Race Recap
Westerland, Noah and the Ark star in busy weekend Three stakes on tap in weekend doubleheader
Westerland winning at Callaway © Tod Marks Plenty of major moments after last Saturday’s 14-race doubleheader, including Graham Watters’ 100th NSA victory, and three-win days for both Jamie Bargary and Gerard Galligan. Trainer Leslie Young, too, was prolific, and her combined four wins at both venues put her in a tie at 27 with Jack…
Read MoreMystic Strike, Carloun sparkle at reimagined Gold Cup Races
Gerard Galligan and Todd McKenna © Tod Marks On a picture-perfect autumn afternoon, the National Steeplechase Association returned to Glenwood Park in Middleburg on Sunday, just two weeks after the Virginia Fall Races, the traditional October fixture at the site. The running of back-to-back meets at the same venue is highly unusual, and came about…
Read MoreSnap Decision finally gets his ‘Grand’ moment
Snap Decision © Tod Marks After six seasons of scintillating performances that included 15 victories (13 stakes) facing top-flight competition, Bruton Street-US’ Snap Decision finally landed the biggest prize that had eluded him, the $250,000 American Grand National at Far Hills. With the hard-fought victory on Saturday — his first in four tries in the…
Read MoreMystic Strike, Withoutmoreado, Super Chunk star in action-packed Saturday Timber features top Geneseo, Middleburg
Mystic Strike and Hard Strike at Virginia Fall © Tod Marks A pair of timber stakes and the newly minted Will O’Keefe stakes for freshmen hurdlers highlighted Saturday’s 11-race doubleheader in Virginia and New York. At Glenwood Park in Middleburg… Mystic Strike prevails in battle of the ages Two grand old men of timber racing,…
Read MoreSebastopol upends Snap Decision; Fisher’s double ties him with Young; Watters sets earnings record
Sebastopol © Tod Marks Sunday’s seven-race card at Foxfield in Charlottesville, Va., showcased a whirlwind of National Steeplechase talent, including many runners prepping for major fall events. In the marquee race of the day, the $75,000 Grade 3 Mariann De Tejada Memorial handicap, Hall of Fame conditioner Jack Fisher saddled four of the six entrants,…
Read MoreBeverly R. Steinman recap
Flat stakes winner L’Imperator earns first G1 for Hudson River Farms, Kingsley, and visiting jockey Jordan Gainford After finishing a solid third this spring to stars Rampoldi Plan in the G1 Commonwealth Cup and Abaan in the Carolina Cup novice stakes, Hudson River Farms’ L’Imperator broke through with his first NSA stakes score — and first ever career…
Read MoreCourt Ruler, Frontline Citizen star at Radnor
By Tod Marks The two-month National Steeplechase Association spring season came to an end on Saturday with a pair of tight finishes in the featured events at the 93rd Radnor Hunt Races in Malvern, Pa. In the $35,000 National Hunt Cup, contested at 2 1/8 miles as an allowance hurdle this year, Straylight Racing’s Frontline…
Read MoreIroquois & Willowdale recap
By Tod Marks Snap Decision, Abaan, and Right Tempo turn heads in Nashville, while Our Friend scores at Willowdale. Saturday’s steeplechasing doubleheader at the Iroquois in Nashville, and Willowdale Races some 800 miles away in Kennett Square, Pa., was nothing short of sensational, with three of the sports brightest stars putting on a show for…
Read MoreRampoldi Plan, Schoodic soar on busy weekend
By Tod Marks Bad weather played a role in the weekend’s action, which was punctuated by rain, clouds and cool temperatures. Yet, the dreary conditions didn’t stop fans from turning out in large numbers at both the Virginia Gold Cup Races on Saturday in The Plains and Winterthur Point-to-Point outside of Wilmington, Del. Nine races…
Read MoreMaryland Hunt Cup, Foxfield recap
By Tod Marks Blackhall, a maiden, takes Hunt Cup with the first Briton to capture America’s premiere timber race, while Total Joy, Who’s Counting earn first stakes wins at Foxfield. This year’s Maryland Hunt Cup was filled with enough storylines to fill a book. The finish was one of the closest in memory with four…
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