The last Saturday in April means two things in American jump racing – the Maryland Hunt Cup and the Foxfield Races. The date also means the spring season has hit a cruising altitude and we’re headed to May and a Memorial Day touchdown at the Fair Hill Races May 25.
Last week, Zabeel Champion pulled a mild upset in the Temple Gwathmey, run for the first time without Snap Decision since 2020. The $100,000 hurdle stakes and Middleburg Spring headliner stayed in the barn, however, as trainer Jack Fisher saddled the winner for the ninth time in 12 years. Mr. Hot Stuff won in 2015, Scorpiancer scored in 2017, Moscato won back-to-back in 2019 and 2020. And Snap Decision triumphed in 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025. The Hall of Fame trainer has won 10 Gwathmeys, as To Ridley’s 1998 win gets added to the more recent history. In other stakes action last week, timber star Keys Discount (another Fisher runner) ran his winning streak to six with a laugher in the Middleburg Hunt Cup. In Maryland, Mr. Fine Threads won the Grand National timber stakes for trainer Joe Davies and jockey Teddy Davies. The 13-year-old Maryland-bred heads to the Maryland Hunt Cup this weekend.
The handicappers found some winners, but nobody was more successful than Tom Law who tabbed six – Keys Discount, Zabeel Champion, Fiery Dart, Recoup, Ranger Thunderbolt and Belfast Banter. Sean and Miles had five each, while Joe came up with four. The season standings read Sean 18, Tom and Miles 15, Joe 14.
Get back in the car, the game goes on. Or watch via livestream on the NSA website.
Foxfield Races. The resurgence of this meet is one of the best stores in steeplechasing. Good work by a lot of people have made the Charlottesville, Va., stop a fixture in the spring and fall. Six-race card gets started at 12:30 p.m. Pack your picnics and beat the traffic.
First race. $40,000 maiden hurdle going 2 1/8 miles. Gray’s Fable was second at Camden. He’s 11 (yes 11), but that was a nice effort and he won eight races (three stakes) on the flat while piling up $600,000. Irish-bred Iconic Walk was second at Camden last fall. Gettleman is a Godolphin-bred Hard Spun gelding. He’s been off a while but placed in two hurdle starts in 2024. Fulmineo won two stakes on the turf and went to the Breeders’ Cup. Aspenite won a stakes as a 2-year-old and was going OK before the fall at Old Dominion, but needs to dust himself off.
- Sean: Gray’s Fable, Iconic Walk, Gettleman.
- Tom: Gray’s Fable, Iconic Walk, Aspenite.
- Miles: Massif, Aspenite, Fulmineo.
- Joe: Gray’s Fable, Iconic Walk, Fulmineo.
Second race. $35,000 Handicap hurdle (115 or lower) going 2 1/8 miles. Nine signed on for this. Highweights Roja Redemption, Vintage Year, Starforce and Bright Eyed Eagle will have something to say. Vintage Year won a maiden hurdle here a year ago. Attrayant did the same in October. Moonshine Time drops in class. Fouroneohsmokeshow handled maiden claimers at Callaway.
- Sean: Roja Redemption, Vintage Year, Fouroneohsmokeshow.
- Tom: Roja Redemption, Moonshine Time, Vintage Year.
- Miles: Roja Redemption, Vintage Year, Moonshine Time.
- Joe: Roja Redemption, Bright Eyed Eagle, Vintage Year.
Third race. $20,000 maiden timber going 3 miles. The timber stars are at the Maryland Hunt Cup, so 10 beginners get a chance. Lightning Ridge has a little bit of an experience edge with three prior starts including a second at Cheshire in March. Evie’s Prince won a stakes over hurdles and was second over timber at Blue Ridge. Minella Plus chased Tufton Avenue home at My Lady’s Manor.
- Sean: Kiyomori, Evie’s Prince, Awesome Strike.
- Tom: Evie’s Prince, Minella Plus, Lightning Ridge.
- Miles: Lightning Ridge, Evie’s Prince, Awesome Strike.
- Joe: Evie’s Prince, Minella Plus, Lightning Ridge.
Fourth race. $75,000 Daniel Van Clief novice hurdle stakes going 2 1/8 miles. Eight headline the feature, which looks like a good group of horses finding their ways through the conditions. The comebacking McTigue, Neotropic and Rocket One sneak in under the “or” side of the conditions and bring a little more experience. Cyber Ninja won his first two (including a win over future Grade 1 winenr Swore) last year, then finished second to rocket ship Coutach at Far Hills before getting a rest. Risk Taking dominated non-winners of two last fall. Dynamite Dan was scratched out of a non-winners of two race last weekend and has kept good company while never finishing worse than third. Fun race.
- Sean: Cyber Ninja, McTigue, Mr Percy.
- Tom: Cyber Ninja, Neotropic, Rocket One.
- Miles: Cyber Ninja, Chortal, Rocket One.
- Joe: Cyber Ninja, Dynamite Dan, Mr Percy.
Fifth race. $50,000 Good Night Shirt handicap hurdle (130 or lower) going 2 1/8 miles. Another good group, this one with a bit more experience to it. Welshman has won four, including a maiden over the course in 2022. Fourth in this race last year. Smart Uncle has won three including last year’s Van Clief. Minnesota-bred (!) King Of The Kids is another three-time winner, including a romp over the course last fall. Two Past Eight won over the course last year too. Coutach is 4-for-5 including two U.S. wins last year. Lydford closed 2025 with a win. Givemefive leads the field with five jump wins. Who’s Counting has won eight races – four each on the flat and over jumps – and won over the course in 2023 and 2024. Batman Girac’s Best form would put him in the mix. He’ll be happy to get away from Swore. Deep, deep field.
- Sean: Coutach, Welshman, Who’s Counting.
- Tom: Welshman, King Of The Kids, Who’s Counting.
- Miles: Who’s Counting, Coutach, Welshman.
- Joe: King Of The Kids, Welshman, Lydford.
Sixth race. $20,000 maiden claiming hurdle going 2 1/8 miles. Eight tackle the finale. Tom Garner unveils two, off $7,500 claims at Turfway Park this winter, in Hard Spun gelding Super Snoop and English Channel gelding Finn McSorley. British Royalty ran over timber in March, but was second over hurdles in October. Lord Donegal was third at Blue Ridge. Aft ran off with Virginia Korrell at Middleburg, and switches to Bernie Dalton. Carnane was a distant third at Loudoun. Unpacking the darts and throwing . . . now.
- Sean: British Royalty, Finn McSorley, Lord Donegal.
- Tom: Lord Donegal, Baby Boss, Finn McSorley.
- Miles: Finn McSorley, Lord Donegal, British Royalty.
- Joe: Lord Donegal, Super Snoop, Baby Boss.
Maryland Hunt Cup. Steeplechasing’s Rose Bowl. The Granddaddy of them All attracts 10 for its 129th running. The first one came in 1894 and it has been run over this course at Worthington Farms since 1922. This year’s field includes seven with Hunt Cup experience, and that matters. Post time for the 4-mile, 22-fence classic – the only race on the card – is 4 p.m.
Road To Oz won last year and tuned up with a fifth (moved up to fourth) at My Lady’s Manor. He’ll move forward off that, but he’ll need to. Also won at Green Spring Valley Point-to-Point. Dan Nevin, third last year with Goodoldtimes for trainer Mark Beecher, gets the ride. Withoutmoreado makes his fourth Hunt Cup start after winning in 2023, losing his jockey in 2024 and finishing second in 2025 for trainer Kathy Neilson. The Irish-bred moved up if it rains, mostly because the American-breds are better on firm ground, but how much is it going to rain? The 12-year-old won point-to-point starts at Cheshire and Brandywine this year, and makes his first NSA start since last year’s Hunt Cup. Teddy Davies takes the ride.
Maryland-bred Mr. Fine Threads looks for his third consecutive win after scoring at Willowdale last spring and taking the Grand National (with Davies aboard) last week. Trainer Joe Davies has won seven of the last nine Hunt Cups as a trainer and tabs English amateur Charlie Marshall for the ride. The 13-year-old fell at the third fence in 2024 and the 16th last year. Shootist finished second (by just a neck) in the 2024 Hunt Cup after pulling up in 2023. He and jockey Elizabeth Scully tuned up with a second ini the Grand National last week. Royal Ruse makes his fourth Hunt Cup start, in the debut for jockey James Wyatt. The 12-year-old Hat Trick gelding was fourth in 2021, second to Withoutmoreado in 2023 and lost his jockey in 2024. He was a distant fourth at the Grand National. Monbeg Stream was fourth last year. Great Road fell at the second fence last year. He was second at the Grand National last week. Storm Team makes his Hunt Cup debut while looking for the 12th overall win over his long career. Animal Kingston is another first-timer and will be ridden by three-time winner Eric Poretz. The Butler Yates, moved up to third in the My Lady’s Manor, makes his Hunt Cup first start as well.
- Sean: Withoutmoreado, Road To Oz, Royal Ruse.
- Tom: Withoutmoreado, Mr. Fine Threads, Road To Oz.
- Miles: Road to Oz, Mr. Fine Threads, Withoutmoreado.
- Joe: Road To Oz, Withoutmoreado, Shootist.
