WINBAK STAFF BIOGRAPHY

Read below to learn more about individual members of our knowledgable staff.

Joe M. Thomson

Owner

With a lifelong passion for horses, Joe has built Winbak Farm to be one of the leading standardbred breeders in North America.

Winbak Farm stands stallions in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York and Ontario. In 1991, Joe and JoAnn founded Winbak Farm in the Maryland horse country near Chesapeake City, a short distance from Baltimore and Philadelphia. They bought Winfield Farm, where the thoroughbred Northern Dancer was born. The contract prohibited them from using the name Winfield, so it was shortened to “Win” and they then used the names of their three children, Bradley, Ashlee and Kimberly to complete the name Winbak.

They have produced two Meadowlands Pace Winners, three Little Brown Jug Winners, two Hambletonian Winners, three Horse of the Year Winners, and graduates who have won over 42,000 times and earned over $400 Million.

Email: joe.thomson@winbakfarm.com

Winbak Farm’s awards include:

-   USHWA “Breeder of the Year” for being the breeder of: No Pan Intended 2003, Rainbow Blue 2004 and Muscle Hill 2009
-   Leading Breeder in Ontario in 2010, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021 (#2 in 2015)
-   New York’s Leading Breeder in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021 (#2 in 2014)
-   2001 Sports Eye Magazine Standardbred Breeder of the Year
-   2001 Times & Harness Magazine Standardbred Owner of the Year
-   2009 Little Brown Jug Wall Of Fame Induction
-   2012 & 2013 Maryland Touch Of Class Award Recipients (Roll With Joe, Bettor's Delight, Betterthancheddar, Classic Wish & Lady Ashlee Ann)
-   2012 International Leadership Award from Maryland's World Trade Center Institute
-   2012 Lifetime Achievement Award from USHWA Monticello Chapter
-   2013 Bergstein-Proximity Award
-   2015 Hall of Fame Inductee (Joe Thomson)

Joe has been involved in the industry since the late 1970s and has served numerous leaderships roles.

-   Member of the Standardbred Breeders Associations in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New York and New Jersey
-   President of Standardbred Breeders Association in Pennsylvania
-   Former Director of Delaware Standardbred Breeder’s Association
-   Trustee and Director for the Harness Racing Museum and Hall of Fame (Goshen, New York)
-   Former Director of Maryland Standardbred Breeders Association and Maryland Cloverleaf Owners Association
-   Director of The Hambletonian Society
-   Director for the Lexington Trotters & Breeders Association

Joe Thomson is a partner in the Red Mile Race Track located in Lexington, Kentucky. The Red Mile is one of America’s oldest (1875) and most respected standardbred racetracks. He has also served as a director for the Lexington Trotters & Breeders Association. Due to his success as a breeder and leader, he was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Little Brown Jug Wall of Fame in 2009.

Joe Thomson grew up in Cynthiana, Kentucky where he participated in 4-H and showed dairy cattle. While in college at Transylvania University he worked at Keeneland and would go over to the Red Mile to watch the races. He graduated with a degree in Business Administration and Economics. After joining the Army, he volunteered for the U.S. Army's officer candidate school. After 3 years in the Army, he served as a First Lieutenant.

As a professional, Joe Thomson has had a long-standing career in the financial field. In 1999, Joe’s successful financial services business, Planco, was sold to Hartford Life Insurance Company. Joe then became a senior officer in 2001 for Hartford. In 2004, he started a new company, Pacer Financial in Paoli, Pennsylvania. In 2009, he was elected to the Insured Retirement Institute Hall of Fame for his contributions to the annuity and financial services industry. He serves on the Maryland World Trade Center Institute Board which concentrates on global opportunities for Maryland business.