Volume Eight, the 2022 Dan Patch Award winner as two-year-old trotting colt of the year, has added a familiar face to his ownership group in advance of his three-year-old season.

Winning Key Farm has announced a partnership with the current ownership group of Volume Eight that gives them an interest in the champion trotter beginning in 2023. The transaction was put together by Bob Boni of Northwood Bloodstock Agency, bringing the idea to his trainer Noel Daley, and then to Patty Key. 

“With Patty Key and Winning Key, his breeder, in mind, I reached out to Noel about the possibility of an interest in Volume Eight being available,” said Boni. “Noel said yes and Patty was immediately enthused about the possibilities. It did not take much more than that to put the parties together. I asked Patty’s farm manager Eric Crocker about the colt as well as they raised him, and being a son of the great Chapter Seven, it seemed like a perfect fit. He has shown extraordinary ability and hopefully it will be a fun year for everyone involved.” 

Noel Daley added that, “It is a terrific opportunity at this time to have the breeder come back in with an ownership interest. He is clearly a very talented trotting colt that will be pointed for the major events in 2023 and in addition to the excitement of his racing career, as breeders he could very well prove to be an important part of their breeding program in the future.”

“When Bob Boni brought this to us, I was immediately excited with the prospect of participating in his ownership as it is very much a chance to continue the legacy of my late husband Bob,” commented Patty Key. While we have been mostly focused on our breeding program and not given much thought to racing, this is a very special situation. We followed all of his races as if we still owned him and I am thrilled that Noel and the other owners have given us this opportunity. Now we can look forward to his races with even more anticipation and I believe it is something Bob would have wanted us to do.”

Volume Eight was the fastest two-year-old colt trotter of 2022, trotting home in :27 to cap a dominant 1:52 victory in the Kindergarten Classic Final. He finished his campaign with earnings of $432,232, winning his last five in a row and adding the Valley Victory Final for trainer Daley and driver Andy McCarthy. He is listed as the Meadowlands Winter Book favourite for the 2023 Hambletonian.

(with files from Winning Key Farms)