It’s Kentucky Derby Day so everyone you know, horse-oriented or not, is drinking mint juleps, looking for fancy hats, trying bow ties or asking you for advice on who to bet. Well, that’s our world anyway. You’re probably not all that different and if you’re steeplechase-oriented, you’re headed to Virginia.
The 101st Virginia Gold Cup timber stakes and full meet goes to the post at Great Meadow Race Course in The Plains. The seven-race card kicks off at 1 p.m., but get there early and soak up the tailgates and the view. They’re both world class. Racing-wise, two stakes bring loads of intrigue. The $150,000 Commonwealth Cup is the first Grade 1 hurdle race of the year and lured nine runners topped by Abaan, who makes his first start in 51 weeks while looking to pad a $398,910 jump bankroll and a $839,000 in overall earnings. One race later, the $75,000 Virginia Gold Cup goes 4 miles over timber. Keys Discount looks to extend his winning streak to seven, while meeting just three opponents. The Maryland-bred won this last year and coasted home in a prep at Middleburg April 18.
Last week, Mr. Fine Threads won the Maryland Hunt Cup in his third attempt at the timber classic. He fell in 2024 and 2025, but thrived this year under English amateur Charlie Marshall. Trained by Joe Davies for Armata Stable, the Maryland-bred son of Sightseeing bided his time early and took over at the 18th fence and turned aside Shootist to win by 6 lengths. Royal Ruse was third. Favorites and prior Hunt Cup winners Road To Oz and Withourmoreado were the race’s only fallers. At Foxfield, trainer Jack Fisher tripled with wins by Gettleman in the maiden hurdle, Roja Redemption in the 115 handicap and Cyber Ninja in the Daniel Van Clief novice hurdle. Lydford won the Good Night Shirt 130 handicap for Tom Garner and Maranto Manor. Kiyomori won the maiden timber for Todd Wyatt and Ann Jackson while the Kathy Neilson-trained British Royalty closed the day with a maiden-claiming win to give Freddie Procter a riding double. Jamie Bargary also won two. Procter (eight wins), leads Stephen Mulqueen by one among the jockeys with Bargary third with six. Leslie Young’s six wins put her atop the trainers, followed by Keri Brion and Fisher with five apiece and the trio of Neilson, Davies and Todd McKenna with four.
Sean again led the TIHR handicappers with four winners at Foxfield (Roja Redemption, Kiyomori, Cyber Ninja and British Royalty). Everybody else had two. Sean leads the season series with 22. Tom and Miles (five back with 17) and Joe (16) need to get to work.
You can bet on the Gold Cup races on-site and via twinspires.com and maybe some other ADWs (maybe). You can watch there or via the NSA livestream site.
First race. $40,000 Virginia Equine Alliance maiden hurdle going 2 1/2 miles. Field of 10, several with experience this spring. No Yield just missed at Blue Ridge, Roundtop was third at Middleburg, Rotterdam was third at Aiken, De La Cruz was second at Middleburg and Missionaire was third at Old Dominion. Anyoneforsnacks won an Irish point-to-point last May. Asleep In Court made two Irish point-to-point starts last fall. Ready For The Lady finished second at Camden in 2025 and pulled up there this year. Fleetfoot leads the way by flat form and ran twice over hurdles in Ireland. The 2 1/2-mile trip makes for a lot of jumping for inexperienced horses. Who’s ready for that?
- Sean: Missionaire, De La Cruz, No Yield.
- Tom: De La Cruz, Orator, Fleetfoot.
- Joe: Missionaire, De La Cruz, Anyoneforsnacks.
- Miles: Fleetfoot, De La Cruz, Orator.
Second race. $20,000 Arthur Arundel Memorial cross-country timber going 3 miles. Get out the course maps. In a race that twists and turns more than a three-digit route in Pennsylvania, seven runners meet. Quick Master exits a win at Middleburg. Can he extend in trip and handle the jumps? The Kid Rocks was second over timber at the Manor. Sultan Pierji was third over the course last fall, behind today’s rival Anzio. De Nordener is 3-for-3 in NSA starts. Tufton Avenue looked strong in a maiden timber win at the Manor. Imperial Assassin won here over hurdles in 2023.
- Sean: Quick Master, Tufton Avenue, Anzio.
- Tom: Anzio, Quick Master, Tufton Avenue.
- Joe: Tufton Avenue, Quick Master, De Nordener.
- Miles: Quick Master, De Nordener, Tufton Avenue.
Third race. $45,000 David Semmes allowance (non-winners of two) hurdle going 2 1/2 miles. Love these races. Write more of them. Ten runners include 2026 winners Morning Match, Jhirsch, That’s Not Funny and I’m A Rocket Man. Fouroneohsmokeshow closed 2025 with a win after getting close a few times. Philip My Dear won at Callaway in November. Alpamayo won a maiden at this course and extended distance in October and tuned up with a flat win at Middleburg. Max’d Out won his debut in September. Awesome Man won at Camden last fall and exits a second at this level at Middleburg. Feeling Festive won his only start, at Camden in 2024.
- Sean: Alpamayo, Jhirsch, Awesome Man.
- Tom: Jhirsch, I’m A Rocket Man, Alpamayo.
- Joe: Alpamayo, Jhirsch, Awesome Man.
- Miles: Max’d Out, Alpamayo, Jhirsch.
Fourth race. $150,000 Commonwealth Cup Handicap hurdle stakes going 2 1/8 miles. The first Grade 1 hurdle race of 2026 drew a field of nine and, as far as pre-race achievements, they’re looking up at Abaan. He won the 2025 Iroquois, finished second in the 2025 Temple Gwathmey and also owns three novice stakes victories. A Grade 3 winner on the turf for Todd Pletcher, the Will Take Charge gelding is on anyone championship short list for 2026. Owned be Daigneault Thoroughbreds and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, the rangy chestnut hasn’t run since winning last year’s Iroquois and is prepping for that 3-mile test next week in Tennessee. You read that right. After skipping the Temple Gwathmey last month at Middleburg due to firm ground, trainer Kate Dalton plans to run her stable star twice in seven days.
“We thought the ground was too firm at Middleburg so then it became, ‘Could we just train up to Nashville,’ ” said Dalton, whose husband Bernie is the horse’s jockey. “We’re happy with his fitness, but honestly he’s just a little too well. I felt like I could get him to Nashville and have him ready to go, but thought he might be a little too tanked up in his first start to run as well as he needs to.”
Abaan was going to need a stiff work this weekend as a final Iroquois tightener, and a race might work just as well.
“As a trainer I like to give my horses four weeks between races so I’ve never tried to do this before,” she said. “But if we didn’t run him, we were going to have to give him a hard breeze this weekend. Bernie’s like, ‘They do it all the time in Ireland.’ I’ve been hyperventilating and he thinks it’s great.”
In the Commonwealth, Abaan carries high weight of 162 pounds (at least 10 more than his rivals) – topped by Grade 1 winner Jimmy P, the 2024 race winner Rampoldi Plan, 2025 course and distance winner Little Trilby and 2023 steeplechase champion Merry Maker. Foxy Walk was fourth in the Gwathmey and second over this course and distance in October. Hidden Path is in good form with an apprentice hurdle win at Old Dominion and a second in the Gwathmey. Givemefive shook off some rust in last week’s Good Night Shirt. Welshman was third there. His 2025 included a dismal sixth in this race, a flat win at Fair Hill and a near-miss in the Grade 1 Lonesome Glory.
Scheduling aside, Abaan is the best horse in the race with nine top-two finishes in 11 starts over jumps and is giving his people every indication that all is well.
“He seems like he’s in really good form,” Dalton said. “We’re happy with him. He’s moving great, looks great. You never know until he runs, but everything seems good.”
- Sean: Little Trilby, Welshman, Abaan.
- Tom: Abaan, Welshman, Jimmy P.
- Joe: Abaan, Hidden Path, Welshman.
- Miles: Rampoldi Plan, Merry Maker, Little Trilby, .
Fifth race. $75,000 Virginia Gold Cup timber stakes going 4 miles. Reigning timber champion Keys Discount scares off most challengers – thanks to a combined winning margin of 54 lengths in his last three starts. The 7-year-old hasn’t lost since October 2024, and will take all kinds of beating once again. Bargary rides the son of Medal Count for the first time and will have to deal with another Maryland-bred in Bogey’s Image. The 9-year-old Imagining gelding crossed the line first at My Lady’s Manor but was disqualified after jockey Teddy Davies weighed in light. The Joe Davies trainee finished third, behind Keys Discount, in this last year. Irish-bred Track And Trace chased Keys Discount home at Middleburg and has lost to him three times. Marcel Magic gets a stiff test after finishing second at Cheshire.
- Sean: Keys Discount, Bogey’s Image, Marcel Magic.
- Tom: Keys Discount, Bogey’s Image, Track And Trace.
- Joe: Keys Discount, Bogey’s Image, Track And Trace.
- Miles: Keys Discount, Bogey’s Image, Marcel Magic.
Sixth race. $50,000 Speedy Smithwick Memorial 4-year-old hurdle stakes going 2 1/8 miles. Relative newcomers get a chance at some stakes glory in the Speedy Smithwick, which honors the memory of the amateur jump jockey turned flat trainer who won the Iroquois Steeplechase three times with Uncle Edwin. The field of seven includes recent Irish Import Lynches Knock, a winner in December and again in March for Gordon Elliott. He’ll have to deal with firm going and 2026 American winners Pleasant Fantasy, Grahamzilla and Pudding Lane. Racing for the Daltons and St. Rita Racing, Pleasant Fantasy is a half-brother to 2025 novice hurdle stakes winner China Beach and won at Camden in March. Pudding Lane defeated Grahamzilla at Aiken, with Grahamzilla coming right back to win next out at Blue Ridge. Bourbonator was second at Camden last fall. Scorpius has run four times, getting a win by disqualification last year. He fell in an allowance hurdle at Middleburg in April. Once part of the Chad Brown/Klaravich Stable barn, Investment Mandate makes his hurdle debut for Leslie Young off flat win at Green Spring Valley Point-to-Point in March.
- Sean: Lynches Knock, Pleasant Fantasy, Scorpius.
- Tom: Pudding Lane, Scorpius, Lynches Knock.
- Joe: Pleasant Fantasy, Investment Mandate, Lynches Knock.
- Miles: Pleasant Fantasy, Bourbonator, Lynches Knock.
Seventh race. $25,000 maiden starter/claiming hurdle going 2 1/2 miles. The finale goes 10 deep with two on the also-eligible list. All but Lord Narcisse meet the starter condition. Tea With Edgar, Lucky Prince, Boffo Kid, Ten Bucka A Glass, Army Times and Beyond Reproach. Have seconds on their records. Lucky Prince was second in a race like this here in October and his a half-brother to Maryland Hunt Cup winner Senior Senator, which means stamina ought to be his thing. Mr Corn ought to improve for his run at Camden. Ten Bucks A Glass exits a third at Camden. Beyond Reproach was second there after leading most of the way.
- Sean: Lucky Prince, Beyond Reproach, Ten Bucks A Glass.
- Tom: Beyond Reproach, Lucky Prince, Mr Corn.
- Joe: Lucky Prince, Beyond Reproach, Army Times.
- Miles: Ten Bucks A Glass, Beyond Reproach, Army Times.
