Team Valor International lead all other public partnerships in 2009 in the categories of stakes wins, stakes winners, Graded wins and Graded winners.

So dominant was the Kentucky-based stable owned by Barry Irwin that its 19 wins in stakes races was nearly twice the 10 wins accomplished by West Point and IEAH, which tied for second place.

Leading the stable last year were the Grade 1 winners Gitano Hernando and Gypsy’s Warning. Both 3-year-olds were bought privately by the stable. Gitano Hernando was bought in England after he broke his maiden on Polytrack third time out. The lightly raced Hernando colt achieved his high water mark when upsetting a field of seasoned older runners when flown to Santa Anita for the Grade 1 Goodwood Stakes.

Gypsy’s Warning was bought in South Africa and turned in her best effort in the Grade 1 SA Fillies Classic, when she took the measure of Zirconeum to record stakes victory number 200 for a horse syndicated by Barry Irwin since 1987.