Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Chocolatier's Breeding Career Decided

Monday, April 10, 2006

Last year's standout freshman trotting colt, Chocolatier, will head to Southwind Farms at the conclusion of his racing career. Chocolatier is trained by Hall of Famer Doug Ackerman and owned during his freshman campaign by he and his wife, Ada Jean. Their son, D.R., is the horse’s regular driver.

“We’ve been thrilled at the interest in Chocolatier’s stud potential, and we couldn’t be more pleased than to be partnering with Southwind Farms,” said Doug Ackerman. “This is by far the best horse I’ve ever had. He’s in great shape and we’re really looking forward to getting ready for this year’s Hambletonian and the other big stakes.”

The son of Credit Winner--Maple Frosting was last year’s richest 2-year-old trotting colt, having earned $508,250, and the fastest as well, and established a world record of 1:544 in the International Stallion Stakes at the Red Mile. His other stakes victories came in the $507,600 Breeders Crown, the Bluegrass Stakes, the American-National, the Hayes Memorial, the Review Stakes, and the Hanover Colt Stakes.

“We’re excited to stand a horse of this caliber,” Southwind’s Allen Skolnick said. Skolnick and his wife, Connie, own the farm. “And we’re also delighted to be involved with the Ackermans, one of the classiest families in the sport. Chocolatier is certainly a worthy successor to our stallions Valley Victory and Artsplace.”

Chocolatier, now 3, was an overwhelmingly winner of the Dan Patch Award as the 2-Year-Old Trotting Colt of the Year in 2005, after a freshman campaign which saw him win eight times in 10 starts. He is the number-one ranked trotter in this year’s Experimental Ratings.

Preferred Equine Marketing will manage the syndication of Chocolatier at the completion of his racing career. Preferred Equine also handled the sale and syndication of his sire, Credit Winner, North America’s number one stallion among the leading moneywinning sires of 2-year-olds in 2005; Credit Winner’s freshman won more than $2.6 million last year.