 67 Ethan T Hanover  for $115,000 to Matthew Medeirra of Big Z Farm. Reid’s Preferred Equine consigned both the second- and third- highest-priced horses sold —  Hip 56  mare  Swift Swanda  for $240,000 to Josh Green, agent, of Milford, DE and  Hip 85  2020 Little Brown Jug winner  Captain Barbossa  for $210,000 to Robert DiNozzi of Ossining, NY. “If he’s anything like he’s been all his career, he’ll make money,” DiNozzi told Weingartner. “We’ll race him at Yonkers a little bit, put him in the Borgata Series, but he’s also good on a mile (track) so if he’s racing well, we will put him in everything. He’s raced with the best and either been competitive or beaten them. There is nothing not to like about the horse.” Preferred Equine sold 51 offerings, grossing $2,479,200 for an average of $48,612. Northwood Bloodstock had 28 sales, grossing $1,284,600 for an average of $45,879. Diamond Creek sold eight for a total of $428,000, an average of $53,500. Reid said he was “very happy with the pre-sale traffic and the at-sale traffic. I was very happy with the attendance. I thought the auctioneers, once again, they are a very talented crew that kept a very good pace to the sale and we continued to offer the online bidding as a convenience to owners that can’t make it and it’s working out very well. “I think there were 10 horses sold online today with another 14 (online bidders) ending up the underbidder. Obviously, as a result of the pandemic, we’ve offered other services and tools. I think the results played in today. “The other thing I thought was interesting is that on the stream- ing through  www.tattersallsredmile.com  there was a point in time today where we had more than 1,000 viewers watching the live stream. For the industry, I think it’s great to see the energy and the participation level and it kind of goes off 2021’s sale season, which was favorable.” For historical reference, in 2020, the Winter Mixed Sale sold 128 horses/stallion shares for $5,279,200 to produce an average of $41,244 and a median of $26,500.  In 2019, 150 horses/stallion shares grossed $4,395,300 for an average of $29,302 and a median of $20,000. In 2018, 221 horses/stallion shares grossed $6,694,000 for an average of $30,290 and a median of $20,000. In 2017, 233 horses/stallion shares grossed $6,288,400 for an average of $26,989 and a median of $15,000. In 2016, 258 horses/stallion shares grossed $5,849,400 for an average of $22,672 and a median of $16,500. In 2015, 269 horses/stallion shares and breedings grossed $5,971,500, for an average of $23,291 and a median of $14,000. In 2014, the gross of $5,971,500 for 234 horses/stallion shares produced an average of $25,519 and median of $14,000. In 2013, 206 horses and stallion shares grossed $4,549,600, an average of $22,085.

Kentucky Championship winner  Empressive Hill  brought the second-richest tag of the Harrisburg Mixed session Selling as Hip 1391, KYSS champ  Empressive Hill  was purchased by Jean-Pierre Barjon of Paris, France for $410,000. Consigned to the sale by Northwood Bloodstock, Empressive Hill (Muscle Hill – Slice Slice Baby) sports a record of 1:51.2 taken at The Red Mile as a sophomore, with a 10-2-1 from 19 career starts and $273,775 in earnings.

Adios winner HELLABALOU sold by Northwood Bloodstock Agency! Congratulations to owner Eric Good and trainer Eddie Dennis and driver Tim Tetrick on their exciting new record 1:58.4f winning the $375,000 “Adios” at the Meadows on July 31.. Congratulations as well to breeders Andray Farm and Sergent Stables . HELLABALOU was sold for $42,000 by Northwood Bloodstock Agency at the 2019 Harrisburg Sale. Please visit our Harrisburg and Lexington yearling consignments this fall and look for your next stakes winner. We are now accepting entries for the November 11 & 12 Harrisburg Mixed Sale…the premier mixed sale for racing and breeding stock. If you have any entries or any questions or for further information please contact us via Facebook or email   or call 201 863-2082.