Concrete Rose, this year’s winner of the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes, has been named the 2019 Aiken Trained Horse of the Year by the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame & Museum. The induction ceremony will be on Sunday, March 15 at 1:30 pm at the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame. Memorabilia from Concrete Rose’s racing season will be on display.
Concrete Rose, a foal of 2016, was bred in Kentucky by Ron Patterson. A dark brown daughter of Twirling Candy and Solerina by Powerscourt (GB) she was purchased for $61,000 from the Fasig-Tipton Mid Atlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale last May.
She trained at the historic Aiken Training Track under the tutelage of Justin Wojczynski. She won the first race she competed in, a Maiden Special Weight, on August 20, 2018 at Saratoga in New York
Concrete Rose also won the Grade 3 Florida Oaks Stakes and the Grade 3 Edgewood Stakes this year.
She raced 4 times in 2019 with 4 wins and $ 1,041,900 in earnings.
Concrete Rose missed the remainder of the 2019 season when she was diagnosed with a hairline fracture in her right foreleg in August.
The Aiken Trained Horse of the Year award was created in 2002 to honor local Thoroughbreds who have had an excellent racing season by winning at least one Grade 1 race or exceeded $500,000 in career earnings. Past winners are Congaree (2002), Wando (2003), Limehouse (2005), Bob and John (2006), Country Star (2007), Midshipman (2008), Quality Road (2009 & 2010), It’s Tricky (2011), Alpha (2012) Palace Malice (2013 & 2014), Curalina (2015 & 2016), Dickinson (2017) and Still Having Fun (2018).
The public is invited to attend the ceremony. The Hall of Fame is located at 135 Dupree Place, Aiken, SC 29801 inside historic Hopelands Gardens.
For more information call 803-642-7631 or 803-643-2121, e-mail halloffame@cityofaikensc.gov or visit the Hall of Fame website at www.aikenracinghalloffame.com.