The race is named for Beverly R. “Peggy” Steinman, who has successfully balanced decades of ownership in both the steeplechase and flat racing worlds with stars such as Dark  Equation, who captured the 2008 G1 New York Turf Writers Cup, and Colstar, a multiple graded stakes-winning filly who won more than $1 million on the flat.

“The New York Racing Association is excited to incorporate a steeplechase event into the 2024 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival,” said Andrew Offerman, NYRA's Senior Vice President of Racing and Operations. “We value the longstanding relationship that NYRA and the NSA have shared and are pleased to honor Peggy Steinman with this wonderful new event.”

Bill Gallo, the National Steeplechase Association's (NSA) Director of Racing, said the race is a welcome addition to the steeplechase calendar.

“Peggy Steinman has represented the National Steeplechase Association at the highest level for decades, particularly at Saratoga, where her presence alone, sitting in her prominent finish-line box, has reminded people in the industry, and especially at the New York Racing Association, that the traditions of steeplechasing run deep,” said Gallo. “This is a fitting and wonderful tribute to a very special person on an historic weekend in Saratoga. She is thrilled with the honor and looking forward to the Belmont at Saratoga Festival.”

The Steinman will kick off a 2024 jumps program on the NYRA circuit which includes seven races worth a total of $825,000. Four stakes will be held at the Saratoga summer meet topped by a pair of $150,000 Grade 1 events at 2 3/8-miles–the A. P. Smithwick Memorial July 17 and the Jonathan Sheppard Memorial Aug. 14.

Steeplechase stakes action on the NYRA circuit will conclude at the Belmont at the Big A fall meet with the $150,000 G1 Lonesome Glory and the $75,000 William Entenmann novice stakes.

The post Beverly R. Steinman Added to NYRA Steeplechase Program appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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On March 5, jump racing returns to the state in the form of a point-to-point – with backing and guidance from both the NSA and Temple Gwathmey Steeplechase Foundation – at the Florida Horse Park in Ocala. The meet is the brainchild of former NSA jockey Archie Macauley and his partner Jessica Berry. It also has generated strong support from Mason Lampton, who runs the Steeplechase at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Ga., and whose family has a rich history in the sport, along with Michael Hankin and Brown Advisory, one of steeplechasing's pre-eminent sponsors.

Tentative plans call for a six-race card, three over hurdles, with a 12:30 p.m. post time. Entries close 11:00 a.m., Monday, March 1. For ticketing and other information, visit www.Thefloridasteeplechase.com.

“We stand behind the meet and will support it in any way we can to create an exciting new event opportunity,” said NSA President Al Griffin. “The goal is to make it part of the calendar in 2023 as a properly sanctioned meet. For now, it's a nice opportunity for trainers and owners to school younger horses and for us to check out the facility.”

Berry, who serves as the meet's vice chair, said that the seeds for the event were planted when she and Macauley became friends with eventer Buck Davidson, who is on the board of the Horse Park. Davidson told the couple that the park would like to host a steeplechase and put them in touch with its director, Jason Reynolds. Reynolds invited the couple to visit. The team began putting the pieces together early in 2020, with the aim of scheduling it after the Steeplechase of Charleston in mid-November.

Then Covid struck, which put the project on hold until this past fall.

“The Horse Park had the first weekend in March available,” Berry said. “We knew it was ambitious to try and put this together in essentially three months. But we also believed that it was a good date because it fell at the beginning of the jump-racing season, it was still within the winter season of the other equestrian disciplines in Ocala, and it was just before the 2-year-old Ocala Breeders' Sale. It started to sink in that this was really happening when we launched the website in December, and from there we haven't had any time to question it because we've been flat out organizing it.”

Berry said the local community has been very supportive, as has the Horse Park itself.

“They've gone above and beyond to make this happen,” she said. “Jason and his team have used their machinery and expertise to help us design, create, and maintain the course. The Ocala Chamber of Commerce was also one of our first points of contact, and its Director of Equine Engagement Louisa Barton has been a tremendous help by introducing us to members of the local equine community and having us on her show to talk about the event back in December. The local businesses and horsemen we have spoken to are all looking forward to the event and we are hoping for a big turnout and to establish the steeplechase as an annual feature in the community's calendar.”

NSA horsemen have expressed their interest, too.

“Every owner and trainer we have spoken to so far has been supportive of the event and many have already offered to bring runners,” Berry added. “There are also some former steeplechase horsemen who live in the area who are keen to get involved and participate. In addition, we are also thankful for the support of the Temple Gwathmey Foundation, the NSA, and SOTA (Steeplechase Owners and Trainers Association).”

The steeplechase course is situated within the existing cross-country course. It's fully irrigated, about 1 1/16 miles around, and slightly undulating. It's not an oval, but there is a long straightaway leading into the stretch that offers spectators a great vantage point to view the final fence and race to the wire.

The post Steeplechasing Returns To Sunshine State With New Meet, New Venue appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Beginning in 2022, registered Maryland-bred horses that run first, second or third will receive 30 percent on purses earned at National Steeplechase Association-sanctioned meets in Maryland. This program is modeled on the current bonuses paid to Maryland-breds that run at Laurel Park, Pimlico Race Course and Timonium.

The five meets that qualify for this program this year are: My Lady's Manor, Grand National, Maryland Hunt Cup, Fair Hill, and Legacy Chase at Shawan Downs. The bonus applies to NSA-sanctioned steeplechase and flat races with listed purses at Maryland meets. Bonuses will not apply to training flat races.

“We believe this program rewards those Maryland-bred horses that have successful careers over jumps and the people who breed, own and race them here,” said Richie Blue, Jr., MHBA president. “This community is an important part of Maryland's horse industry. Much of the land that is called 'horse country' is due to their vision and efforts to preserve green space.”

The bonuses provide another avenue for owners and breeders of Maryland-breds, while also offering another incentive to campaign Maryland-bred horses in the state. Monkton-based trainer Todd Wyatt, president of the Steeplechase Owners and Trainers Association, called it a positive step for all. Wyatt won the 2015 Maryland Hunt Cup with Maryland-bred Raven's Choice, who raced for owners/breeders Cary and Ann Jackson, and won two steeplechase races with Maryland-bred Include It in 2021.

“It gives incentive to people to keep participating, there are people in Maryland who breed horses that are in steeplechasing,” said Wyatt. “It would have been very cool to have that when Raven's Choice was running. We got Include It from the Meyerhoffs and getting those breeder bonuses to somebody that might not even be aware is a good thing. It has to help jump racing, and it's a nice thing for breeders who aren't necessarily in jump racing too.”

Wyatt said owners and trainers don't necessarily count on state-bred incentives when searching for steeplechase prospects to purchase, but he could see that changing.

“If it comes down to selling a horse to someone who's going to keep the horse in Maryland or someone who is going to take the horse somewhere else, a breeder might consider selling to a steeplechase person,” he said. “And if you're looking for a horse as a steeplechase prospect, you might look start looking for Maryland-breds because of something like this.”

The post Steeplechase Bonus Program Launched By Maryland Horse Breeders Association appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Instead, The Mean Queen's next goal will come in spring: The G1 Iroquois at Nashville in May.

“The unknown of where Covid restrictions are heading over the next three months brought the Moorhead's (owners Rod and Alice) to the decision,” Brion explained. “It's important to them that they can enjoy the experience and with the way things are at the moment they wouldn't be able to. We had to make a decision now so that's the decision.”

If all goes well and the world returns to what at least passes for normal, Brion said The Mean Queen will again set her sights on Cheltenham in 2023.

The post COVID Concerns Prevent Keri Brion From Sending The Mean Queen Overseas For Cheltenham Festival appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Dougherty retired this spring, but she stayed on a full six months to share her quarter-century of knowledge and experience to help transition new business administrator Emery Taylor and assistant to the racing director Harper McVey.

Her former co-workers say Dougherty. 79, leaves a legacy of kindness, always a calm voice and a steady hand in what can be a pressure-filled role.

“Nancy is not average in any way shape or form,” Taylor says. “She kept a wealth of knowledge in her head as well as on the shared files. We really benefited from her generosity while we transitioned into our new roles.”

“Nan was always the 'rock' within the office,” says NSA director of racing Bill Gallo. “She was omnipresent and willing to tackle any task no matter how big or small. She was usually the first voice you heard from the NSA and that voice was welcoming, helpful and willing to assist. If she didn't know the answer she was quick to find out who did.”

Retired now but for 25 years working alongside Dougherty in the role of assistant racing secretary and office manager, Peter McGivney agrees that “Nan” was important to the association.

“As the NSA's executive secretary, Nancy answered 90 percent of the calls that came in to the office,” McGivney recalls. “Whenever I would pick up the phone and say 'National Steeplechase, this is Pete,' the usual response from the person on the other end was 'where's Nan?' ”

How it started

Born in Wilmington, Delaware in 1942, Dougherty graduated from Wilmington's Goldey-Beacom College's School of Business in 1961.

She worked as senior secretary at DuPont, then as secretary for a bank subsidiary president in North Carolina when she moved there with her first husband. When they divorced, and Dougherty moved to Chester County, Pennsylvania, working for an attorney for several years before returning to DuPont.

She married Jack Dougherty in 1979, a natural partnership, she says. “We shared a great love for horses and hounds. His family had the Lewisville Hunt, generations before him.

“Jack put the pack back together when he was a teenager and hunted the hounds up until a few years ago when his health deteriorated.”

They kept 30-40 couple and half a dozen field hunters when the private pack was most active in the old Foxcatcher Hunt territory.

“I like to think we had the best years of hunting,” Dougherty says, open fixtures and lots of sport. Today's hunting, she says, is increasingly limited by development. “I applaud those who keep soldiering on.

“Foxhunting has always been in my blood: I started hunting at age 11. The only relative who shared that was my great-uncle Charlie, whom I never knew. My mother would tell me that Uncle Charlie on more than one occasion would jump up from the dinner table to turn his hounds out when (he could hear that) neighboring farmers had a chase going.”

From the beginning, there was a direct link from foxhunting to steeplechasing. They attended all the local meets, and Nancy rode some flat races at the point-to-points. She freely admits she “was never brave enough to race over fences – I like to make the excuse that I was wise not to.”

It was a natural step, she says, to make steeplechase a vocation as well as avocation.

In 1995, someone – she doesn't remember who, told Dougherty NSA was looking to hire a secretary and that she'd be great at it.

“The office was 4 minutes down the road from me, so I sent a resume.

“I went for an interview and started the next day.”

Though initially it was to be part-time, “that idea didn't last long,” Dougherty adds with a chuckle.

It turned into a 26-year career.

She worked with Charlie Colgan, Bill Gallo, Peter McGivney and one other secretary (Patt Rhinesmith, who worked for Colgan). It was interesting work, she says, usually fun but often frenetic and sometimes highly pressurized.

“I don't think most people realize the amount of work that comes out of the NSA office,” Dougherty says. “We worked together like a well-oiled machine for many years with many a late night. But the work had to be done, and we just had to do it.

“I never minded those late hours (because) everything has to be correct and in order for a race meet to run. There's no walking away until the work is finished.”

“Nancy is a tireless worker and has a great work ethic,” McGivney notes. “It was a rare occurrence when she was not in the office. She's like the Eveready Energizer bunny, she just keeps going and going.

“She'd get things done, even if it meant staying late or coming in on the weekend. She was a valuable asset to the NSA.”

“Nan never shied away from work,” Gallo adds. “She was never satisfied until the job was done.”

Three-meet weeks were where Dougherty's dedication was showcased, though they were long days.

“But, we ate lunch at our desks and went right on working,” she recalls the energy of the team focused on what had to get done. “It was a great atmosphere as we were in constant communication, and I always thought we all really enjoyed our work.

“Bill always said we were family. They were good times.”

“For sure, we had a family relationship within the office,” Gallo agrees. “We worked hard, side by side, and supported each other in every way. Occasionally we would celebrate with a glass of wine after work, or have a nice staff dinner in Saratoga if the girls came up for a board meeting. It was always fun, filled with laughter and fond memories.”

“Those two- and three-meet weeks were extra high-pressure,” Dougherty recalls, “but it just got done. We worked great together.”

The spring hunt meet season spilled into summer racing at the major tracks, then back into the fall season.

“The only time we had some time to relax a little bit was after the last race meet” in November, Dougherty says. But just as quickly, they'd get into awards-party planning and yearbook production, then it was January and time to get ready for the next spring season.

McGivney points out that steeplechase wasn't Dougherty's only passion – she also pursued dog showing and judging at the national level.

“One thing I was always amazed at about Nan was, as busy as she was during the week, she would be on the road on the weekends traveling to dog shows around the country either showing or judging,” McGivney says. “I don't know where she gets her energy, but she certainly has plenty of it.”

Last year, Dougherty slowed down a notch as she began to prepare for retirement. So when she wrote a helpful guide to her duties for whoever would fill her role, she was a little surprised when it ran to pages and pages, and still wasn't complete.

“When I looked at the job description, it was mind-boggling to think 'how will one person be able to do it?'

“There's a lot to this job,” Dougherty says. “You don't realize it when you're in it – you just sort of slog away and do it. But when you write it down, you see there's a lot of detail.”

Many NSA records have been digitized – searchable database and lots of online accounting, but some details can't be handled that way, Dougherty stresses. “A lot of it requires a person, interaction, conversation.”

NSA business administrator Emery Taylor calls Dougherty “a rock star. She was kind enough to stay on when Harper and I started at NSA in January so we could benefit from her knowledge and expertise.

“Nancy had everything completely organized for us, of course, on a shared file on our server, and she was generous sharing everything she knew, everything she'd learned over the years.”

From Monday entry-taking to Wednesday scratches, from licensing to planning, and from drawing races to providing updated race meet information for horsemen, a lot goes into the daily schedule, adds Harper McVey, assistant to the director of racing.

“Thursday and Friday is for final details and getting documents ready to go to the Saturday races. Sundays, we archive videos and post results.

“Really, Nancy was like a den mother in the office, super-organized, very supportive, really nice.

“I know we miss her, and the horsemen miss her.”

Dougherty misses it, too. “Honestly, I guess I do, and I don't. It was such a routine for such a long time. I miss the NSA and the staff, the contact with owners, trainers, jockeys, officials and the race meet people.

“The main difference is that now I don't have to get up and do my own (farm work) early, 'before work.' These days, I can just start an hour later if that's what I feel like.”

McGivney says he's glad for Dougherty's retirement, but for another reason. “Nancy and I retired at about the same time,” he explains. “For me, it wouldn't be the same if I had to go into the office and Nancy wasn't there sitting at her desk.”

Retirement isn't about sitting around

Ironically, in retirement Dougherty is as busy as ever, refueling her passion for dog showing and judging. She keeps seven couple of the original Lewisville hounds – PennMarydels, in the kennels.

“My whole life has been a love affair with hunting dogs – my family's sporting dogs, foxhounds and my own dogs – American Foxhounds, Parson Russell Terriers and Dachshunds,” Dougherty says. “Through foxhunting friends in Great Britain, I was introduced to the Parson Russell Terrier and was able to import the finest bloodlines which have produced many champions over the past 28 years. I've worked all my breeds in the field to natural quarry and have special appreciation for a dog of outstanding quality that can do the job for which it was intended.”

One of her Dachshunds won first award of merit at Westminster, and Dougherty is co-chair of the breed specialty show at the National Dog Show in Oaks, Pennsylvania.

She also has an American Foxhound, now retired from the AKC show circuit, a tri-colored Walker bitch hound and grand champion, Kiarry Says When. Dougherty calls her “Savvy.”

Dougherty is a licensed AKC judge for hound breeds. She likens the dog show community to the steeplechase community, “great people, completely dedicated to the sport.”

The post ‘She Was The One You Counted On’: NSA’s Nancy Dougherty Retires After 26 Years appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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“John will be missed tremendously,” said Cate Masterson, the Museum's director. “He had such a passion for racing, the arts, and the Museum in particular. He contributed in so many ways and we will all miss his kindness and generosity.”

Born in Old Westbury, N.Y., on June 28, 1938, Mr. von Stade was the youngest of F. Skiddy and Katherine von Stade's eight children. He graduated from St. Paul's School in Concord, N.H., and Harvard University, developing his passion for music and art at both schools. A bass baritone, Mr. von Stade participated in and managed the choir at St. Paul's and the glee club at Harvard. Following his college graduation, Mr. von Stade attended the Aspen School of Music and served in the Army Reserves. He then spent some time in the banking world before opening the Essex Gallery of Sport in Far Hills, N.J. 

Participating in Thoroughbred racing was a natural fit for Mr. von Stade. His father was a founder of the National Museum of Racing in 1950, president of the National Steeplechase Association, and the final president of the Saratoga Association, which owned and operated Saratoga Race Course before its assimilation into what is now the New York Racing Association. In his youth, John von Stade drove a tractor at Saratoga Race Course, harrowing the track between races. 

Partaking for a brief time in Thoroughbred ownership, Mr. von Stade partnered in the small Ivy Creek Stable with his friend Charlie Mellon. A couple of the stable's horses were steeplechasers, which led to Mr. von Stade's relationship with New Jersey's Far Hills Race Meeting and the National Steeplechase Association. For 50 years, Mr. von Stade served as co-chair at Far Hills, helping develop an event that early in its history attracted a few thousand spectators into the country's richest day of steeplechasing, with more than 50,000 attending and millions of dollars raised for charity. He did everything from bedding stalls in the stables to putting up snow fencing at first, and then managing hundreds of volunteers and set the fixture's course as it grew.

“He was an art lover, a historian. He was like an old school guy, but he managed to change with the times,” said the National Steeplechase Association's Guy Torsilieri, who spent 35 years leading the Far Hills Races with Mr. von Stade. “He had an incredible way about him, so gentle and focused. He knew which way things needed to go and should go.”

Torsilieri added that Mr. von Stade was the “fabric and the glue” that held things together between the races and the foundation that donates to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Somerville, N.J. It is the home of the Steeplechase Cancer Center and the von Stade Lobby, built on $18 million raised from the Far Hills racing proceeds.

After serving for more than a decade as a trustee of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Mr. von Stade was elected as its president in 1989, succeeding Whitney Tower. During his time as president of the Museum, Mr. von Stade oversaw an $18 million project that modernized the institution and increased the size of the facility to more than 45,000 square feet. Following his presidency, Mr. von Stade remained a Museum trustee and served on various committees. 

In 1995, Mr. von Stade was selected to receive the F. Ambrose Clark Award — the highest honor in steeplechasing — which is given periodically to an individual who has done the most to promote, improve, and encourage the growth and welfare of American steeplechasing.

A longtime boxholder at Saratoga Race Course, Mr. von Stade resided in New Jersey and Saratoga Springs until moving to Maryland six years ago. He was a member of the Porcellian Club at Harvard, the Knickerbocker Club in New York City. the Racquet Club of New York City, and for many years, served as president of the Somerset Medical Center Foundation in New Jersey. 

Mr. von Stade is survived by his wife, the former Phyllis Kaltenbach DuVal; his son, John von Stade, Jr. and daughter-in-law, Ann von Stade; Phyllis's daughters and son-in-law, Anna DuVal, Olivia Duval, and Joseph Cutrone; grandchildren Lily, Talbot, and Charlie von Stade, and Orlando, Sophia, and Nico Cutrone. He was also the proud uncle of numerous nephews and nieces, among these opera singer Frederica von Stade.

Services will be held on Sunday, Dec. 19 at 2 p.m. at St. Thomas' Episcopal Church in Owings Mills, Md.  

The post John Von Stade, Former President Of National Museum Of Racing And Hall Of Fame, Passes At Age 83 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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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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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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In the opener, a $25,000 maiden hurdle run at 2 ⅛ miles (the distance of all hurdle races at Great Meadow), Johnston's State of Affair, a five-year-old son of Giant's Causeway, went wire to wire for Tom Garner and trainer Todd Todd Wyatt, drawing off by 5 ½ lengths. State of Affair was coming off of a third-place finish in a maiden at Shawan Downs in September, his first NSA start since his stateside debut at the Middleburg Spring Races in 2020. Mason Hardaway Lampton's Ace Ventura was second; Riverdee Stable's Twenty Years On was third.

In the second division of the maiden hurdle, first-time starter Merry Maker turned heads, running like an old pro, in his career debut for trainer Arch Kingsley. Owned by Hurricana Farm, the four-year-old Irish-bred soared over the last fence all alone under Galligan, winning by 2 lengths. Straylight Racing's Frontline Citizen, another Irish-bred making his second lifetime start, was second with Alex Leventhal aboard. Stewart Strawbridge's Lap of the Gods was third. Jockey Richie Condon, regular rider of leading 2021 Eclipse Award contender The Mean Queen, suffered a back injury in a fall and will be out of action for a while.

The $30,000 Steeplethon Stakes over mixed obstacles — hurdles, natural brush fences, timber, and through water — drew a field of five, and Silverton Hill's Bodes Well, winner of the Jonathan Kiser novice hurdle stakes at Saratoga last summer, led almost every step of the way for Garner and Young, demonstrating his prowess over a very different type of course. At the wire, Bodes Well held a 5 ½ length advantage over Irv Naylor's A Silent Player. Turks Head Turf's Brooklyn Speights finished third.

The fourth race proved a milestone for young Irish rider Stefan Tobin, who piloted Holwood Stable's Decisive Triumph to victory in the $30,000 allowance contest for non-winners of two. Coming off of two sharp seconds in the handicap ranks (for horses rated at 110 or less), Decisive Triumph held a short lead at the last fence over Melissa Cantacuzene's Yankee Doodle Boy and extended his advantage to 4 ¼ lengths at the finish.

In a win that was a long time coming, Irv Naylor's Bedrock prevailed in the co-featured G2 $75,000 David L. “Zeke” Ferguson Stakes. The highly regarded British-bred eight-year-old was a solid performer in Europe, winning eight times. The gelding finally enjoyed his breakthrough moment in the U.S., with an authoritative 7 ¾ length victory under Galligan for trainer Cyril Murphy. Content to sit back in the early going while Hudson River Farm's Iranistan, and Gill Johnston's Brianbakescookies set the pace, the eight-year-old rallied to draw off convincingly. Sharon Sheppard's Redicean was second; Brianbakescookies was third.

With the scratch of Dolly Fisher's Schoodic, the likely heavy favorite in the pari-mutuel wagering pool, the field for the $75,000 International Gold Cup timber stakes at 3 ½ miles was reduced to four, and got even smaller when Renegade River and Storm Team went off course in the early going. That turned the contest into a match race between Frank Bonsal's Stand Down and Leipers Fork Steeplechasers' Tomgarrow. But after a carefully measured ride, Tom Garner knew he had plenty of horse under him and drew away as he pleased, by 49 lengths for trainer Leslie Young. With three wins on the day, Garner spurted to a 19-16 lead over Graham Watters. And with her two wins, trainer Leslie Young took a 15-12 advantage over Jack Fisher and Neil Morris, the latter who has saddled only about half the number of starters this season compared to Young and Fisher.

In the seventh race, a handicap for horses rated at 115 or less, Gill Johnston's Contented completed his comeback to give Teddy Davies, the teen son of accomplished trainer-riders Joe Davies and Blythe Miller Davies, his first NSA hurdle win. After taking a novice weight-for-age hurdle at Sedgefield in 2017 and novice handicap steeplechase at Worcester in 2018, Contented came to the U.S. Following an off-the-board finish in his NSA debut in the 2019 Queens Cup, the Irish-bred son of Dalakhani went to the sidelines for more than two years. He re-emerged this spring, and after three starts, Contented finally shook off the rust to win Saturday's handicap by 5 lengths over Sara Collette's homebred, Eryx. Colette, of Casanova, Va., passed away on Oct. 11 at age 86.

The day's finale, a $20,000 maiden claimer, saw Riverdee Stable's Senor Seville make a seamless switch from flat racing to hurdles. Following 18 starts in maiden and open claiming races on the flat, mostly at Laurel Park, the Maryland-bred tried hurdles for the first time and came home a neck winner for jockey-turned-trainer Danielle Hodsdon.

Racing far back under Ross Geraghty approaching the last fence, Senior Seville unleashed a furious stretch rally to nip Happenstance Stable's Hero's Return, with Kiplin Hall's Real Good Man third. In an interesting aside, the horse's connections, owner Sean Clancy, trainer Hodsdon, and Geraghty were all champion NSA jockeys at one time or another.

The full results can be found HERE.

The race replay can be watched HERE.

The post Steeplechase: Tomgarrow Captures International Gold Cup, Bedrock Finally Enjoys His Breakthrough Moment appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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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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