by Carol Hodes, for the SBOANJ

Manalapan, NJ — The Breeders Committee of the Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey has selected Michael Parisi’s White Birch Farm of Allentown, N.J., as the 2013 New Jersey Standardbred Breeder of the Year.

White Birch Farm (whitebirchfarmnj.com) will be among the honorees at the 57th annual New Jersey Breeders Awards Luncheon at 1 p.m. on Jan. 26 at Charley’s Other Brother in Eastampton Township, N.J.

This will be the third time in the last 10 years that White Birch Farm, under the management of owner and general manager Michael Parisi, has collected New Jersey Breeder of the Year, having also won in 2004 and 2011.

Additionally, White Birch will be honored as the US Harness Writers Association’s Breeder of the Year for the second consecutive year at its Dan Patch Awards Banquet on Feb. 23 at Dover Downs.

This year, the 800-acre breeding farm and training center not only enjoyed success with its New Jersey-breds such as Wake Up Peter (Rocknroll Hanover-Lovely Lady; $307,091 in 2013 earnings), I Fought Dalaw (Western Ideal-In For Life; $151,320), Ideal Champ (Western Ideal-Female Champs; $130,185) and In The Clear (Western Ideal-Orchid Island; $52,140) but also produced the two leading contenders for 2013 Horse of the Year — 3-year-old pacing colt Captaintreacherous and 3-year-old trotting filly Bee A Magician.

Broodmares Beehive (dam of Hambletonian Oaks and Breeders Crown winner Bee A Magician, who banked $1.5 million in 2013) and Worldly Treasure (dam of Meadowlands Pace, North America Cup and Breeders Crown winner and double millionaire Captaintreacherous) help to serve as the foundation of the White Birch success story.

The 2013 productivity of White Birch Farm’s offspring is exemplified by 152 starters accounting for 418 wins and earnings of $8,657,995. The earnings are third only to Hanover Shoe and Winbak, which had more than 1,000 starters each.

Past champions produced by the farm founded by Joseph and Marie Parisi, were 1996 3-year-old Pacer of the Year and Meadowlands Pace winner Hot Lead, 1998 2-year-old Colt Pacer of the Year Island Fantasy, 2002 3-year-old Filly Pacer of the Year Worldly Beauty, 2005 2-year-old Filly Pacer of the Year My Little Dragon and 2006 3-year-old Filly Pacer of the Year Darlin’s Delight.

Previous New Jersey Breeder of the Year winners include Perretti Farms (a two-time winner, 2003 and 2010), Valley High Stables, Southwind Farms, Kentuckiana Farms, Fair Winds Farm, Walnridge Farm and Heritage Hill Farms.

For tickets to the awards luncheon ($35 per person), contact the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, Division of Markets & Development, Horse Industry, P.O. Box 330, Trenton, NJ 08625 or call 609.984.4389.