The one-of-a-kind facility, honoring the robust history of horses in Maryland and serving as a hub for educating the next generation, is housed in the Maryland Horse Breeders Association (MHBA)'s building. The stately brick structure with large, white columns, was originally built in 1876 as the Grace Methodist Church South, and later housed Reisterstown Federal Savings and Loan, Shaw's Antiques, various realty groups and another Living Faith Chapel, before it was purchased by the MHBA in April of 2020.

It was only fitting that a building with such a storied past would add a new chapter to its legacy as the permanent home of the Maryland Horse Library and Education Center, representing a collective vision and years-long culmination of work by the Maryland Horse Foundation (MHF), the MHBA's staff, boards and committees, and Cricket Goodall, executive director of the MHBA and Maryland Million Ltd.

“We had several different opportunities over the years that didn't work out and I thought, maybe it's just not going to work out, maybe I'm not going to get this done,” said Goodall, who has worked for the MHBA since 1986 and has served as executive director since 2003. “It was certainly a long-term goal of mine, but really it was sort of fate, I guess, that the right spot came along, and that we had the right board of directors that were willing to take the next step to commit and own something. Even the timeframe, [dealing] with COVID, low interest rates and a whole bunch of other things that we couldn't have ever planned for, it all came together at the right time.”

Walking up onto the porch and through the double set of doors, visitors will find themselves stepping into a facility entirely dedicated to Maryland's diverse and expansive horse industry, featuring a 5,000-book reference library covering a wide range of history, breeds, disciplines, genres and collections. The building also boasts a soundproof media room, research room, conference room/meeting area, a children's activity area and a section that's home to a variety of memorabilia.

The center is a dream turned reality for both the MHBA, whose offices have also found a permanent home in the building, and the MHF, which promotes and oversees a variety of equine industry educational programs as well as operates the library and education center.

Though finding an ideal location to display and share the extensive collection of literature, which has only grown throughout the history of the MHBA, was a main priority, the emphasis on education and creating an inviting place to foster learning, collaboration and future growth was inspired by meetings between Goodall and Jordyn Egan, the former director of development for the MHF.

Egan was an integral part of bringing the right people together to help put the vision for the center to paper, in the form of renderings and plans, along with spearheading the collaboration and support necessary to launch and carry out the capital campaign for the project.

“We put together the narrative of what we really believed it would be and the purpose it would serve for the community, and once we took that message and that vision out, it exploded. We thought this would be a much larger process as far as the capital campaign, but our original goal was surpassed in under a year and it just kept going,” said Egan, now the executive director of the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC).

Once the initial goal was reached, the plans could be put into action, as renovations began to gut the majority of what existed in the front section of the building and rebuild to fit the vision of the center. A few initial plans changed as more walls and a drop ceiling were stripped away, with quite a few adjustments and tweaks made to preserve the original barrel ceiling of the church, revealed during the demolition process. A cozy reading loft and a spiral staircase to access it, above the media and research rooms, was also added in.

The $1-million capital campaign launched in March of 2021 and by that June, the goal had already been reached, which prompted the team to extend the campaign in an effort to raise $2 million. Currently, they've raised just over $1.7 million.

“Not only did we raise enough money to do the project, but we were able to have some money to endow the project in the future and make sure that the programming happens.”

Goodall extends a lot of credit to Josh Pons, president of the MHF, along with Richard Blue, Jr. and Dr. Michael Harrison, who led the process of reaching out to potential donors and bringing in donations for the capital campaign.

“It feels like we've won some great prize that we can then build on, I think that's one of the biggest things. We packaged this idea of Cricket's vision for what this building could be and people were creative enough and had familiarity with other museums and other libraries that they could say, 'We should have something like that,'” said Pons. “It's difficult to argue with the merits of not just the library, but also the education center component.”

The library aspect of the project was a beast of its own, as the MHBA and later the MHF had developed an extensive collection of literature over many, many decades, which came along for the ride as the MHBA moved office locations throughout its history before eventually, the books were sent out to be housed in storage units. Another dream realized was that of finally having a fully-fledged library, where the books could be organized, shelved and shared.

But before all of that could come to fruition, the collection had to be pulled out of storage, sorted by hand and eventually catalogued. The MHBA's research specialist Cindy Deubler, along with Wesley Wilson, who retired in January after more than 50 years with Enoch Pratt Free Library in downtown Baltimore, and a small but mighty group of volunteers handled the daunting task.

“We tried to come up with an idea of how to organize it, because there are many ways with libraries, but it's so specialized that it was very challenging to break it apart and define it more for some of the collections. I contacted Becky Ryder at Keeneland Library and she was super helpful to give me some basics on what they did, what system they used and how they were displaying them on shelves. We used the Library of Congress method, which is what Keeneland uses, and we're putting the catalog online, on the cloud, at libraryworld.com,” said Deubler.

The bulk of the library was pulled out of storage in April, with the organizing process beginning at the end of that month and continuing until late September. After flooring was installed and the shelving units were all put up in the library, the final collection of books was moved into the building while the rest, another 5,000, returned to storage.

“The material is everything. It's all disciplines, so many different breeds, from veterinary care and stable management, really any kind of horse book you can think of. We have a decent fiction section and a lot of our Dick Francis books are first editions signed by Dick Francis,” said Deubler. “We're just trying to keep it diverse and we'll try to keep it fresh.”

The library collection is also highlighted by many rare, unique finds, thanks to donations through the years including: the Selima Room collection from the Prince George's County Library System's Bowie branch; at least a dozen copies of The History of Thoroughbred Racing in America, by William H.P. Robertson; and complete sets of The Jockey Club Racing In America series (which covers racing history from the 1600s to the 1970s).

“Most research materials are online, so you don't see many volumes of that coming in anymore. But one thing we kept are old stallion registers, we have them going back to the '50s. I look at it as a researcher, a history writer, that it's nice to be able to get your hands on that. The Daily Racing Form chart books are very much that way,” said Deubler. “We're not just Thoroughbred, but obviously the big focus of the library is that because of who our donors have been.”

The dream has always been to create a central location where the horse industry across the state, and those looking to learn more and become a part of it, can come together and collaborate. Based on the turnout of the official grand opening of the library and education center, held Friday, Dec. 16, where the public, politicians, members of the horse industry and supportive donors came together to celebrate, there's no doubt that Goodall's dream has been realized.

She only hopes it will grow from there, as the center will not only host the MHF's various educational programs, but hopes to be the home base for a variety of other programs and events.

“It's an important look in the future, because when you're educating people, you're hoping and planning that they're going to be learning and carrying on the future of the horse industry,” she said. “We hope to have everything from author talks to speaker series, along with hosting local community groups and seminars, because that's a lot of exposure for the industry.”

Other unique features include the outer wall of the building adorned with colorful racing silks, representing prominent Maryland connections in flat racing and steeplechase that donated to the project, along with the walls and doorways, both inside and out, which are graced with the names of supportive donors and treasured members of Maryland's horse industry, such as Robert E. Meyerhoff and Nancy Lee Frenkil.

Topped off with a beautiful, blue-sky mural that spans the ceiling, there is no space that more perfectly emulates the importance of preserving Maryland's horse history while also educating and inspiring the next generation.

“You drive by a horse farm and you can't always come in, but you drive by the Maryland Horse Library and Education Center and you can come in, talk to people and find out how to get involved. It's also bringing the horse community together because it's a central resource for all of the different disciplines. This building signifies the togetherness of the Maryland horse industry as a whole, along with its health, importance and heritage. It is incredibly meaningful,” said Egan.

The Maryland Horse Library and Education Center is open Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.marylandhorse.com.

The post One-of-a-Kind Maryland Horse Library and Education Center Officially Open to Public appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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“If nothing else, this will be a good work for the Jonathan Sheppard S.,” he said. “I can get that much more into the horse by doing this. In this case, one race equals three works. Depending on where he finishes, we should also pick up a little bit of purse money.”

Take a closer look at Snap Decision's lifetime record and you'll see a horse that shouldn't be in over his head in a stakes race on the flat. A half-brother to Mr Speaker (Pulpit), the winner of the 2014 GI Belmont Derby Invitational, Snap Decision began his career for the Phipps Stable and trainer Shug McGaughey. He was 2-for-18 on the flat, but finished third in the GIII Palm Beach S. and third in the Better Talk Now S.

Fisher went to the connections and got them to agree to sell.

“For one, they wanted to know that he was going to go to a good home,” Fisher said. “Secondly, he wasn't winning those races. He was third, fourth, fifth. That's the type of horse I am very interested in buying. I have to give all the credit to [co-owner] Charlie Fenwick because he was all about the sire, Hard Spun. I told him it wasn't Hard Spun, it was the dam [Salute]. She is a very nice dam. But Charlie was right.”

Snap Decision, who is eight, debuted over the jumps in 2019 and ended that year with a pair of stakes wins. He won his first Grade 1 win over jumps in the 2021 Iroquois S. and this year has run second in the G2 Temple Gwathmey S. before winning another Iroquois, this time by 7 1/4 lengths. He has finished first or second in 15 consecutive jump races.

After the Iroquois, Fisher had the option of running Snap Decision over the jumps in the G1 A.P. Smithwick S. at Saratoga, but passed the race because of the amount of weight Snap Decision would have had to carry. Fisher said he was told his horse would have had to carry 158 pounds in the race. The winner, Down Royal (Alphabet Soup), carried 141 pounds.

“If I ran him in the Smithwick, I was going to get creamed with the weight,” he said.

Not wanting to go into the Sheppard off of a three-month layoff, Fisher found the Colonial Cup. (A race with the same name used to be one of the major stakes on the steeplechase circuit). Can he win? Fisher is trying to take a realistic approach to the race.

“I saw they had this 1 1/2-mile race there on the turf and I thought he is a good enough horse that he belonged,” Fisher said. “Rusty Arnold has a tough horse in there in Cellist (Big Blue Kitten). He won the [GIII] Louisville S. in his last start. I'm not sure he can beat him, but I'm not really scared of anyone else. I don't think the race is too short for him. I think it will be perfect.”

There aren't many examples of top steeplechase horses winning on the flat. In 1971, the Sheppard-trained Wustenchef won a flat stakes, the Sussex Turf H., and one over jumps, the Indian River Hurdle H., at the same Delaware Park meet. John's Call ran four times over jumps before being converted to a flat horse. In his second career, he became a two-time Grade I winner, winning the 2000 GI Turf Classic Invitational S. and the 2000 GI Sword Dance Invitational.

Fisher said that if Spun Decision turns in a big effort in the Colonial he might be tempted to run him again on the flat. But he said that the etiquette in his profession is that once a steeplechase trainer buys a horse from a flat racing stable, the horse should compete only in jump races. He said he will keep that in mind when making future decisions.

Forest Boyce has the riding assignment on Snap Decision and the gelding has been assigned 122 pounds, 36 less than he carried in the 2022 Iroquois at three miles. It's been three years and four months since he last raced over the flat, finishing third in a 1 1/8-mile dirt allowance race at Aqueduct. Since then, he's become one of the best jumpers in the sport. Does that mean he is good enough to be competitive in a $150,000 non-graded stakes race on the flat? The question will be answered Wednesday at Colonial Downs.

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On the final day of the season, Graham Watters and Jack Fisher teamed up for two victories on the five-race card to lock up the hard-fought titles of leading jockey and trainer, respectively, following a thrilling battle with Tom Garner and Leslie Young. By day's end, Watters finished the year with 21 victories, two more than Garner, while Fisher edged Young by the same margin, 17 to 15. For the Irish rider, in his fifth year on the NSA circuit, it was his first title. For Fisher, who entered the Hall of Fame in Saratoga this summer, it was his 14th championship.

“Jack and I both needed the same winners to take our individual championships, which was strange but nice,” said Watters. “We were both celebrating each other's success.”

Steeplechase of Charleston recap

In the opener, a $15,000 maiden claiming hurdle, Watters came oh-so-close to breaking the deadlock, as he finished a head short to Mason Hardaway Lampton's Three O One. Three O One, ridden and trained by the husband-and-wife team of Lilith and Richard Boucher, led from the start-to-finish of the 2 ⅜-mile contest over 12 fences. Port Lairge Stable's Make A Stand, with Watters aboard, stalked the pace in second early, then retreated as Three O One showed the way. Make A Stand came on again at the last, but came up just short of the winner. Baltimore Stables' Homerhayes finished third.

In the second, a $25,000 maiden special weights hurdle, Kiplin Hall's Gearhead, coming off a sharp second in a maiden effort at Montpelier two weeks ago, rallied under Jamie Bargary just past the last fence to win going away by a length over Irv Naylor's Westerland and Gerard Galligan. With one fence to go, Westerland had taken over from longtime leaders Maranto Manner's Duckett's Grove, ridden by Garner and trained by Young, and Frank Bonsal's Profiteer, with Eddie Keating aboard for trainer Casey Pinkard Savin. Heading to the last, Westerland looked to be home free until Gearhead, trained by Willie Dowling, unfurled his late bid.

The jockey and trainer battles effectively ended in the third, when Watters and Fisher captured the $20,000 handicap for horses rated at 110 or less with Riverdee Stable's Gostisbehere. Well-placed throughout, the seven-year-old son of Gio Ponti took charge with one fence to go, pulling away to a 3 ½-length victory over Atlantic Friends Racing's Peat Moss. MRQ Racing's Argentic was third. For much of the going, it appeared as if Garner and Young would be the ones to break the tie with Potter Group USA's Don't Shout, who maintained a lead of about a length three fences from home, when Gostibehere began to make his move.

Watters and Fisher finished the year with an exclamation point in the fourth, the $25,000 Alston Cup allowance for three-year-olds, in a nail-biting finish with Bruton Street-US' Ghostlighter. The high drama came as a result of loose horse Project Two, who was weaving his way through the stretch, nearly causing chaos, as the field streaked to the wire. Despite the dangerous going, Ghoslighter prevailed over Leipers Fork Steeplechasers' Fast Vision and jockey Garner, who picked up the mount just before the race in an attempt to catch Watters in the jockey's race.

The curtain closed on the season with a training flat race for apprentice riders. The winner was Upland Flat Racing's Pleasecallemeback for jockey Parker Hendriks and trainer Keri Brion. Though the race didn't count in the standings, it shone a spotlight on two newcomers who enjoyed tremendous success in 2021. Hendriks ended the year in seventh place in wins among jockeys with seven to go along with a total of 36 in-the-money finishes in 79 starts. It was only his second year riding on the circuit. In her first year of training, Brion finished third in wins, but first in earnings, largely as a result of her stable star, Buttonwood Farm's The Mean Queen, the overwhelming choice to be voted the Eclipse Award as champion steeplechaser.

Watters reflects on his championship season

The NSA caught up with Watters shortly after he clinched the title, and here's what he had to say about the award:

“It's great to have something to put on my career like champion jockey. I really couldn't have done it without the support of Mark Beecher, Neil Morris and, of course, Jack Fisher, and all of their very supporting owners and staff.

“I wasn't too pushed on whether or not I won the championship as I had a fantastic season in winning my first Grade 1 on Snap Decision and a number of stakes races, and creating a strong partnership with Jack Fisher and his owners. The championship had been pretty exciting all year with not many wins separating close friend Tom Garner and I, giving each other some stick along the way.

“Jack and I had a terrible (International) Gold Cup, losing New Member and not a lot going right that day, but we bounced back quickly with four winners together over the next two weekends, which was exciting.

“When it came to Charleston, Jack only ran the two horses, and Mark Beecher the one, which really showed their confidence and class in not running what didn't belong there, and just throwing the kitchen sink at the championship and risking horses and riders.

“The season is now over and we usually stay in the U.S. over winter, hunting and getting the horses started back for the spring racing. But this December, Rosie (Allen) and I are getting married at her parent's hotel in Scotland, which we had postponed due to COVID.

“It has been two-and-a half years since I was home so it will be great to see the family again, and I might even bring my racing gear and try to scrub a few rides together for good old times.

“Next season should be exciting as Jack, Mark and Neil have done a large restock of horses with some fresh winning legs, which makes my job easier.”

The post Graham Watters, Jack Fisher Claim Steeplechase Titles In Season Finale appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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In a year that began under stormy skies — both literal and figurative — at the Cheshire point-to-point in March amid uncertainty due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, it ends on an optimistic note, with fans back in attendance, tailgating parties in full swing, and family-friendly activities once more part of the experience that all contribute to the “thrill of the 'chase.”

Five races, four over jumps, are on tap for Sunday's card, which has a first-race post time of 1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. They include a $15,000 maiden claimer; $25,000 maiden special weights event; $20,000 handicap for horses rated at 110 or less; $25,000 allowance; and a training-flat race for amateur riders. You can watch via live stream from the NSA website. The live stream is sponsored by Brown Advisory, the Temple Gwathmey Steeplechase Foundation, Charleston's Post & Courier, and the Virginia Equine Alliance.

What the meet lacks in stakes competition, it makes up for in high-stakes drama in the thrilling race to the wire for leading jockey and trainer, both nail-biters that will be determined by day's end.

Among conditioners, Leslie Young and Jack Fisher are knotted at 15 wins. Fisher, who was inducted into the National Racing Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs this summer, has won 13 training titles. Young, who began training in 2007 and recently recorded her 100th win, is seeking her first championship. Keri Brion, who trains the sport's leading contender for the Eclipse Award, Buttonwood Farm's The Mean Queen, is two behind with 13 victories. Brion has all but locked up the award for purse earnings. Neil Morris, who has had a remarkable year considering he's saddled only half the number of starters as the top two, has 12 victories. At Charleston, Brion and Young have entries in all four hurdle races; Fisher and Morris have entries in two.

In the duel for top jockey, Graham Watters and Tom Garner, each of whom is seeking his first NSA title, have 19 wins each. Both Garner and Watters have earned about triple the purse money of their nearest rival, Skylar McKenna. Going into Sunday, Garner has collected $619,800, about $30,000 more than Watters. Garner and Watters are scheduled to ride in three of the four hurdle races.

The NSA spoke with the leading title contenders in advance of the Charleston meet and here's what they had to say:

Graham Watters: “I have three rides this Sunday and the three have equal chances. Make a Stand for Mark Beecher is in good form coming off two flat runs, Gostisbehere has good form and should like the track and Ghostlighter is improving with every run and should also like the track. Winning the jockey's title would mean a lot to me but not the be all and end all. At the end of the year I had a fantastic season, winning my first Grade 1 at the Iroquois and a number of stakes races, and creating a strong partnership with the Fisher stable and his owners. Competing for the title with a close friend Tom Garner has been fun also, giving each other some stick all season.”

Tom Garner: “They've all got chances. They wouldn't be in it if they didn't. Don't Shout, in the ratings handicap, has been knocking on the door ; I think he's probably my best shot. If Duckett's Grove can get his jumping together he's going to be very tough. Twentyoneguns has got a chance. I'm grateful to be in the position I am. It's an honor. Growing up you dream of being champion jockey. I didn't think I'd be in this position in America, and I would take a lot of pride in it if it did work out.”

Leslie Young: “I feel I have had some exciting things happen in my life. In high school, I was a field hockey and lacrosse all-star team member. In college, I was a lacrosse regional all-American and North\South all-stars member. I was pony racing champion back in the day for small and large ponies and even was nationally ranked in Pony Club Tetrathlon. I grew up working for Jonathan Sheppard and Jack Fisher, two of the greats whom I still look up to today. They were my heroes growing up. So I feel leading trainer would be my greatest accomplishment.”

Jack Fisher: “I feel the most important title, for the sport itself, is the leading trainer in races won. To be leading money earner takes one horse to get you there, which is a great accomplishment. But leading trainer in races run takes multiple good horses. I also feel for the sport it's great to have someone else win the leading trainer titles. To have Keri win the leading trainer in money earned is great; The Mean Queen is good for the sport. And if Leslie takes home the leading-trainer-by-wins title, that's great for the sport.”

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At Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Ga., jockeys Parker Hendriks and Graham Watters each won two races as did trainer Jack Fisher, Riverdee Stable, and owner Irv Naylor. With the exception of one race on the card, the winning margin for the others was less than two lengths. Meanwhile at the Montpelier Hunt Races in Charlottesville, Va., jockeys Jamie Bargary and Barry Foley each tripled, while trainer Doug Fout took a pair. Foley also finished second twice, as did Eddie Keating, to go along with his one win.

The string of curious coincidences was broken at the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup Races in Unionville on Sunday, where four different owner, trainer, and rider combinations took home the winner's share.

Overall, this weekend's winners included 13 different owners, 10 separate trainers, and nine jockeys.

As for specific results, here's how the races played out:

Steeplechase at Callaway Gardens

The six-race card began with the $15,000 Steeplethon, where Irv Naylor's A Silent Player turned the tables on Silverton Hill's Bodes Well, scoring by 1 ½ lengths in the three-horse field for Parker Hendriks and trainer Keri Brion. At the International Gold Cup Races in Virginia two weeks earlier, Bodes Well was a 5 ½ length winner over his rival. Both horses are relatively new to steeplethons over mixed obstacles, having been serious runners over hurdles for quite a while.

In the $15,000 hurdle for apprentice riders, 11-year-old Boss Man, a winner of nearly $400,000, led a cavalry charge to the wire, getting there first by a half length under Elizabeth Scully for trainer Arch Kingsley. Leipers Fork Steeplechasers' Court Ruler was second. Boss Man, owned by Carrington Holdings, won the 2018 William Entenmann novice stakes at Belmont Park, one of 10 victories in his long and productive career.

In the $30,000 maiden hurdle, owner-rider Alex Leventhal guided Frontline Citizen to a length victory over Richard Colton's Mr. Alec and Ross Geraghty for trainer Mark Beecher. It was only the third career start for the five-year-old Irish-bred, who signaled his readiness for a big effort with a sharp second to Hurricana Farm's Merry Maker at 19-1 at Great Meadow last month.

In the featured $75,000 AFLAC Supreme novice stakes, which like all hurdle races at Callaway were contested at 2 ⅜ miles, Riverdee Stable's re-energized City Dreamer made it two in a row for jockey Graham Watters and trainer Jack Fisher, who teamed up to take the $75,000 Foxbrook Champion hurdle stakes at Far Hills three weeks ago. At the wire, City Dreamer was a half length winner over Atlantic Friends Racing's Historic Heart, with William Russell's Animal Kingston, third. Historic Heart came into the race off of a win in the Harry Harris Stakes at Far Hills, his first U.S. start after 15 in Europe. Before the Foxbrook, City Dreamer had been winless — though stakes placed multiple times — since taking the Marcellus Frost stakes in Nashville in May 2019.

Riverdee, Fisher, and Watters made it two straight when Twenty Years On scored by 1 ½ lengths in the $20,000 maiden claiming hurdle over “house” horse Three O One, owned by Callaway race chairman Mason Hardaway Lampton.

And in the finale, a $15,000 hurdle for apprentice jockeys, Naylor's Global Freedom, with Parker Hendriks up, prevailed by 1 ½ lengths over Meadow Run Farm's Glencorrib Sky, ridden by Parker's cousin, Skylar McKenna. Cyril Murphy was the winning trainer. Bruton Street-US' Bassmatchi, with Stefan Tobin, finished third.

Montpelier Hunt Races

The human stars of the show at Montpelier, the former home of President James Madison, were Jamie Bargary and Barry Foley, both three-time winners on the day. Foley's wins, in fact, came in succession, and he just missed a fourth when beaten a half length in the opener. Foley also finished a close second again, this time aboard Irv Naylor's Amschel, who trailed Hudson River Farm's Iranistan.

Speaking of Iranistan, the seven-year-old son of Einstein, ridden by Eddie Keating and trained by Keri Brion, had his earnings crack the quarter-million-dollar mark in the featured $40,000 Noel Laing Stakes over Montpelier's fabled natural brush fences. It was Iranistan's third win in his last four starts, and his first since back-to-back victories at Saratoga in 2020, after which he went on the sidelines with an injury.

Lisa Nelms' Big Dave, a Pennsylvania-bred gelding trained by David Bourke and a veteran of 34 starts on the flat — all but two of which came at Penn National — opened the day with a half-length tally over Bruce Collette's Grunion in the training flat race on the dirt. Big Dave made his debut over jumps at Virginia Fall in Middleburg last month, but lost all chance when he hit a wing and lost his rider.

Melissa Cantacuzene's Yankee Doodle Boy gave Foley — and trainer Doug Fout — his first winner of the day in the second race, a handicap for horses rated at 110 or lower. The five-year-old son of Declaration of War raced toward the back of the pack early, took command during the second lap and drew clear of Potter Group USA's Don't Shout and Tom Garner by 2 ¼ lengths. The latter was making his second NSA start after a career in Europe.

In the third, a $15,000 maiden claiming hurdle, Kinross Farm's Sea Mast, with Foley in the irons, prevailed by a length under a vigorous hand ride over Petticoats Loose Farm's The Kid Rocks, with Teddy Davies aboard.

The fourth race, a $25,000 maiden hurdle, was another thriller, and gave Foley his third straight when he urged Irv Naylor's Scorpion's Revenge to the wire in a driving finish 1 ¾ lengths ahead of Kiplin Hall's Gearhead, ridden by Jamie Bargary. It was only the third lifetime start for the five-year-old Irish-bred son of Scorpion, trained by Cyril Murphy, and his second win. The first came at Cork Race Course in his home country back in April.

The second division of the maiden hurdle gave Bargary his second of three wins on the card, this time with Riverdee Stable's Queens Empire, who defeated The International Venture's Going Country by 3 ½ lengths. Queens Empire, a four-year-old Empire Maker gelding trained by Jack Fisher, was coming off a solid third, beaten just 1 ½ lengths, in the $50,000 Harry Harris Stakes at Far Hills in October.

Bargary found the winner's circle again in the sixth, a $25,000 allowance hurdle for fillies and mares, with Beverly Steinman's Eve's City, who went wire-to-wire besting Ted Gregory's Screen Image by 1 ½ lengths. Eve's City's stablemate, Speed Alert, was another two lengths back in third. Doug Fout trained the winner and show horse.

Pennsylvania Hunt Cup Races

Armata Stable's Goodoldtimes hadn't won a race in two years, but on Sunday, after four successive third-place finishers, the lightly raced seven-year-old Irish-bred, under the care of trainer Alicia Murphy and Billy Santoro, unleashed a furious charge after the final fence to overtake multiple-stakes winner Mystic Strike in the 4-mile, $35,000 Pennsylvania Hunt Cup. It was the first stakes score for Goodoldtimes, who prevailed by 2 lengths over Upland Partners' 12-year-old star. Kiplin Hall's Renegade River was far back in third. The win was the second over jumps for young rider Colin Smith, and his first in a stakes. Goodoldtimes came into the race following a third to Mystic Strike and Dolly Fisher's timber ace Schoodic in the Genesee Valley Hunt Cup in upstate New York. That race was run at 3 miles, and the longer distance of the Pennsylvania classic was obviously more to his liking.

In the opener, the $15,000 Lewis Ledyard timber stakes, which was marred by a late spill, Upland Partners' Shootist gave jockey Skylar McKenna her 12th victory of 2021, when the seven-year-old Smart Strike gelding was the only horse in the field of eight to finish. Shootist, trained by Skylar's dad, Todd McKenna, stalked Irv Naylor's Indian Hawk in second and inherited the lead when Indian Hawk fell at the 14th fence. Sadly, the mishap claimed the life of Jeremy Batoff's Elucidation.

Holwood Stable's Road to Oz, making his first start since the Virginia Gold Cup last May, returned to allowance competition and eked out a hard-fought neck victory over Kinross Farm's Pocket Talk in the $20,000 Arthur O. Choate Memorial at 3 miles over timber. Ridden by Graham Watters for trainer Mark Beecher, the six-year-old son of Quality Road sat behind pacesetter Pocket Talk, ridden by Teddy Davies, took the lead at the head of the long stretch and held on gamely during the spirited duel to the wire.

The day came to an end with the running of the Athenian Idol training flat race at 1 ⅜ miles. Upland Flats Racing's Freddy Flintshire, a three-year Kentucky-bred son of the great turf star Flintshire, made his NSA debut a winning one, taking the finale by 2 1/2 lengths for jockey Parker Hendriks and trainer Keri Brion.

Coming out of an off-the-board finish in a maiden special weight contest at Keeneland three weeks ago, Freddy Flintshire, who began his career at Ascot, extended his lead through the stretch and was never seriously challenged. S. Rebecca Shepherd's Clint Maroon was second under Teddy Davies. Virginia Korrell's Tiepolo was third.

Full results from all three race meets can be found here: www.nationalsteeplechase.com/results/

A look at the leaderboard

With only one meet remaining this season, the Steeplechase of Charleston (South Carolina) next Sunday, the battle for leading jockey and trainer is still a horse race. The Charleston card consists of four races over hurdles plus a flat training event.

Among conditioners, Leslie Young and Jack Fisher are knotted at 15 wins apiece. Keri Brion, who has all but locked up the leading trainer award by purse earnings, has 13; Neil Morris has 12. Brion and Young have entries in all four hurdle races; Fisher and Morris have entries in two.

In the race for top jockey, Tom Garner and Graham Watters are tied at 19 wins apiece. Garner has accumulated the highest earnings to date. Both Garner and Watters are scheduled to ride in three of the four hurdle races.

The full standings can be found here: www.nationalsteeplechase.com/wp-content/uploads/pdf/CurrentStandings.pdf

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This Saturday's stop, at Great Meadow Race Course in The Plains, has drawn 66 entries for eight races. Fans attending the races will be able to bet on their favorites as the meet will offer on-site pari-mutuel wagering. Overall, $305,000 in purses are up for grabs; that's a significant boost vs. the $230,000 offered at last year's event, which was severely impacted by Covid-19. And if the voice of the announcer calling the races at Great Meadow sounds familiar, you've got a good ear. Larry Collmus, the voice of the Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup will be handling the duties once again, as he did at Far Hills last week.

Six of Saturday's races will be run over hurdles, all at 2 ⅛ miles, the headliner being the Grade 2 $75,000 David L. “Zeke” Ferguson Stakes. The $25,000 maiden hurdle, the first race of the day, drew so many entries that it was split into two divisions. Besides the stake and maiden contests, other hurdle events include an allowance event for non-winners of two; a maiden claimer; and an optional claiming handicap for horses rated at 120 or less. The eponymous International Gold Cup timber stakes, contested at 3 ½ miles for a purse of $75,000, has drawn a field of five, four of whom are stakes winners. Five horses were entered in the $30,000 Steeplethon Stakes over mixed obstacles, including Armata Stable's New Member and Silverton Hill's Bodes Well, who ran a thrilling one-two at a similar event at the Virginia Fall Races in Middleburg two weeks ago.

In the Gold Cup, Hall of Famer Jack Fisher saddles Storm Team for his mother-in-law, Sheila Williams, and Northwoods Stable, and Schoodic, who runs in the colors of Jack's mom, Dolly Fisher. Storm Team, an accomplished seven-year-old son of Candy Ride who has earned more than a quarter-million dollars in his career, comes into the race off of his first timber stakes score, in the National Sporting Library & Museum Cup two weeks ago at Middleburg, where he defeated Leipers Fork Steeplechasers' Tomgarrow by five lengths. Since switching to timber, Tomgarrow, who is trained by leading conditioner Leslie Young, has a maiden victory and four straight seconds. He was the runner up in May's Virginia Gold Cup, also at Great Meadow. The Gold Cup winner that day, Schoodic, is a multiple stakes winner of nearly a half-million dollars. He's seven for 12 with three seconds over timber, and captured the International Gold Cup in 2019. He was beaten a head on Oct. 9 by arch rival Mystic Strike in the Genesee Valley Hunt Cup. Rounding out the field are Kiplin Hall's Renegade River, winner of the Willowdale Steeplechase in April, and Frank Bonsal's Stand Down, winner of the 2018 Pennsylvania Hunt Cup. Both Renegade River and Stand Down ran against Storm Team at Middleburg, but proved no match.

In the Ferguson, six horses will face starter Graham Alcott, led by Hudson River Farm's stakes winner Iranistan, coming off a layoff of more than a year following two straight handicap triumphs at Saratoga in 2020. Iranistan prepped for the Ferguson with a win on the flat at Shawan Downs in September. Sharon Sheppard's Redicean, a novice stakes winner who has also hit the board multiple times in Grade 1 competition, recently finished far back in third to powerhouses The Mean Queen and Snap Decision in the Lonesome Glory at Belmont Park.

Owner Irv Naylor sends out Bedrock, who finished third, beaten less than a half length, in the David Semmes Memorial Stakes over the Great Meadow course in May. Sempre Medici, who used be in the Naylor Stable but now runs for Straylight Racing, steps up to stakes competition for the first time in two years. Gill Johnston's Brianbakescookies took the Queens Cup novice stakes in Mineral Springs, N.C., in April, but has struggled in two starts in open stakes competition since then.

Completing the field is Chosen Mate, who came to the U.S. to run in last Saturday's American Grand National at Far Hills for then-owner Meadow Run Farm and Irish trainer Gordon Elliott. A distant fourth at Far Hills to The Mean Queen and Snap Decision, Chosen Mate, a winner at Cheltenham in 2020, returns in the colors of Armata Stable and new trainer Ricky Hendriks.

For all the entries, click here.

Post time for the races is 12:30 p.m., and you can watch via live stream from the NSA website. The live stream is sponsored by Brown Advisory, the Temple Gwathmey Steeplechase Foundation, Charleston's Post & Courier, and the Virginia Equine Alliance.

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The 80th edition of the race formerly known as the New York Turf Writers Cup will be run for the first time under its new name, which honors the Hall of Fame trainer who won this race 15 times and trained at least one winner at Saratoga every consecutive year from 1969-2015. It will be the opener of Wednesday's 10-race card with a 1:05 p.m. Eastern post time.

Brion, a longtime assistant to Sheppard, took over the training responsibilities for many of his horses upon his retirement and has started to carve out her own reputation, saddling the top-two finishers of the Grade 1 A.P. Smithwick on July 22 at Saratoga when Baltimore Bucko and French Light ran 1-2 going 2 1/16 miles in the first Grade 1 hurdle race of the meet. In addition to that stellar pair, Brion will also send out The Mean Queen and A Silent Prayer.

“It's incredible that it shaped up the way it has with having half the field,” Brion said with a laugh. “When I heard the race was renamed, I was actually still in Ireland and I said to myself I was just hoping I would have a horse for that race. Now, I'm sitting here really hoping I win the race. It would mean a lot for me but I would love to win it for owners who were so supportive of Jonathan for so many years. Everything I know about steeplechase racing came from Jonathan, so it would obviously mean a lot to me to do it.”

Buttonwood Farm's Baltimore Bucko topped his stablemate by 5 3/4 lengths last out, building on his runner-up effort going 2 1/4 miles in the Green Pastures at the Nashville-based Percy Warner in June.

“It's amazing how fast he's come through the ranks,” Brion said. “I had both of these horses [French Light] in Ireland with me over the winter and they ran over there, so they have that added experience, which I think helped bring them along a lot quicker than maybe some others.”

Baltimore Bucko, a 5-year-old gelding, will now carry the high weight of 156 pounds with Richard Condon set to ride from post 3.

Irvin Naylor's French Light, carrying 152 pounds, will be looking to build on his stellar effort in his graded stakes debut, drawing post 4 with Jamie Bargary on the call.

“They went from being bottom weight end to being top weight and second top weight, so that changes things a little,” Brion said. “But the way they were first and second, you'd like to believe the weight shouldn't bother them too much.”

French Light raced five times for Brion in Ireland to start his 6-year-old campaign before making a statement in his return to North America. Brion said that race last month has only expediated his progress.

“His first race back in the states was the Smithwick, so I think he has a lot of improvement in him, just having that run in him,” Brion said.

The Mean Queen, also owned by Buttonwood Farm, appeared on her way to beating the boys before unseating rider Thomas Garner in deep stretch in the Jonathan Kiser Novice on July 28 at Saratoga.

The 5-year-old Doyen mare has already helped Brion accomplish something unprecedented when she captured the Slaney River Hurdle in April in Ireland, making her conditioner the first U.S. trainer to win a hurdle race in the country. She will re-team with Garner again, carrying 147 pounds from post 6.

“She made history for me,” Brion said. “She wasn't the winner of the novice stake, but she was by far the best in that race. There wasn't really anywhere else for her to run until September. She's doing really well. Her name fits her very well; she isn't easy to train, so it's easier just to run her. But she gets some weight off the boys and she's in a good spot. I think she's in with a shot as well.”

A Silent Player, also owned by Naylor, was fifth in the Jonathan Kiser last out in his stakes bow and will carry the co-field-low weight of 142 pounds with Barry Foley set to ride from post 5.

“He suffered an injury to his hind leg in his win in November, so his run back last time was his first time since his injury,” Brion said. “It's a lot harder to have a horse ready to go in Saratoga off an injury. He had to rehab off it, so I think he will be much improved this time around. He's pretty similar to Baltimore Bucko, to be honest. He's the bottom weight at 142, and I think that will really help. I think he'll run a lot better than he did in his last start.”

Hall of Famer Jack Fisher will send out two contenders in City Dreamer and Gibralfaro from posts 1 and 2, respectively.

Riverdee Stable's City Dreamer ran second to Bodes Well in the Jonathan Kiser Novice and will step up to graded stakes company for the first time, carrying 146 pounds with Parker Hendriks in the irons.

His stablemate, the Riverdee-owned Gibralfaro was third last out in the A.P. Smithwick and will be competing in the Jonathan Sheppard for the third consecutive time, running fourth last year following a runner-up effort to Winston C in the 2019 edition. Gibralfaro will carry 148 pounds and have the services of rider Graham Watters.

Sharon Sheppard's Redicean, second in this stakes last year, two lengths back to winner Rashaan, returned off an 11-month layoff to run fourth in the A.P. Smithwick for trainer Leslie Young. After knocking off the rust, the 7-year-old British bred will break from post 8 carrying 150 pounds with Gerard Galligan aboard.

Half Married Syndicate's Recent Revelations made his first 23 starts in Europe and will look to make his mark in his North American debut, carrying 142 pounds in drawing post 7 with Harrison Beswick up.

Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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Pletcher, who was introduced with a fond series of recollections by longtime owner Mike Repole, received a standing ovation when accepting his plaque. Pletcher, who shows no signs of slowing down, already has seven Eclipse Awards to his credit alongside five Triple Crown wins, 11 Breeders' Cup victories, and 60 individual meet titles, including 14 at Saratoga.

Pletcher is widely cited as one of the jewels in the prominent training tree of fellow Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas, whose tutelage he acknowledged during his acceptance speech. Pletcher said he is often asked what the most important lesson was that he took from his time with Lukas.

“The answer is there's not one thing, it's everything,” said Pletcher. “Every horse matters. Every owner matters.”

Pletcher set his sights on training from a young age, encouraged by his father, who is a former trainer and owns a Florida training center, and his mother, who helped him take out his first loan when he wanted to open his own barn. He put out his shingle in 1995.

Mark Casse also became a Hall of Famer on Friday morning – an incredible evolution for the man who remembered visiting the hall with his father in 1972 at the age of 11.

“At the end of the visit, I confidently told my dad, 'I'll be in here some day,'” an emotional Casse remembered. “As any good father would do, he told me, 'Yes, Mark, you will.' Well, we did it.”

Casse has won 13 Sovereign Awards, two American Triple Crown races, eight Canadian Triple Crown races, five Breeders' Cup races, and was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2016.

Casse and Pletcher both acknowledged the tremendous support from owners, family, and staff that helped them reach this moment in their careers. Although Casse was shepherded into the racing world by his father Norman, who built Cardinal Hill Stable in Ocala, Fla., and was chair of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company, Mark Casse recalled that he owes his mother just as great a debt for his career. When his parents divorced, Casse was asked to choose which parent he would live with. His mother would be leaving the farm, and his father would continue to be hands on with the horses. Overwhelmed with emotion, Casse asked his wife Tina to read the part of his speech that acknowledged her contribution to his career.

“I asked my mom a simple question that would change the course of my life,” Casse had written. “'Mom, do you truly love me?' 'With all my heart,' she said. I said, 'Mom, if you truly love me, you'll let me stay with Dad.' I know that had to have killed her, but she granted me a true sign of love by letting me stay on the farm. Who knows where my life would be today if it wasn't for her sacrifice.”

The induction ceremony also marked the entry of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah into the Hall of Fame. Embattled owner/breeder Ahmed Zayat accepted the plaque on behalf of the horse. Zayat recalled his favorite moments from the horse's career, including the enormous fan following generated by “America's horse.”

“I've never seen 20,000 people come in the morning to see a horse gallop,” said Zayat, recalling the horse's workout at Saratoga ahead of his loss in the Grade 1 Travers. “I don't think we'll ever see that again. American Pharoah loved the crowd. He loved the people.”

Wise Dan also took his place in the Hall, marking the crowning achievement in a career that included two Horse of the Year awards, four other Eclipses, earnings of $7.5 million, track records at three tracks, and 19 graded stakes wins.

Trainer Charlie LoPresti was on hand to accept the plaque for Wise Dan.

“My only regret is that Mr. [Morton] Fink is not here to accept this award because he was so proud of that horse,” said LoPresti. “He used to tell me all the time, 'Charlie, the only thing that keeps me alive is that horse.' …I think it put years on his life.”

Additional honorees Aug. 6 included steeplechase trainer Jack Fisher, historic review jockey Darrel McHargue, Pillars of the Turf J. Keene Daingerfield, Jr., George D. Widener, Jr., and Alice Headley Chandler, and historic review horse Tom Bowling.

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In this week's edition of the Friday Show, publisher Ray Paulick, news editor Chelsea Hackbarth and bloodstock editor Joe Nevills touch on those inductees and look ahead to the list of potential candidates for the 2022 Hall of Fame ballot – and Ray has a meltdown over one 2021 candidate who did not get enough votes for induction.

In his weekly Toast to Vino Rosso, Joe introduces us to another first-crop foal sired by Spendthrift Farm's Breeders' Cup Classic-winning son of Curlin. Finally, the team congratulates the ageless John Velazquez in our Star of the Week segment for his victories in the Kentucky Oaks and Derby and his ongoing commitment to his fellow riders through his work with the Jockeys' Guild and as a newly appointed member of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's standing committee on racetrack safety.

Watch this week's Friday Show below.

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Bred and raced by Zayat Stables, American Pharoah was a $300,000 buyback at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale and broke his maiden at second asking in the GI Del Mar Futurity before adding the GI FrontRunner S. Named the Eclipse Award-winning 2-year-old male despite having to miss the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, the son of Littleprincessemma (Yankee Gentleman) launched his assault on the Triple Crown with towering victories in the GII Rebel S. and GI Arkansas Derby before taking the GI Kentucky Derby by a length.

The seven-length winner of the GI Preakness S., he led throughout to win the GI Belmont S., becoming the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. He added the GI Haskell Invitational S. and rebounded from a runner-up effort in the GI Travers S. to demolish his rivals by 6 1/2 lengths in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, closing his career with a record of 11-9-1-0 and earnings of $8,650,300. American Pharoah is now a leading sire at Ashford Stud.

“He's certainly among the all-time greats. I don't think there is any question about that,” Baffert said. “He did everything so effortlessly and with such class. The way he moved, his mechanics were absolutely flawless. He also has such a wonderful personality. Pharoah is really a sweet and kind horse and he loves humans. I went and saw him the other day [at Ashford] and he looks as good as he's ever looked, if not better. Winning the Triple Crown with American Pharoah was the greatest sports moment of my life. It was so emotional and such a terrific thing for racing. He deserves all the accolades he gets.”

WATCH: American Pharoah wins the 2015 Belmont S. to secure the elusive Triple Crown

Pletcher Also a No-Brainer First-Ballot HOFer…

A native of Dallas, Texas, 53-year-old Todd Pletcher went out on his own in 1996 following a six-year stint as assistant to trainer D. Wayne Lukas. He won his first race 25 years ago and owns records for career earnings ($405.7 million) and Eclipse Awards (seven) and is the seventh winningest trainer of all time with 5,118 trips to the winner's circle. He has saddled two winners of the Kentucky Derby (Super Saver, 2010; Always Dreaming, 2017) and has won the Belmont S. on three occasions (Rags to Riches, 2007; Palace Malice, 2013; Tapwrit, 2017). Just last Friday, Malathaat (Curlin) became Pletcher's fourth GI Kentucky Oaks winner, joining Ashado (2004), Rags to Riches and Princess of Sylmar (2013).

Pletcher is responsible for 11 champions and has been leading trainer at 60 individual race meetings, including 17 at Gulfstream Park, 16 at Belmont and 14 at Saratoga. According to data from Equibase, Pletcher has saddled the winners of 708 graded events, including 166 Grade I races.

“I'm really humbled to be elected to the Hall of Fame. It's an incredible honor and something that doesn't happen without having great support around you,” Pletcher said. “I've been extremely fortunate to have a great team to work with and my family has been there every step of the way. There have been so many great owners who have trusted me with their horses and those horses have meant everything to me. Along with my family and team, I had amazing opportunities to learn from the likes of Wayne and Jeff Lukas and working winters alongside Kiaran McLaughlin, who taught me a lot about horses and also how to work with owners and communication skills. It really was a stroke of good fortune to come up with people like that around me.

“Training horses is all I ever wanted to do,” he added. “I remember being 11 or 12 and telling my mom I wanted to train and she said it was wonderful. From that point on with her endorsement I never thought of doing anything else.”

Fisher Also Gets the Nod…

Jack Fisher, 57, a native of Unionville, Pennsylvania, won his first race as a licensed trainer in 1988 at Middleburg and has been a perennial leader at the top of the National Steeplechase Association standings for two decades. He won his first trainers' premiership in 2003 and has since led the pack 12 other times. In 2004, he was the leading trainer by earnings for the first of nine times. Through May 4, Fisher has sent out the winners of 593 steeplechase races and ranks second in all-time earnings with more than $17.8 million (behind only Hall of Famer Jonathan Sheppard).

Fisher is the only trainer in steeplechase history to exceed $1 million in earnings in a single season, a feat he has accomplished five times. Among the horses he conditioned were Eclipse Award winner and Hall of Famer Good Night Shirt, a 10-time NSA graded winner, and additional Eclipse winners Scorpiancer and Moscato.

“I've always loved being around horses. It's been my life,” Fisher said. “I was terrible in school and didn't want to be there. I loved riding and I love training. I learned a lot from my father (trainer John Fisher) and from guys like (Hall of Fame trainers) Mikey Smithwick and Tommy Voss. They were examples to me of the work it takes to be successful and also how they built a good team. You can't do it alone.

The class of 2021 will be enshrined along with the 2020 inductees–trainer Mark Casse, jockey Darrel McHargue, horses Tom Bowling and Wise Dan, and Pillars of the Turf Alice Headley Chandler, J. Keene Daingerfield, Jr., and George D. Widener, Jr.–Friday, Aug. 6, at the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion in Saratoga Springs at 10:30 a.m. The ceremony will be broadcast live on the Museum website at www.racingmuseum.org. An announcement regarding public attendance at the ceremony will be made at a later date.

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