Dr. Stephen P. Dey III has been chosen as this year’s recipient of the Cradle of the Trotter Breeders Award by the Monticello-Goshen Chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association. The honour, which is bestowed annually, recognizes smaller breeders that have enjoyed success on the big stage, and in New York State.
Dr. Dey (pronounced dye), a prominent Standardbred Veterinarian by trade, checks both those boxes as his slate of recent stars have not only won sire stakes events in the Empire State, but have also captured prestigious Grand Circuit races across North America.
World Champion Bythemissal (p,3,1:48.3f - $1,198,816) won the Little Brown Jug, The Adios, Carl Millstein Memorial (in a world record equaling time of 1:48.4h), the Ohio Sires Stakes Championship, and the Monument Circle. A gelding from the first crop of Downbytheseaside and bred by Dey, Bythemissal finished the season as the second leading money-winning sophomore pacer in North America.
Dan Patch two-year-old pacing filly of 2021 Niki Hill (p,3,1:48.4 - $1,420,879), was also produced by Dey at his family’s Heritage Hill Farm, along with sport’s fastest three-year-old pacing filly Shebestingin (p,3,1:47 - $760,038). This year, Dey ranks eleventh among all breeders in North America with $3.3 million, yet has half the amount of starters as his peers.
Among this season’s talented New York-breds are Earthwindfire (p,2,1:51.3 - $321,484) and Gotthegreenlight (p,3,1:51f - $513,997), placing Dey’s operation in third place among the leading NY breeders earnings statistics.
A nursery with a history that goes deep into the infancy of the Garden State program, the farm was established in the early 1960’s by Dey’s father, Dr. Stephen Perrine Dey II and his wife, Elizabeth S. [Liz] Dey. Spanning 500 acres in Monmouth County, many of the farm’s offspring carried the ‘HH’ prefix through the latter part of the 20th century.
Dr. Dey III’s maternal grandfather, Charles I. Smith, was the founder of the New Jersey Sire Stakes program, which led their farm to become the first breeding operation to nominate yearlings to that program. Some one thousand horses later and Heritage Hill Farm is still going strong with the help and commitment of a talented and dedicated staff.
“We have about thirty mares and my cousin David Hayes is the farm manager,” noted Dey. “Our farm is blessed to have a hard-working staff that allows us to raise quality foals and continue supporting the industry in the Northeast.”
At one time Heritage Hill Farm stood such stallions as Isle Of Wight and Distant Thunder, with Jaguar Spur being the last stallion to stand at the Dey’s. “Over the last few decades we have invested in stallion shares,” stated Dey. “This way we can concentrate our efforts on the broodmares themselves and have greater diversity in our crops. We have always supported the New York program with shares in Credit Winner, Huntsville, American Ideal and Bettors Delight.”
Not only does Dr. Dey III and his extended family operate the commercial breeding farm, but ‘Steve’ Dey III and his brother Dr. Greg Dey operate Dey Equine Veterinarians, a busy practice based around the abundant Standardbred training centers of central New Jersey.
“While there may be some cross-over, my brother Greg frequents stables at Gaitway, Magical Acres and Congress Hill, while I go to Winner’s International, Hot Lead (formerly White Birch), and Ridge Training Center,” Dey explained. “We stay busy and I am fortunate to also have my daughter, Rachel, working with me.”
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Vet school, Dey also attended Rutgers, and Purdue. Truly a family affair, his brother Greg also has his son Mitchel working in the practice with him. While his knowledgeable farm staff allows Dey to concentrate on his day job, the breeding business is always on his mind. Dey recognizes the myriad of challenges facing the industry in general, and breeders specifically.
“Having a big track like the Meadowlands is a big asset to our program. The genetics of our breed have created such speed that it is advantageous to have a racecourse with fewer obstacles like the smaller tracks in other jurisdictions,” Dey observed.
“Nonetheless, we, as an industry, must continue to provide positive growth and opportunities for young horses,” Dey continued. “We must give yearling buyers greater purse structures for maidens and non-winners of two type-horses, so that these owners can recoup some of their investment.”
Dey concluded, “No one forces these owners to buy yearlings, so the industry must continue to create attractive incentives.”
In recognition of Dr. Dey III’s current successes, as well as over 50 years in the breeding business, when the Monticello-Goshen Harness Writers hold their 63rd annual Awards Banquet on Sunday, December 11, 2022, Dey will receive the chapter’s Cradle of the Trotter Breeders Award.
This year, in addition to the year-end awards for horses and horse people from the local tracks, the Monticello-Goshen chapter will also honor Wally Hennessey (Lifetime Achievement Award); Anthony Bruno (John Manzi Leadership Award); Gabe Prewitt (John Gilmour Good Guy Award); Lance Ditewig (Excelsior Award); Auxiliary of Goshen Historic Track (Amy Bull Crist Distinguished Service Award); Ted Waddell (Phil Pines Award); Braxten Boyd (Rising Star); Scott Keppler (Amateur Driver); and Tracy and Dr. Gary Smith (Mighty M Award of Appreciation).
Tickets for the gala event at the Wallkill Golf Club, Middletown, NY, can be reserved by contacting Shawn Wiles at 845-798-4074 or Email: [email protected].
To place a congratulatory ad in the souvenir journal, please contact Chris Tully at 845-807-7538 or email [email protected].
(Monticello-Goshen Chapter USHWA)