Sixteen entered in Maryland Hunt Cup
American steeplechasing’s oldest, greatest race is alive and well. The entry box overflowed with 16 hopefuls for Saturday’s Maryland Hunt Cup, a 4-mile timber test conducted for the 117th time.
Joe Clancy
Decoy Daddy’s still got it
You listening? Reading? Paying attention? Trainer Brianne Slater talked up her stakes veteran Decoy Daddy before Saturday’s Temple Gwathmey at Middleburg, Va. – and the Irish-bred delivered another signature performance.
Naylor team wins big
Steeplechase owner Irv Naylor staked his claim to a fourth consecutive steeplechase owners’ championship with five wins at two meets Saturday. The streak included stakes wins by Decoy Daddy in Virginia and Alfa Beat in Maryland to launch Naylor to the top of the standings.
Temple Gwathmey…a person and a race
First of all, it’s not a church. The Temple Gwathmey is a steeplechase horse race with a big trophy and a history dating back almost 90 years. Aqueduct, Belmont Park and Pennsylvania’s famed Rolling Rock meet hosted runnings. Middleburg now plays host, with a field of 11 signed on for today’s running. The race takes … Read more
Jumps: Handicapping a Triple Header
Ready or not, the steeplechase season finds a higher gear this weekend with a triple header of meets – in Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina. There are races of all types and puzzlers for the fearless handicappers. Keeping score at home? Joe (10) leads the way by one over Tom with Sean third at seven wins, but it all could change Saturday.
Big field arrives for Gwathmey jump stakes
Saturday’s Temple Gwathmey steeplechase stakes drew a big field of 11, but it might be better known for who’s not running.
Vyjack puts in half-mile work, eyes Kentucky
Vyjack and trainer Rudy Rodriguez mis-timed their arrival to the Fair Hill Training Center dirt track Friday morning, but got an easy half-mile breeze just right once the tractors cleared.
Remembering Mike Freeman
Bernadette Clayton went home for lunch, fed up with her job, and decided to make a change. She didn’t know what she was going to do, just knew the current situation was not going to work.
Horse Trainers
At some point it’s got to be about the horses. Otherwise, you’re just trying to make money for rich guys. I don’t train horses for a living, though I certainly thought about it as a career path at some point – high school and college jobs were always in barns. I liked the horses, the … Read more
Vyjack finds respite at Fair Hill
Fifteen minutes after another gallop on another weekday, Vyjack groaned and grumbled, hunkered himself into the sand of a round pen and rolled – looking every bit like a happy Labrador Retriever in a yard on a sunny day. Only he’s no dog.
