Legacy Chase at Shawan Downs
The 2009 Legacy Chase was held at Shawan Downs in Hunt Valley on September 26.
In the first race, the Maiden Timber, Alicia Murphey’s Major Price won $12,000 with Jacob Roberts on board.
James Slater piloted Kilbreena (right) for owner Irvin S. Naylor and trainer Brianne Slater to win the Open Claiming Timber, which was the second race of the day.
Jacob Roberts scored his second win of the day in the third race. There he won aboard H. Bruce Fenwick’s Bon Caddo for trainer Dawn Williams.
Benjamin Swope rode his own Incaseyouraminor to win the Amateur Highweight Timber by an impressive 42 1/2 margin.
The Training Flat race, 1-3/8 miles on turf, was divided into two meets with Kamante (far left) narrowly winning the first division. Jake Chalfin was up for Barracuda Stable and Ricky Hendriks.
Jacob Roberts earned his third win of the day aboard Boojwhacked who won the second division of the Training Flat race for Lonesome Glory LLC and trainer Blythe Miller Davies.
For candid photos of jockeys, owners, spectators and more, see the November print edition of The Equiery. Now in stores!
Eclipse Winner Recovering from Surgery
Two-time Eclipse winning steeplechase horse Good Night Shirt is recovering from ankle surgery. The Steeplechase Times reported that the 8-year-old gelding had the surgery on September 23 at the New Bolton Center in Pennsylvania to repair a small fracture. Hill will need six months of stall rest and hand walking before any turn out. Trainer Jack Fisher hopes the horse will be able to run again in the fall of 2010.
Governor’s Cup Winners
The Maryland Governor’s Cup 2009 Award winners are as follows:
Maryland Governor’s Cup Steeplechase Horse of the Year
Coal Dust, ridden by Blair Wyatt, owned by Armeta Stables and trained by Tom Voss
Maryland Novice Timber Horse of the Year
Patriot’s Path, ridden by Darren Nagle and Blake Curry, owned by Irvin Naylor and trained by Desmond Fogarty
Leading Trainer Award
Dawn Williams and Regina Welsh tied for the top trainer award.
Overall Leading Rider, Leading Timber Rider and Leading Amateur Rider
Patrick Worrall
The Betsy Firey Memorial Trophy for the Leading Female Jockey
Blair Wyatt
Ladies’ Foxhunter Timber Champion
Suzanne Stettinius riding King Lear and Major Price
Gentlemen’s Foxhunter Timber Champion
Rod Cameron riding Midnight Classic
Junior Horse Rider and Medium Pony Rider
Maggie Herzog
Small Pony Rider, Overall Pony Rider of the Year and Cubbing Camp Scholarship
Paige Vallee
Large Pony Rider and Junior Foxchasing Scholarship
Scarlett Lovett
Hunt Club Relay Race Challenge
Green Spring Valley Hounds
Hopeful Hunter Scholarship
Erin Swope
Jonathan Kiser Memorial Scholarship
Brooke Nemec
Awards Time!
Tonight is the Governor’s Cup Series Awards Reception. Awards, scholarships and trophies will all be presented so check back next week for photos and information on the winners.
Spring Race Meets
by Katherine O. Rizzo
Patrick Worrall (far right) and James Stierhoff (pink and yellow silks) kept trading spaces for the lead in The Worthington Bowl Amateur Heavyweight Timber at the Green Spring Valley Point-to-Point on March 28. Worrall and Bequeathed crossed the finish line just ahead of Stierhoff and Little Dewey Know.
The 2009 spring steeplechase race meets were packed full of exciting wins, close calls and upsets. And with one race left to go in the Governor’s Cup series the standings are too close to call for any of the series winners. Currently, Coal Dust is just three points ahead of Incomplete for Horse of the Year and Patriot’s Path is also three points ahead of Bold Quest for Novice Timber Horse of the Year.
In the rider standings, Patrick Worrall stands six points ahead of William Santoro for the overall leading rider. He also has a huge lead in the timber rider ranks over Santoro. Blair Wyatt is currently in the lead for the Betsy Firey Memorial Trophy for the leading female jockey. Dawn Williams currently sits atop the overall leading trainer list.
Paige Vallee is the current leader in the junior rider standings. She is also leading the small pony rider list. Maggie Herzog is on top of the medium pony list and Scarlett Lovett tops the large pony list. Maggie Herzog is leading the junior horse rider standings.
Jody Petty rides Battle Op, owned by Northwoods Stables and trained by Regina Welsh, to help the Elkridge Harford Hunt Club/Green Spring Valley Hounds combined team to win the Foxhall Farm Trophy Team Chase fastest time.
The Foxhall Farm Trophy Team Chase
Held at Andor Farm in Monkton on March 15, the Foxhall Farm Trophy Team Chase is where many of Maryland’s top trainers bring out their best horses for a good warm up to the season. This year, the combined team of Elkridge Harford Hunt Club and Green Spring Valley Hounds came out on top winning the largest trophy in the Governor’s Cup series. Winning horse and rider combinations were: Takin Inventory ridden by owner Michele Durbin, Battle Op ridden by Jody Petty and Volle Nolle ridden by Blair Wyatt. Battle Op and Volle Nolle are both owned by Northwoods Stables and trained by Regina Welsh.
Elkridge Harford teams placed second and third as well. A third EHHC team won the team chase for the average time. Green Spring finished second and River Hills Foxhounds took third.
Patrick Worrall and Bon Caddo win the $10,000 Howard County Hunt Cup.
Howard County-Iron Bridge Races
The Howard County Hunt Cup Open Timber race, the first race of the Howard County-Iron Bridge Race held March 21 at Pleasant Prospect Farm in Brookeville, had seven trainers entering horses hoping to bring home part of the $10,000 purse. Regina Welsh’s Battle Op, piloted by Blake Curry, lead for most of the race and technically crossed the finish first. However, Curry and four other jockeys went off course, jumping fence 10 twice instead of fence 16. Patrick Worrall, riding Bon Caddo for trainer Dawn P. Williams and owner H. Bruce Fenwick, realized the mistake and pulled up before going off course, thus winning the race.
Worrall, who was sandwiched in between two of the front runners at the time of the mistake said, “I saw we were all heading to the wrong fence but I was stuck and couldn’t turn away, so I just pulled up and let everyone pass.” Worrall then looped around and jumped the correct fence to win the race.
Jake Chalfin, who fell off Native Mark in the first race of the day, came back to win The Alda Clark Plate Novice Timber aboard Tap Tap (owner: H. Turney McKnight, trainer: Alexandra S. White) by two lengths over Patrick Worrall riding Bold Quest (owner: Northwoods Stables, trainer: Regina Welsh).
Rodney Cameron and Midnight Classic won The Hurdy Gurdy Gentlemen’s Foxhunter Timber race. Midnight Classic is currently the top horse on the Gentlemen’s Foxhunter Timber list.
Molly Forlano and Suzanne Stettinius rode most of The Harwood Perpetual Ladies’ Foxhunter Timber race side by side. Forlano, riding Fort Henry, came away with the win for owner Joe Davies. Both horses are trained by Blythe Miller Davies.
Green Spring Valley Point-to-Point
Steady rain fall throughout the day on March 28 caused many entries of the Green Spring Valley Point-to-Point to scratch. The excellent turf at Shawan Downs in Cockeysville held up all day making race conditions good.
Patrick Worrall and Bequeathed win The Worthington Bowl Amateur Heavyweight Timber race by a head over James Stierhoff and Little Dewey Know.
Connor Hankin gives Robin a pat after winning The Stuart S. Janney, Jr. Memorial Jr. Field Masters Chase for trainer Regina Welsh (pictured).
Fritz Boniface waves his whip in celebration of his win in the Green Spring Valley Hunt Cup-Frank A. Bonsal Memorial Open Timber race. He rode Across The Sky for Holbrook Hollow Farm and trainer Jack Fisher and won by four lengths.
Elkridge-Harford Hunt Point-to-Point
The Elkridge-Harford Hunt Point-to-Point on April 4 marked the first day of a weekend of race meets. The Saturday meet, held at Atlanta Hall Farm in Monkton saw large entries and large crowds.
Darren Nagle pilots Northwoods Stable’s Volle Nolle to second place in The George C. Clement Memorial Novice Timber for trainer Regina Welsh. Welsh and Nortwoods Stable also won the race with their second entry, Bold Quest, ridden by Patrick Worrall.
Coal Dust (left) and Incomplete (right) got the crowd cheering hard as they raced head to head all the way to the finish. Coal Dust won The Edward S. Voss Memorial Open Timber by a neck with Blair Wyatt aboard for Armata Stables and trainer Tom Voss. Charles Fenwick III rode Incomplete for owner Robert Kinsley and trainer Ann Stewart.
Seven youngsters rode in the Lead Line Trot Race near the end of the day. Abigail Dolmetsch (far left) rode South Branch Farms’s Triple Lucky Bars to win the race. Adair Martin (second from left) rode Cherry to second place and Scarlet Davies (far right) rode Suzanne Stettinius’s Chip to third place.
Marlborough Hunt Races
On April 5, steeplechase fans headed to Roedown Farm in Davidsonville for the Marlborough Hunt Races. The race meet is most famous for its flat races where top chasers, such as two-time Eclipse winner Good Night Shirt, often stretch their legs.
Darby Hyde, daughter of EHHC’s Geoff Hyde, rode her own pony Cricket to fourth place in The Raymond R. Ruppert Memorial Pony Races. Kellie Witte (not pictured) won the race aboard Missy.
Paddy Young rode Better Be Ready to win The John D. Bowling Memorial Maiden Hurdle for Clorevia Farm and trainer Edward Graham.
William Santoro and Glide King won The Benjamin H.C. Bowie Memorial Novice Timber. Glide King is owned by Donna T. Rogers and is trained by Mrs. D. M. Smithwick.
Darren Nagle won the Annapolis Subscription Plate Amateur Flat race aboard Dubai Sunday. The gelding, who is owned by Irvin Naylor and trained by Desmond Fogarty, won by six lengths.
Robbie Keller and Marjorie Warden hand off the whip to finish second in the Governor’s Cup Hunt Club Challenge Team Relay. The Green Spring Valley team is currently the leading team in the series.
Christy Clagett grabs the whip from a Marlborough Hunt teammate in the Governor’s Cup Hunt Club Challenge Team Relay. Her team finished first at Marlborough and is currently ranked third overall.
Isabel Kurek, Susie Olfson, Martha Riviere and Marybeth Webster at the awards table at Roedown Farm.
Logan Collins shows off his winning ribbon and prizes for the Lead Line Trot race. He rode Tee Bird for owner/trainer Kelly Conaway.
My Lady’s Manor
Those that rode on the morning of April 11 at My Lady’s Manor in Monkton did so in an unending downpour. The track on the hunt team mirror image course got deeper and more slick as the races progressed. Green Spring Valley’s second team came out on top with Elkridge-Harford Hunt’s second team finishing a close second. The sun thankfully came out once the afternoon races began.
William Santoro and Haddix won the John D. Schapiro Memorial Amateur Highweight Timber at the Manor. Haddix is trained by Katherine McKenna and owned by Perry Bolton.
Molly Forlano rides Fort Henry, owned by Joe Davies and trained by Blythe Miller Davies, to win the Yoicks! Cup (Ladies Foxhunter Timber). The gelding is currently on the top of the list in the Governor’s Cup standings for the Ladies Foxhunter Timber Horse.
The Grand National
Some of Maryland’s best steeplechasers came out for The Grand National timber stakes on April 18 in Butler. All three of the sanctioned races were almost too close to call with wins being achieved at the wire.
The field of the first race at the Grand National all jump close together.
Coal Dust, ridden by Blair Wyatt for Armata Stables and trainer Tom Voss, won the race.
William Santoro and Haddix jump ahead of Patrick Worrall and Bon Caddo. Worral and Bon Caddo won the Western Run Plate Amateur Highweight Timber by a neck for owner Bruce Fenwick and trainer Dawn Williams.
The Green Spring Valley I team won the Governor’s Cup Relay Race at the Grand National.
The Maryland Hunt Cup
Eight horses started the Maryland Hunt Cup on April 25 and only two finished. The course, which is located in Worthington Valley, stretches across four miles and is considered the toughest timber race in America. Historically, many horses enter the race each year and few finish. Last year was an exception when, for the first time in 40 years, all seven starters finished.
This year it came down to two horses battling it out in the final stretch after Patrick Worrall pulled up Make Your Own and five other horses lost their riders mid-course. Michele Marieschi, ridden by George Hundt Jr. took home the the coveted trophy for owner Anna Stable and trainer Richard Valentine. Clare MacMahon rode Rosbrian to a close second place for owner Rosbrian Farm and trainer Casey Randall.
Michele Marieschi, ridden by George Hundt Jr., wins the 2009 Maryland Hunt Cup.
Maryland Junior Hunt Cup
Traditionally following the Maryland Hunt Cup is the Maryland Junior Hunt Cup, held at Shawan Downs in Cockeysville on April 26. Over 60 junior ‘chase riders competed in stick races through junior timber races. Elkridge-Harford II won the Governor’s Cup Relay Race and the combination team of Green Spring Valley/Elkridge-Harford won the Junior Relay.
Maryland Pony Hunt Cup winners (from left): Lisa Perri (Medium Ponies), Jake Shriner (Small Ponies) and Meriwether Morris (Large Ponies)
Young Rider Maryland Hunt Cup Winner: Analyze, ridden by Suzanne Stettinius, owned by Flying Horse Farm and trained by Jazz Napravnik.
Connor Hankin (in blue and yellow) won the Field Master’s Chase aboard Bold Quest, owned by Northwoods Stable and trained by Regina Welsh.
Scarlett Lovett and Show A Little Acre race ahead of Erin Portez and Glenmore Secret Romance to win the Large Pony Flat Race.
Trainer Joe Davies leads the stick pony jockeys to the start line. Phin Westerlund won the 2 and Under division, Michael Tanio and Sylvia Martin tied in the 3 and 4 division and Jaqulin Neddle won the 5 to 7 division.
