NYTWA TO HONOR IEAH STABLES, CURLIN, RAGS TO RICHES AT 85TH ANNUAL SARATOGA AWARDS DINNER

     International Equine Acquisitions Holdings Stable has been voted the 2007 winner of the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Award by the members of the New York Turf Writers Association. IEAH Stable will be honored along with nine other award winners for 2007, including Horse of the Year Curlin and the Belmont Stakes-winning filly Rags to Riches, at the NYTWA's annual dinner, which will held Monday, August 18, at Saratoga National Golf Club.
     IEAH, in winning the NYTWA's award for the persons who did most for racing, is being cited for its outstanding year in 2007, which was capped off by Kip Deville's victory in the Breeders' Cup Mile, as well as its endowment of a new equine hospital being built across the street from the Belmont Park backstretch.
     Curlin, owned by Stonestreet Stables' Jess Jackson, is being honored with the Secretariat Award as New York horse of the year for his spectacular campaign in which he won the Preakness, narrowly missed winning the Belmont Stakes, took the Jockey Club Gold Cup, and finished with a memorable victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Rags to Riches, owned by Susan Magnier, Derrick Smith, and Michael Tabor, won the balloting for the C.V. Whitney Achievement Award for her historic victory over males in the Belmont Stakes, becoming the first filly since Tanya in 1905 to win the last and longest leg of the Triple Crown. Rags to Riches also won three other Grade 1 races, including the Kentucky Oaks.
     Other winners who will be honored are trainer William Mott, Fourstardave Award for achievement at Saratoga; trainer Larry Jones, Red Smith “Good Guy” Award; owner-breeder Albert Fried Jr., Big Apple Award for achievement in the New York-bred industry; Kiaran McLaughlin, Woody Stephens Award as outstanding New York trainer; Cornelio Velasquez, Eddie Arcaro Award as outstanding New York jockey; Adena Springs Farm, Ogden Phipps Award as outstanding breeder; and Zayat Stables, Paul Mellon Award as outstanding owner.
     The 2008 NYTWA Awards Dinner and Dance will be held for the first time at Saratoga National, which renovated its dining and ballroom facilities this year and features among the finest cuisine in the Capital Region. Tickets for the dinner are $100 and can be obtained by contacting Charlotte Quinn at 718-659-2244.
     The New York Turf Writers Association, founded in 1923 by famed journalist Grantland Rice, is the nation's oldest sports writing organization.
     Contact: Irwin Cohen, Daily Racing Form