News from Washington Thoroughbred Breeders & Owners Association

Relampago, a two-year-old son of Whywhywhy, won a 1 1/16-mile maiden turf race at Calder Race Course on December 10 in his second lifetime start. The new winner is out of stakes winner and 1997 WTBOA Summer Yearling Sale graduate I Got Silver, a $134,112 earning Washington-bred daughter of Petersburg who is a half-sister to Washington champion filly Got You Runnin. (Note for racing film buffs: Relampago was the "Spanish-speaking" horse hero in the 1947 Maureen O'Hara and Cornel Wilde movie The Homestretch.)

Other News

Wind Storm, a six-year-old daughter of Woodstead Farm stallion He's Tops-Regal Action, was named 2010 British Columbia-bred Horse of the Year and BC-bred champion older filly or mare. The multiple stakes winner, who won four of seven starts this year, has an overall record of 12-2-7 from 24 outings and has earned $273,084.

Washington-bred stakes distaffers Point of Reference and Gadget Queen ran one-two in a six-furlong allowance race at Golden Gate Fields on December 10. Four-year-old Point of Reference, a daughter of Benchmark-It's Stevie Time, by Quiet American, bred and owned by Jack and Ivor Jones and trained by Frank Lucarelli, improved her record to 6-4-6 from 20 starts and has earned $198,337. John and Janene Maryanski's Gadget Queen, a six-year-old multiple stakes-winning daughter of Lucky Acres' Flying With Eagles-Knights Fantasy, by Staff Riot, pushed her earnings to $302,310.

Two juveniles with Washington connections won six-furlong $32,000 maiden claiming races at Golden Gate Fields on December 9. In the fourth race, Billie Klokstad and Helen Sherry's Washington homebred Windy Sails, a daughter of El Dorado Farms' Private Gold out of Summer Sails, by In Excess (Ire), won by 1 3/4 lengths for trainer Bud Klokstad. In the following race, Arlington residents John Bredeson and Greg Geiser's Kentucky homebred Island Bordeaux won his initial outing by one length. The Cuvee colt is out of Washington-bred stakes winner Rollette, a daughter of Basket Weave.

The Klokstads' Washington homebred Special Holiday, a daughter of El Dorado Farms LLC's Private Gold out of Special Return, by Slewdledo, won a six-furlong maiden special weight race at Golden Gate Fields on December 11.

Turbulent Descent, who remained unbeaten in three starts, served notice that the daughter of freshman sire leader Congrats-Roger's Sue, by Forestry, is one of the top two-year-old fillies in the country after she recorded a 1 1/4-length victory in the $409,250 Hollywood Starlet Stakes (G1) run on December 11 at Hollywood Park. Among the filly's owners is Renton resident Steve Zerda, who purchased the Harbor the Gold-Bon Jour Paris colt out of the 2010 WTBOA sale. Finishing second in the 1 1/16-mile race was Allen and Susan Branch's Big Tiz, a daughter of Tiznow-Squall City, who is trained by Washingtonian Mark Glatt.

Three-year-old Preciosa J., a Kentucky-bred daughter of Five Star Day bred by Charles R. Arnold Jr., of Port Orchard, won a 6 1/2-furlong maiden/$30,000 optional claiming race by 11 3/4 lengths at Turf Paradise on December 11. The new winner, who is out of imported Panama champion two-year-old filly Preciosa V., by Leo Castelli, races for the partnership of Arnold and Cappelletti.

Mark Dedomenico LLC, trainer Hollendorfer and John Carver's two-year-old filly Alec's Moon earned her second win on December 9 when she took a 5 1/2-furlong allowance race at Hollywood Park. The Kentucky-bred daughter of Malibu Moon-Bello Cielo, a half-sister to stakes winner Ayla Bella and Grade 2-placed Jobe has earned $52,100.

Dedomenico-owned and Kathy Walsh-trained two-year-old Mr Artistic M D remained unbeaten in two starts when the gelded son of Mr. Greeley out of stakes winner Art Fair won an allowance/$80,000 optional claiming race at Hollywood Park on December 16. The Kentucky-bred took the 5 1/2-furlong race by 1 1/4 length and pushed his earnings to $48,600.

Four-time leading Washington sire Matty G, who stands at El Dorado Farms LLC, is the sire of juvenile winner Daily Devotion, an Arizona-bred daughter of Irish Dobbin who broke her maiden at Turf Paradise on December 17.

Grousemont Farm's stakes-winning J Z Warrior, a half-sister to Grade 1 stakes winner A Z Warrior and Grade 3 stakes winner E Z Warrior, won a six-panel allowance race at Tampa Bay Downs on December 11. The 2005 Kentucky-bred daughter of Harlan's Holiday-Carson Jen has won six races and earned $342,123.

Southern Yankee, a four-year-old Florida-bred daughter of Yankee Gentleman increased her earnings to $238,455 after she son a five-furlong allowance test at Fair Grounds on December 10. She is out of Wanna Kat, a stakes-placed daughter of Woodstead Farm stallion Katowice.

1997 Washington horse of the year and Gotham Stakes (G2) winner Smokin Mel, who stands in New York, had his latest winner when two-year-old Smokin Artie's Gal, took a six-furlong New York-bred maiden special weight race at Aqueduct by 5 1/2 lengths in her first start on December 16.The new winner is out of the Siphon (Brz) mare Brazilian Baby.

Four-year-old Ben's Cat, a Maryland-bred son of Gibson Thoroughbred Farm's Parker's Storm Cat, lost for the first time in nine starts after he finished second to Alma D'Oro in the $58,800 Forty Niner Stakes, a mile race run at Aqueduct on December 19. The multiple stakes-winning Maryland-bred gelding out of Twofox has earned $211,980.

In Memoriam

C. Wayne Delzer

C. Wayne Delzer, 77, passed away in Spokane on December 6, 2010. Born in Odessa on March 3, 1933, to Calvin and Elsie Delzer, Wayne graduated from Reardan High School.

He was a dry land farmer at Delzer Farm (est. 1940) from 1963 until his death. He also worked many years at the Spokane Flour Mill and then retired from Jeld-Wen.

He was an active Thoroughbred breeder, owner and trainer for many years. His son Gary was also a trainer at Playfair.

Wayne also enjoyed fishing at Yokum Lake and hunting elk in the Blue Mountains.

He was preceded in death by his sister Joyce Kellison. He is survived by Charlotte Delzer; sons, Gary (Carolee) Delzer, of Mead, and Von Delzer of Spokane; daughters, Jewel (Duane) Peterson, of Little Elm, Texas, and Darla (Larry) Bailey, of Spokane; nine grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; and his sister, Donalee Lee, of Bremerton.

Don and Jean Engel

Don Engel, 85, and his wife of 41 years, Jean, of Rohnert Park, California, passed away on December 6, 2010. The late horseman, breeder and publisher founded the Thoroughbred Information Agency (TIA) in 1966 and later instituted The TIA Newsletter in 1987.

Born in Baird, Texas, in 1925, Don and his family moved to Bakersfield, California, while he was in his second year of high school. After his graduation he became a reporter, copy editor and sports editor for the Bakersfield Californian before he joined the Army Air Corps at age 18. He graduated from flight school as a navigator.

After his discharge he returned to the newspaper, where he worked part-time while attending Bakersfield Junior College. He then transferred to UC Berkeley where he graduated in 1950 with studies in English, history and psychology.

He later became a teacher, and with his first wife Shirley, purchased his first two broodmares in 1959. With their divorce came the sale of their Honey Lake Thoroughbred Farm in 1968.

Don and Jean, a high school counselor, married in 1969 and she became his partner in the horse business.

Don was also a well-respected bloodstock marketer, consignor and an inventive copy writer. In 1982 he agented the sale of the $800,000 sale-topping broodmare at the CTBA Winter Mixed Sale. Another in his consignment that year was the mare Bold Captive, who brought $350,000 while carrying future Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner Skywalker.

In 1997, the Engels established www.thoroughbredinfo.com, the online counterpart to their popular newsletter. His Thoroughbred Showcase of the West website hosted the first WTBOA's website (1998-99) and also was the site of the OTBOA site for many years. In 2007, the Engels sold The TIA Newsletter and its associated website.

A profile on Engel can be found in the "Get to know the face of ..." column published in the November 2008 Washington Thoroughbred.