Manchego is a momma, and it’s a filly

Hightstown, NJ — Three-time Dan Patch Award-winning female harness racing trotter Manchego delivered her first foal, a filly by Walner, at 10:45 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 2) at Kentuckiana Farms. Manchego, owned by Barry Guariglia’s Black Horse Racing, retired in 2021.

Manchego was a Dan Patch Award winner at ages 2, 5, and 6. She is the co-fastest female trotter in harness racing history, with a mark of 1:49, and one of three female trotters, with Peace Corps and Grades Singing, to win at least three Breeders Crown trophies.

A daughter of Muscle Hill out of Secret Magic, Manchego won 39 of 65 lifetime races and earned $3.14 million. Her earnings rank fifth in history among female trotters, trailing only Moni Maker, Peace Corps, Bee A Magician, and Atlanta.

In addition to winning three Breeders Crown finals, Manchego’s career triumphs included the 2018 Hambletonian Oaks.

by Ken Weingartner, for the USTA