Race Recap

By Tod Marks Our Friend notches first stakes victory at The Manor, while Go Poke the Bear scores in Tryon feature. Not only was it a big day for Armata Stable with Our Friend taking the featured $50,000 My Lady’s Manor timber stake, but there were plenty of cheers for Hyggelig Haven’s Druid’s Altar, trainer…

By Tod Marks Three races, three different winning combinations score at Virginia Point to Point With substantial purse money on the line, Saturday’s Old Dominion Hounds Point to Point in Washington, Va., attracted some budding maiden and veteran timber talent. And by day’s end trainers Doug Fout, Sean McDermott, and Parker Hendriks had their first…

By Tod Marks Eleven races worth $270,000 were up for grabs during the only triple header of the spring, with an estimated 40,000 fans on hand for the 89th running of the Carolina Cup Races. Only four horses went postward in the $75,000 Carolina Cup novice stakes at Springdale Race Course in Camden, S.C., but…

By Tod Marks Defying the weatherman, Saturday proved to be a lovely day in Aiken with plenty of exciting races. Harry Beswick and Ricky Hendriks teamed up for a pair of wins, including a score with Upland Flats Racing’s West Newton in the featured Imperial Cup. Jockey Bernie Dalton also doubled, winning aboard Layton Register’s…

By Tod Marks Though most key championships were already decided, the second to last meet of the 2023 National Steeplechase Association season still packed plenty of drama, deciding the title of leading three-year-old and likely settling the jockey championship as well. In the featured $35,000 Alston Cup, one of only two stakes restricted to sophomores…

By Tod Marks After a 17-race tripleheader, Graham Watters overtook Harry Beswick in the race for leading jockey honors, while Leslie Young continued her march toward a second straight training title. At Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Ga. Court Ruler lays down the law in $25,000 steeplethon Leipers Fork Steeplechasers’ Court Ruler ran his 2023…

By Tod Marks On a day that felt more like August at Colonial Downs in nearby New Kent, Va., rather than The Plains in late October, Bruton Street-US’ Snap Decision captured the G2 $75,000 David L. “Zeke” Ferguson hurdle stakes while Dolly Fisher’s Schoodic scored in the $75,000 International Gold Cup timber stakes. The day…

By Tod Marks Sent off at 18-1, Keystone Thoroughbreds’ Noah and the Ark led a charge over the final fence to overtake Irish invaders Seddon and Salvador Ziggy, and beat back a gallant surge by Hurricana Farm’s Merry Maker to capture America’s biggest steeplechase prize, the $250,000 American Grand National (Grade 1) at 2 5/8…

By Tod Marks A pair of timber stakes headlined Saturday’s National Steeplechase Association doubleheader in New York and Virginia, and though the meets were about 400 miles apart, wet weather played a role in each. At the Genesee Valley Hunt Races in Geneseo, N.Y., Tuscany Racing’s Monbeg Stream found the winner’s circle for the fourth…