A look at the Far Hills undercard
©Tod Marks
The key contenders, based on the morning-line odds
$75,000 Harry Harris Four-Year-Old Stakes; 2 ⅛ miles
Gordon Elliott has the 2-1 morning line favorite in Erdenheim Farm Thoroughbreds’ Chortal, who will be ridden by Jack Kennedy. The son of Golden Horn exits an allowance win over hurdles at Perth in England as the odds-on pick. He had a second and two thirds before that in races where he went off at odds as high as 16-1. Serio Racing Stables, USA Steeplechase, R and K Racing, and Paul and Molly Willis’ St. James the Great (ridden by Stephen Mulqueen and trained by Keri Brion) is at 4-1 based on a strong second to rising star Cyber Ninja in a recent allowance race at Shawan Downs and a fourth (of eight), beaten six lengths by Jimmy P in the G1 Jonathan Sheppard at Saratoga. There are a pair of runners at 6-1, Matthew T. Groff’s Starlifter (Graham Watters/Jack Fisher), who broke his maiden at Colonial Downs in July. He was fifth in the same race that St. James the Great finished second at Shawan. Also at 6-1 is Michael A. Smith’s Iconic Walk, a first time starter for Leslie Young and Jamie Bargary.
$70,000 McDynamo Maiden Stakes for Four-Year-Olds and Up: 2 ⅛ miles
A full field of 10 is expected for this unique sweepstakes for non-winners. With two career starts and two close seconds (one in Ireland, the other at the Iroquois Races), Leipers Fork Steeplechase’s Grey Pharoh (Jamie Bargary/Leslie Young), a five-year-old son of Policy Maker, is the 3-1 choice. The second pick is 4-1 McLovin (Bernie Dalton/Kate Dalton) for Team Valor International. Unraced for more than a year, the son of Animal Kingdom captured the 2023 John Forbes Memorial on the turf at Far Hills when trained by Rodolph Brisset. He has amassed more than $300,000 in his career, but has never competed over fences. The third choice, at 6-1, is Green Valley Construction’s We’re Back Again (Jack Kennedy/Gordon Elliott), who was second in his maiden debut at Roscommon in Ireland in July, but unplaced in his subsequent start over the same course.
$100,000 Peapack Sport of Kings Filly & Mare Stakes for Four-Year-Olds and Up: 2 ⅛ miles
Two runners stand out as heavy favorites. Runnymoore Racing’s 8-5 Timetoshine (Dan Nevin/Mark Beecher), runaway winner of the $100,000 Life’s Illusion distaff stakes at Colonial Downs last month. The Life’s Illusion was the NSA debut for the five-year-old who had won five of her seven previous starts in Europe. The likely second choice, at 9-5, is James J. Reilly’s Emily Love (Jack Kennedy/Gordon Elliott), who is four for eight lifetime over jumps. She finished third in a stakes) event in July, but most recently ran poorly, finishing a distant fourth over a good/yielding course at Killarney in August. Paul and Molly Willis’ Anador (Danny Mullins/Todd McKenna), who won a maiden claimer at Willowdale in her first start over jumps, followed it up with a distant third in the $100,000 Randolph Rouse and fourth in the Life’s Illusion, both at Colonial Downs this summer.
$150,000 Foxbrook Champion Hurdle Sport of Kings Novice Stakes for Four-Year-Olds and Up: 2 ½ miles
This should be a real corker, with some strong U.S. runners vs. a promising younger rival (Coutach) from the partnership of Gordon Elliott and Jack Kennedy. Leading NSA owner Riverdee Stable has an impressive newcomer in Cyber Ninja, a recent off-the-flat convert to jump racing, who has won two of his three NSA starts, including a non-winners of two allowance at Shawan Downs over St. James the Great, one of the favorites in the Harry Harris stakes for four-year-olds. The five-year-old son of Arrogate, ridden by leading NSA jockey Graham Watters for leading trainer Jack Fisher, is listed at 3-1. At 4-1, Paul Byrne’s Coutach is coming off an impressive run at the Foxbrook distance at Down Royal, advancing from last to first, getting up in the final strides. Before that he won going away in a 2-mile bumper (flat race for jumpers) at Perth. Trainer Elliott was pleased with Coutach’s Down Royal score, crediting a change in strategy – allowing the four-year-old to settle early at the back of the pack – for his turnaround. St. Rita Racing’s China Beach (Bernie Dalton/Kate Dalton) had a sensational spring, adding the Carolina Cup and Green Pastures novice stakes to his resume. He ran well as the favorite in the Jonathan Kiser novice stakes at Saratoga, but was second best to Blue Creek that day. Like China Beach, Gill Johnston’s Pure Courage (Danny Mullins/Todd Wyatt) is listed at 6-1, but the similarities end there. The seven-year-old hasn’t competed in stakes company, and is unraced since a 13-length romp in a non-winners of two allowance at Colonial Downs in July 2024, when he defeated Clifton Down (a stakes winner), and Travesuras (multiple stakes placed). Before that, he was highly competitive against top horses like High Definition and Rampoldi Plan, and even bested G1 winner Abaan in a maiden hurdle.
$150,000 John Forbes Memorial (Flat Stakes) for Four-Year-Olds and Up: 2 miles
The list of trainers who entered runners in this rich turf race, presented by Monmouth Park, include familiar names from flat racing such as Graham Motion, Miguel Clement, and Jorge Duarte Jr., as well as a bevy of NSA conditioners. In fact, Motion – who won last year’s Forbes with The Grey Wizard – has the 3-1 morning-line favorite in Sycamore Hall Thoroughbreds and Hillwood Stable’s Hardspun Reason (ridden by Kevin Gomez), who closed stoutly in tight quarters to finish less than a length behind the odds-on favorite in the Presious Passion stakes at 1 ½ miles at Monmouth last month. Waterford Stable’s Summer Cause (Sean McDermott/Miguel Clement), 4-1, was a fast-closing third in the same race. The 6-1 third choice is Paul and Molly Willis’ Fleetfoot (Danny Mullins/Barry Foley), an Irish-bred four-time winner in his home country, most recently finishing second in a G3 stake in Leopardstown. The Forbes will be his first U.S. start.