The week between the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes might be a good chance for racing people to catch their breath.
Or inhale and go again.
Steeplechasers go to work in Nashville Saturday for the Iroquois Steeplechase at Percy Warner Park. The richest stop on the National Steeplechase Association’s spring circuit puts up $575,000 over seven races, headlined by the $250,000 Calvin Houghland Iroquois at 3 miles. The Grade 1 drew a field of eight and showcases a rematch between Snap Decision and Vae Patron, who went 1-2 in last year’s edition.
As is his wont, Snap Decision tries to make more history and become the first four-time Iroquois winner. If that’s not enough, he can become the sport’s career earnings leader with a victory.
Saturday’s jump schedule also sends horses to Pennsylvania for the Willowdale Steeplechase’s six-race lineup.
Before we dive into those, last week featured two stops. At the Virginia Gold Cup, run for the 100th time, Keys Discount landed the timber feature for Dolly Fisher, trainer Jack Fisher and jockey Graham Watters. The Maryland-bred turned back a late challenge from Family Tree to win by 1 3/4 lengths and improve to 2-for-2 this year. Bred by Bryan Minnich and purchased for $2,000 by Gordie Keys as a yearling, the 6-year-old ran four times on the flat and once over hurdles for his breeder and namesake (who knew a bargain when he saw one). Keys died in 2023, but his horse is still going strong.
Fisher also won the hurdle feature, the $150,000 Commonwealth Cup, with Irish-bred Cool Jet. He and Bernie Dalton made the running in the Grade 1, pulled away from Too Friendly and Noble Anthem late and scored by 7 1/4 lengths. Running back a week after finishing second at Foxfield, the 9-year-old handled the slick turf to collect his fourth win over jumps since being imported in 2022. Fisher completed a natural hat trick when Mission North (Watters) won a three-horse Speedy Smithwick Stakes for 4-year-old hurdlers for Northwoods Stable. The Noble Mission homebred galloped in alone by 27 lengths, his second jump win this year after winning twice on the flat last year.
Other Gold Cup victories went to The Wizards Well (maiden hurdle) for Runnymoore Racing, Todd McKenna and Harry Beswick; Fashion Line (cross-country race) for Armata Stable, Kathy Neilson and Gerard Galligan; and Active Duty (allowance hurdle) for Gill Johnston, Tom Garner and Dalton. The seventh race was canceled due to the turf conditions and inclement weather.
Up the road at Delaware’s Winterthur meet, Anzio won the maiden timber for Johnston, trainer Sandra Webb and jockey Freddie Procter; Track And Trace won his second timber start in the allowance for Bruton Street-US, Mark Beecher and Dan Nevin; the same trainer and jockey added the apprentice timber with owner/breeder South Branch Equine’s Master Seville. Flat trainer Cal Lynch sent out training flat winner Trevesso for Runnymoore and jockey Conor Tierney.
Last week, Joe Clancy led the way with four winners, including the last three at Winterthur with Track And Trace, Master Seville and Trevesso picked on top. Joe also tabbed Mission North at the Gold Cup. Miles Clancy and Sean Clancy each came away with three wins on the weekend.
Miles’ three winners came at the Virginia Gold Cup with Fashion Line, Keys Discount and Mission North. Sean picked Fashion Line and Mission North at the Gold Cup and Track And Trace at Winterthur.
Tom Law picked a pair of winners with Mission North and Track And Trace.
For the season, Miles and Sean lead the way with 23 wins apiece, while Joe (18) and Tom (16) need to do some work at the Iroquois and Willowdale to inch into contention.
We also included a Kentucky Derby pick in last week’s jump picks package. Congrats to Sean and Tom for tabbing Sovereignty. More on the ST Publishing handicappers’ results over Kentucky Oaks-Derby weekend in next week’s Black-Eyed Susan Day stakes picks. See you then.
Now, turn the page…
Iroquois Steeplechase. Post time 1 p.m. (CENTRAL TIME). Watch on the NSA website.
First race. $45,000 Bright Hour handicap hurdle (120 and below) going 2 ¾ miles.
Nine tangle here, in a clash of experience and recent success. Sweet Will has run 33 times, but seeks his first win since 2023. Moonshine Time exits a maiden win at Camden in March, his eighth try over jumps. He’s the 158-pound highweight. Theocrat drops in class and gets a 10-pound apprentice allowance and surely needed his last, his first start since 2023. With Jamie Bargary sidelined with a hand injury, Danny Mullins jets in from Ireland for the day and rides For The Parish for local owners Leipers Fork Steeplechase, who also have Artistic Choice, and trainer Leslie Young. Who handles the trip, and what’s the turf like?
- Sean: Quick Master, Moonshine Time, For the Parish.
- Joe: Moonshine Time, Sweet Will, Kiyomori.
- Tom: Quick Master, Theocrat, Kiyomori.
- Miles: Quick Master, Artistic Choice, Moonshine Time.
Second race. $40,000 George and John Sloan maiden hurdle going 2 ¼ miles. Typically a spicy maiden hurdle, this one divides into two six-horse races. Nice move by the meet. They all belong. Off Pieste Rules was second at Blue Ridge. Middleburg was third in the same race. Bonnebosq just missed at Aiken. Grey Pharoh was second at Punchestown in February. Harrenhall brings experience and was third at Camden. Mosey takes on the boys off a second at Aiken.
- Sean: Grey Pharoh, Bonnebosq, Harrenhal.
- Joe: Bonnebosq, Grey Pharoh, Off Pieste Rules.
- Tom: Mosey, Grey Pharoh, Off Pieste Rules.
- Miles: Grey Pharoh, Harrenhal, Bonnebosq.
Third race. $40,000 George and John Sloan maiden hurdle going 2 ¼ miles. Another solid half-dozen. Quick Cat debuts. Dynamite Dan has placed in all four. Yes Sir Jack was third at Middleburg. Point Me By finished second at Foxfield. Snow Mine brings the pedigree. Arturo Toscanini won his debut for Coolmore at The Curragh in 2020 and finished seventh in the 2021 Irish Derby.
- Sean: Yes Sir Jack, Point Me By, Arturo Toscanini.
- Joe: Arturo Toscanini, Point Me By, Dynamite Dan.
- Tom: Point Me By, Yes Sir Jack, Dynamite Dan.
- Miles: Quick Cat, Dynamite Dan, Yes Sir Jack.
Fourth race. $125,000 Green Pastures novice hurdle stakes going 2 ¼ miles. Bring your track shoes. Smart Uncle looks for his fourth consecutive win. China Beach goes for three in a row. Walk The Warrior and Blue Creek were just behind Smart Uncle late last year and emerged with wins this year. Little Trilby was second to China Beach at Camden. Evie’s Prince won a race like this last year and might suit the course. Garrison Forest will have to shake off some rust, but has had two point-to-point flat spins. Fifth to Smart Uncle at Foxfield, Boldog ought to improve.
- Sean: Smart Uncle, China Beach, Walk The Warrior.
- Joe: Smart Uncle, Walk The Warrior, China Beach.
- Tom: Smart Uncle, China Beach, Walk The Warrior.
- Miles: China Beach, Smart Uncle, Walk the Warrior.
Fifth race. $250,000 Calvin Houghland Iroquois Steeplechase going 3 miles. First run in 1941, the Grade 1 used to be a showcase for amateur jockeys and warriors like Somaten, Conserje and Alvaro II. Now it’s as important a race as U.S. jump racing has. Snap Decision won in 2021 and 2022, finished second in 2023 and won it last year to join Uncle Edwin as the race’s only three-time winners. The 11-year-old finished second in the maiden here in 2019 so makes his sixth start at Percy Warner (the 2020 meet was canceled). With $1,191,900 earned over jumps, he can pass McDynamo atop the career leaderboard with a win (worth $150,000). The 2024 champion won the Temple Gwathmey for the fourth time three weeks ago while giving Abaan 18 pounds. The margin was a neck and the weight-for-age conditions here mean they both carry 158. Go back and watch the Gwathmey. Snap Decision tanks off with the field going up the hill away from the stands the last time, makes everybody work across the back, takes total command by the last fence and idles in the stretch. Like always, trip and turf will do more to determine the outcome than pounds. Every horse in the race lost to Snap Decision in his most recent start except Foxy Walk, who tries the favorite for the first time. Last year, Vae Patron nearly pulled off an upset when second (by a neck) to Snap Decision in the Iroquois. The French import hasn’t run since and that’s his only start since November 2023, though he had a flat tightener at Middleburg Point-to-Point. He moves up the most in soft going. Jimmy P has won over the course and is capable on his best day. He just needs to find it again. Maybe blinkers will help. Zarak The Brave surely needed the Gwathmey run, when fifth. Howyabud was fourth there, his first run since 2022. Zabeel Champion finished third in last year’s race and could move forward off the Gwathmey run. Foxy Walk rides a two-race winning streak (both over next-out winners) and looks like a pace factor.
- Sean: Snap Decision, Abaan, Vae Patron.
- Joe: Snap Decision, Howyabud, Vae Patron.
- Tom: Snap Decision, Howyabud, Vae Patron.
- Miles: Snap Decision, Zabeel Champion, Abaan.
Sixth race. $50,000 Margaret Currey Henley filly/mare hurdle stakes going 2 ¼ miles. Dream North scratches so just four show up, none as accomplished as Gold Charm who closed 2024 with three consecutive wins for Irv Naylor and Cyril Murphy. She normally arrives late and will try to run down 2025 maiden winners Porte Jaune and Korea. Diamonds For Her finished fourth against males at Foxfield, her debut off the Irish point-to-point circuit.
- Sean: Gold Charm, Porte Jaune, Korea.
- Joe: Gold Charm, Porte Jaune, Korea.
- Tom: Gold Charm, Porte Jaune, Diamonds For Her.
- Miles: Gold Charm, Porte Jaune, Korea.
Seventh race. $25,000 Mason Houghland allowance timber (NW3) going 3 miles. Wicked West and Presence Of Mind scratch so the finale is a three-horse affair. Penicillin Success won the maiden at Blue Ridge. Marcel Magic won the maiden at My Lady’s Manor. Uco Valley won twice last year, finished second to Keys Discount at Middleburg and was taken off course by a loose horse in the Virginia Gold Cup. He’ll be tough to handle.
- Sean: Uco Valley, Penicillin Success, Marcel Magic.
- Joe: Marcel Magic, Uco Valley, Penicillin Success.
- Tom: Penicillin Success, Uco Valley, Uco Valley.
- Miles: Uco Valley, Penicillin Success, Marcel Magic.
Willowdale Steeplechase. Post time 1 p.m. (EASTERN TIME). Watch on the NSA website.
First race. $15,000 Liam Magee apprentice jockey allowance hurdle going 2 ¼ miles. Nine go in the opener including in-form runners King Of The Kids, Decisive Triumph and Two Past Eight coming off wins. Pace horse Beat Le Bon will make an impact (how and when is the question). Dan Nevin lost his apprentice allowance so Brett Owings takes the call on Decisive Triumph, whose 29 jump starts include five wins and 10 seconds.
- Sean: Two Past Eight, Decisive Triumph, King Of The Kids.
- Joe: Decisive Triumph, King Of The Kids, Two Past Eight.
- Tom: King Of The Kids, Decisive Triumph, Tufton Avenue.
- Miles: Two Past Eight, Decisive Triumph, King of the Kids.
Second race. $10,000 Folly maiden claiming hurdle going 2 ¼ miles. Ten fill up the program. Anador, Walker’s Gap, Unfolding Beauty and Tiger Paw waive the price. King Of Tsavo was second at Camden last fall.
- Sean: King Of Tsavo, Rejection Hurts, Unfolding Beauty.
- Joe: Starforce, King Of Tsavo, Unfolding Beauty.
- Tom: King Of Tsavo, Rejection Hurts, Unfolding Beauty.
- Miles: King Of Tsavo, Rejection Hurts, Unfurling Beauty.
Third race. $20,000 Rose Tree Cup handicap hurdle (110 and below) going 2 ¼ miles. Another full field (turn the page, there are 12 plus an AE). Roja Redemption dominated starter maidens at Blue Ridge, gets an automatic number and Dylan McDonough’s apprentice allowance. He gives away heaps of experience in a crowded field. Pavoni won for Jack Fisher last year, went back to the flat and got claimed by Todd McKenna in December. Cant Catch Camacho won last fall at Aiken. Hermann Clermont and Make A Stand go timber to hurdle. Soramond gets off the bench for a new trainer. Seizing The Dream shook off a little rust at Foxfield. Love Saga could rally from the clouds.
- Sean: Roja Redemption, Dante’s Fire, Cant Catch Camacho.
- Joe: Roja Redemption, Love Saga, Dante’s Fire.
- Tom: Roja Redemption, Love Saga, Dante’s Fire.
- Miles: Dante’s Fire, Roja Redemption, Ruthenian.
Fourth race. $35,000 Willowdale Steeplechase timber stakes for amateur jockeys going 3 ½ miles. It’s not the Maryland Hunt Cup or Virginia Gold Cup, but it will test horses. Old pro Storm Team and Justin Batoff make their third start of the spring. Master Seville won at Winterthur. The Butler Yates ran well when second at the Grand National. Macheeda won at Cheshire over Hard Game, who won at the Grand National.
- Sean: The Butler Yates, Master Seville, Macheeda.
- Joe: Master Seville, The Butler Yates, Macheeda.
- Tom: The Butler Yates, Storm Team, Master Seville.
- Miles: Master Seville, The Butler Yates, Macheeda.
Fifth race. $15,000 Landhope Cup maiden timber going 3 miles. Three of the 10 didn’t finish their last starts. Seven did, but six of them lost by double digit margins. That leaves De Nordener, who makes his American debut off a second at Punchestown in May 2024. He did run make three point-to-point timber starts (two of them wins).
- Sean: Potus, Project Two, De Nordener.
- Joe: De Nordener, Potus, Old Style Humor.
- Tom: Potus, Take Profit, Racavan.
- Miles: Project Two, Potus, De Nordener.
Sixth race. $15,000 Willard Speakman allowance timber for apprentice jockeys going 3 miles. Six meet in the finale. James Wyatt, son of Todd and Blair, gets a leg up in his first NSA timber race aboard Include It. Imperial Assassin has won twice this year – by 20 lengths combined. Court Ruler owns a dozen wins (now that’s a racehorse). Fast Vision was second at Grand National and Winterthur.
- Sean: Imperial Assassin, Court Ruler, Include It.
- Joe: Imperial Assassin, Include It, Court Ruler.
- Tom: Imperial Assassin, Include It, Court Ruler.
- Miles: Imperial Assassin, Fast Vision, Include It.
