Breeders’ Cup hero Smith still going strong
Early on Pennsylvania Derby Day at Parx Racing Sept. 23, Mike Smith made time for every photo, every autograph request, every “You remember when?” from racing people, every “Hey Mike” from the crowd.
Joe Clancy
The horse-centered future of Fair Hill
Part of Thoroughbred racing in one way or another since the 1930s, Maryland’s iconic Fair Hill property is home to plenty of horse activity – racing, training, eventing, showing, fox hunting, trail riding and everything else in between. New efforts are underway to substantially upgrade the outdoor event space at Fair Hill to host a … Read more
Far Hills Spotlight: Timber vets meet in finale
And the finale. The New Jersey Hunt Cup timber stakes doesn’t test horses quite like Maryland or Pennsylvania, but it’s still worth $50,000 and caps the day in style as the seventh and final race on the card. The seven runners include Ebanour, who won this race in 2015, plus veteran stakes horse Straight To It and upstarts Where’s The Beef, De Chera, Super Saturday, Enuff Alex and Certain Swagger.
Far Hills Spotlight: Fillies/Mares meet in Peapack
The Peapack hurdle brings together the best in the filly/mare division and, as usual, it’s a mixed bag vying for a $75,000 purse in the day’s sixth race. Swoop broke her maiden in a stakes at Saratoga. Stablemate Sarah Joyce won twice this spring. For Goodness Sake looked great at Fair Hill, average at Saratoga. Pure Deal broke her maiden by almost 10 lengths in April. Ciboure might be a freak. Dive in.
Far Hills Spotlight: Maidens eye big payday
Ah, the Far Hills maiden – proving ground of future Hall of Famer McDynamo among others. Worth $50,000, it’s the maiden race to win every year though no guarantee of future success. The second of seven races on the day, this year’s renewal drew the maximum of 10 plus four more on the also-eligible list. Five of the 14 make their debuts. Sires include Dynaformer (two), Tapit, Indian Charlie, Tiznow, Awesome Again, Sea The Stars and Tiznow.
Buck Benny leads the field in experience, not always a good thing for maidens, with 11 starts.
Far Hills Spotlight: 3-year-olds start card
American steeplechasing’s richest day opens with with the Gladstone, a $50,000 hurdle stakes for 3-year-olds that used to be late in the card. Earlier seems to make sense, other than the jockeys might be proceeding with caution given all the rich opportunities late in the day. Five of the nine exit a 3-year-old maiden hurdle race at Shawan. First Friday won that one. Can he repeat? Post time at Far Hills is 1 p.m., but plan on arriving much sooner or risk spending the first two races in traffic.
All The Way Jose zeroes in on Far Hills
Head flipping, noseband flying, hooves stepping in place, All The Way Jose looked ready to go – and then some – Tuesday morning at trainer Jonathan Sheppard’s Ashwell Stable near Unionville, Pa. Exercise rider and assistant trainer Keri Brion laughed at the antics.
Nagle closing in on first title, 100 winners
Darren Nagle and Sean McDermott leaned on an iron rail along the horsepath at Belmont Park last month and knocked each other, their rides and their chances on winning the National Steeplechase Association jockeys’ championship this year.
Second Amendment comes through at Shawan
Two days. Fourteen races. One-hundred-and-four horses. The National Steeplechase Association’s autumn season started with a rush over the weekend with race meets at Shawan Downs outside Baltimore and Foxfield near Charlottesville, Va. Winners came from all angles and in races on the flat, over hurdles and over timber – the latter for the first time since Fair Hill in May.
Moscato adds Entenmann, emerges as leader
And a maiden shall lead them. As of Sept. 25, Moscato – an English-bred 6-year-old who started 2017 as a maiden over hurdles – is the leading steeplechaser in the country with $156,000 in earnings. He’s won four times, and finished second twice, in six starts. And after winning last week’s William Entenmann Memorial novice stakes at Belmont Park, he’s got people thinking.
