Just before the start of the second race at the Iroquois Steeplechase in Nashville, Tenn. May 14, Bailey Poorman looked concerned. Her friend and co-worker, 10-pound apprentice Keri Brion, was about to ride Lune De Caro in the handicap hurdle.
“Do you think she can do it?” Poorman asked with equal parts pride and worry. “How cool would it be to win your first race on that horse, and here?”
About six minutes later, Poorman – and everyone else – knew the answer.
Lune De Caro and Brion stormed up the stretch with a lead in the $35,000 Bright Hour hurdle handicap and fought off Andi’amu by three-quarters of a length after 3 miles. Lune De Caro won for the fourth time in seven starts over hurdles and wrote another chapter in his rise from orphan foal to steeplechase dynamo with stops as rock-bottom flat racer and riding horse along the way.
Brion, chief assistant to trainer Jonathan Sheppard, went along for the ride.
“It’s pretty cool, pretty cool,” she said after getting soaked by a bucket of water after crossing the scale. “I was mad that I didn’t win on Orchestra Leader at Foxfield (April 30), but I’m glad now to win on this horse, for Jonathan, for the owners because he’s been a little bit of a project at home and everyone has done a lot of work with him.”
Saturday, Lune De Caro found a spot in third early, just behind Takepointsandrun and Andi’amu. Owned by Tamara and Joe McSorley, and cheered by a contingent of fans sporting “I Love Lune” buttons, Lune De Caro rolled to the front leaving the backside. He flew the 15th fence to take command, added to the advantage coming off the final turn and held sway through the lane. Andi’amu, who had 12 lengths on Tubal in third, ate into the margin, but couldn’t get past.
Lune De Caro’s dam, the Sadler’s Wells mare Widow’s Mite, died after foaling at La Bahia Stud in Texas. The son of world-class turf stallion Cozzene went to Joe McSorley to be broken in Kentucky and then on to trainer Leonard Powell in California. Lune De Caro fractured a coffin bone after four winless starts on the flat as a 3-year-old in 2012 and was given to Tamara and Joe McSorley’s daughters Maggie and Sarah as a riding horse. In 2014, he was a lead pony on the farm and got fit enough to return to the races – and lose three times. Last year, he won a $5,000 maiden claimer at Belterra Park before turning to jump racing – and winning his debut at High Hope for trainer Desmond Fogarty. Switched over to Sheppard, the horse added wins at Parx and Saratoga before finishing fifth in the Foxbrook novice stakes at Far Hills and eighth in the Grade 1 Colonial Cup.
The gray gelding spent the off-season with the McSorleys, and finished a well-beaten fifth at Turfway Park in February, before returning to the Sheppard barn. Rated 125 to start the year, Lune De Caro finished third for Brion in a 135 handicap at Middleburg April 23 and went to Nashville rated 124 in a race for horses rated 130 and below.
When the handicap program was launched last year, the NSA decided to honor apprentice allowances as a way to perhaps encourage trainers to utilize inexperienced riders for the weight break. Saturday, thanks to Brion’s zero career wins, Lune De Caro carried 142 pounds instead of the 152 carried by Andi’amu who was ridden by five-time champion Paddy Young.
“Absolutely,” Sheppard responded when asked if the weight allowance factored into his decision to tap Brion. “She wouldn’t have ridden the horse if she couldn’t claim the bug. I think 10 pounds does make a difference, especially over 3 miles.”
Three apprentices rode in the race Saturday and, though it’s an unintended consequence of the program, the opportunities are appreciated as attempts to create apprentice races have largely fizzled.
“We ended up carrying 10 pounds less than Paddy, but Paddy’s a much better ride than I am,” said Brion. “It’s a great opportunity. Apprentice races won’t fill. These are the kind of horses you want to be riding if you’re a young rider. You don’t want to be riding inexperienced horses.”
Tempt Me Alex grabs novice stakes
Charlie Noell congratulated his friend Bob Kinsley after Tempt Me Alex won the Marcellus Frost novice hurdle stakes, then lodged a complaint.
“How is that horse going to be my foxhunter if he keeps winning races like that?”
Kinsley, hugging a trophy, laughed and said, “The price just went up.”
The answer could have been, “Not any time soon,” as Tempt Me Alex thumped eight others in the $75,000 race to collect his third win in 13 tries over jumps. He rated early, overcame a mistake three fences from home and caught 4-year-old Ice It to win by 1 1/2 lengths with favorite African Oil a nose back in third. Jack Doyle rode the winner, four races before taking the Grade 1 Iroquois with Rawnaq.
Bred in Pennsylvania by Kinsley, Tempt Me Alex was the oldest and most experienced horse in the race – and put it to good use. He also expressed his love for Nashville, winning for the second time (to go with a nose defeat and a third) in four starts over the course.
“He loves this course,” said Gary Murray, trainer Elizabeth Voss’ husband. “He won at 2 (miles) two years ago and he just got pipped going 3 miles last year. He ran a winning race last year, just didn’t win and to come back and go 2 1/4 this year and win . . . he’s quicker than he looks. He has a gear. I don’t think his best trip is today, but fitness wise today was the right race for him.”
Tempt Me Alex hadn’t run over jumps since the runner-up effort, a nose behind hard-hitting veteran Charminster, in 2015 but prepped with a flat win going 2 miles at Winterthur six days earlier.
The big bay son of Afleet Alex and the Meadowlake mare Attemptress radiated health Saturday and lived up to Murray’s opinion from a night-time visit three days earlier on the farm in Maryland.
“I’m not the trainer, but I go down to the barn every night to feed and Wednesday night when I saw him I almost fell over backward,” he said. “They’d given him a bath, trimmed up his mane and he just looked so good. The dapples and his condition, he’s a hard enough horse go get fit and he’s got a bit of a leg. Elizabeth was uber, uber, uber patient with this horse and he was right today.”
Entered but scratched from the Grade 1 Iroquois, Tempt Me Alex might give that a go next year – making Noell’s wait even longer.
“He’ll be a lovely horse over 3 miles here next year,” Murray said. “The conditions were here for him in this race today so you’ve got to run him. Jack says it feels like he’s going slow, but he’s actually going pretty quick. The horse next to him is taking two strides for every one of his.”
One Lucky Lady proves best in Henley
The $50,000 Margaret Henley Stakes for fillies and mares was a tale of two races. On the front end, One Lucky Lady ran and jumped and acted every bit the clear favorite for jockey Ross Geraghty. Out the back, The Grange argued with Bernie Dalton a bit, but waited for her cue.
They met in the stretch with The Grange throwing her best left hook and going at the last fence.
In her 23rd start over fences, to The Grange’s fourth, One Lucky Lady counterpunched late and won by a half-length to retain her title as the uncrowned division champion for trainer Cyril Murphy. Imported by leading owner Irv Naylor last year, she improved to 3-for-4 in a short American career – to go with five English jump wins for Nicky Henderson. Last year’s filly/mare champion Ivy Mills, who defeated One Lucky Lady by a half-length at the Colonial Cup, settled for third at the Iroquois.
“Bernie headed me after the last and before I ever got to hit her a smack she was gone again,” Geraghty said of One Lucky Lady. “I picked up my stick and nearly threw it over her tail because she started running again. That’s her, she wants to win as much as I do.”
Geraghty rode One Lucky Lady in her two American starts last year – a stakes win at Far Hills and the second at Camden – but gave way to apprentice Dylan McDonagh for a handicap win (over males including Schoodic and Lune De Caro) at Middleburg April 23. It was McDonagh’s first win.
“She knows her job,” Geraghty said. “I walked the course with Dylan and said ‘Don’t take this the wrong way but she knows more about racing than you do.’ He came back and said I was right. That’s her.”
All For Us graduates in style
Jack Fisher doesn’t always buy horses without looking at them, but he might start if they turn out like All For Us. Purchased in March, the 5-year-old Tiz Wonderful gelding won his debut for Fisher in Nashville’s $40,000 maiden hurdle.
“I’d never seen the horse,” Fisher said. “He walked in the barn and I liked him. He’s a big, cool horse.”
Even cooler now with the $24,000 payday for new owner Duodecim Stable in what’s normally one of the best maiden races of the year. All For Us was bred by Spendthrift Farm and won four times on the flat for Glen Hill Farm and trainer Tom Proctor. The last two wins came at Tampa Bay Downs in February and March, making Fisher a master at quick conversions.
“We’ve done it in a month before, but that’s pretty quick,” he said. All For Us learned his lessons, prepped at a point-to-point and was one of two Fisher entries in the race. Stablemate Other Cheek had better flat form, but couldn’t keep pace late and finished fifth.
All For Us rated deep in the field of 10 early for Connor Hankin and rallied wide to catch Hooded and win by a half-length with Castle Hill third. Bishop’s Castle was in front when he fell at the last fence, and took Help From Heaven with him. Horses and jockeys emerged without injury.
Fisher bought All For Us on the advice of former jockey Xavier Aizpuru, who was working for Proctor at the time. At first, Fisher wasn’t interested. He had enough horses for the coming season. Then he watched the Feb. 14 race, a $16,000 claiming win on the turf, and made an offer. Proctor and Glen Hill hung on to their horse and he won again in a starter handicap March 5. The pricetag went up $2,000, but Fisher was OK with it.
“I figured that was for the training for a month,” Fisher said. “I didn’t go to Tampa to look at him. Tom Proctor does a good job and he told me I should buy him or he was going to keep him and run him (over jumps) himself.”
All For Us won second time out as a 2-year-old in 2013, then missed almost two years with a shoulder injury. He won a Delaware Park allowance over future hurdler (for Fisher) Jewish Holiday last summer. Hankin lost a stirrup late in the race, but kicked his other foot out and rode for home without irons.
The Nephew outruns timber foes
“How many timber horses ran in the Colonial Cup last year?”
Trainer Jack Fisher posed the question and figured the answer was one – his timber rookie The Nephew. Actually, it was two.
But Fisher’s point was made, and The Nephew’s ability was on full display in the $50,000 Mason Houghland Memorial timber stakes. The Nephew kicked around five others in a 5 3/4-length win for Fisher, owner Bruton Street-US and Connor Hankin. The 8-year-old Irish-bred followed Tax Ruling early, then put Le Chevalier under pressure on the backside and pulled away late. Le Chavalier finished second with Grade 1 hurdle winner (and fellow Colonial Cup starter) Gustavian third.
Pulled up after ducking to the wrong side of a beacon at My Lady’s Manor, The Nephew stayed straight and true this time around. He won five chases in England with trainer Jonjo O’Neill and won his American debut in a handicap hurdle last fall at Far Hills. Fisher did indeed try the son of Indian River in the Grade 1 Colonial Cup to close the season and he checked in a well-beaten ninth.
“Taking a horse that was good, but not quite the top, and running him over timber works,” said Fisher. “He’s a better horse than all of them would be over hurdles now – he’s just a better horse than those guys.”
NOTES: With two weekends to go in the spring season, Geraghty leads all jockeys with eight wins. Hankin, who lost his apprentice allowance at Nashville, is tied with Doyle for second with seven . . . Murphy’s 11 wins (from just 16 starts) lead all trainers, followed by Fisher (nine wins and 11 seconds from 45 starts) and three trainers with four wins each . . . Naylor holds a commanding lead among the owners with a dozen wins and $461,900 . . . Rawnaq’s $150,000 earned in two stakes wins leads all horses, followed by timber runners Ebanour, Senior Senator and Two’s Company . . . Jump racing heads to Radnor (Malvern, Pa.) Saturday and High Hope (Lexington, Ky.) Sunday.
