2022 Phoenix Stakes Winner
Manny Wah was a tough and durable sprinter who put together one of the longest and most consistent careers of any horse of his generation. He was foaled in 2016 and bred in Kentucky by Martha Jane Mulholland and Modo Tesio Equine. He raced for owner Susan Moulton and was trained for most of his career by Wayne Catalano, with John Ennis, Will Walden, and others guiding him at different points. His sire was Will Take Charge, the 2013 Travers Stakes winner, and his dam was Battlefield Angel, a stakes winning Grade 1 placed daughter of Proud Citizen.
Manny Wah raced from age two through age eight, an unusually long career in modern racing. He made 44 starts and ran in some of the toughest sprint races in the country. He was the kind of blue collar horse who showed up every time, ran hard, and gave his connections everything he had. He earned 990,244 dollars in his career and won or placed in six graded stakes.
The signature win came in the 2022 Phoenix Stakes at Keeneland. Manny Wah went off as a 17 to 1 longshot but ran from last to first to win his first Grade 2 race, beating top sprinters and earning an automatic berth in the Breeders Cup Sprint. He started in the Breeders Cup Sprint twice during his career, taking on the very best sprinters in the country. He also won the Duncan F. Kenner Stakes at Fair Grounds and hit the board in many other graded races, including the Aristides Stakes at Churchill Downs.
After his long racing career, Manny Wah retired and entered stud in 2025 at Leadem Farm in Arkansas. He is remembered as a hard knocking sprinter who carried his trainer Wayne Catalano and owner Susan Moulton through years of memorable race days. Manny Wah is the kind of horse the racing game is built on, a blue collar fighter who kept showing up and making fans cheer year after year.
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