Foxfield Fall Preview 2026
©Tod Marks
Zabeel Champion headlines rich Foxfield card
The National Steeplechase Association heads to Charlottesville, Va., on Sunday for the Foxfield Races, a seven-race card worth $260,000.
Anchoring the event is the $100,000 Mariann De Tejada Memorial, a handicap hurdle, which like all jump races at Foxfield is at 2 1/8 miles. The race has gotten an upgrade in both purse ($25,000) and status (from a Grade 3 to a Grade 2), drawing top talent including two-time 2026 stakes winner Zabeel Champion (G1 Iroquois and G2 Temple Gwathmey) and previous G1 heroes Fil Dor (Colonial Cup) and Ziggle Pops (A.P. Smithwick).
Riverdee Stable’s nine-year-old Zabeel Champion, trained by Jack Fisher, hasn’t started since his brilliant two-for-two spring campaign ended in May. He is the NSA’s top 2026 earner, with $212,000 in the bank, and a victory would give him a strong hand in the race for both the Lonesome Glory Award (as the year’s top money maker) and Eclipse Award (as champion jumper). There are only two G1 races left on the calendar: the American Grand National at Far Hills and the Colonial Cup at Springdale Race Course. A different horse has captured each of the G1s run to date.
Zabeel Champion, who is piloted by leading rider Freddie Procter, is the highweight at 158 pounds and will be giving away six to 16 pounds to his eight expected rivals. Fisher also saddles Bruton Street-US’ Ziggle Pops (154 pounds, Jamie Bargary), the 2024 Smithwick winner, who is on the comeback trail after a near two-year injury layoff. He stumbled and unseated his rider in his most recent effort, in the G1 Beverly Steinman at Saratoga in June, but before that ran a sharp third to Zabeel Champion in both the Gwathmey and Iroquois.
Del Rio Racing’s Fil Dor (150 pounds, Conor Tierney) has made three G1 starts for trainer Ricky Hendriks since his victory in the Colonial Cup in November, turning in his sharpest effort when closing ground to finish three-quarters of a length behind Smart Uncle in the A.P. Smithwick at Saratoga in August, In that race, Fil Dor carried 16 pounds more than the winner.
Trainer Tom Garner has a trio entered in the Tejada, Maranto Manor’s Lydford (144 pounds, Evan Dwan), Butler Hall Racing Stables’ Boldog (142 pounds, Dan Nevin), and Leipers Fork Steeplechase’s James Du Berlais (152 pounds, Stephen Mulqueen). Lydford captured the Good Night Shirt stakes (a 130 handicap) over the Foxfield course in the spring. He was sixth in the Iroquois, at 3 miles, where he bid before flattening out. Boldog is looking for his first stakes win, and enters the Tejada after a 120 ratings handicap score at Iroquois in May. James Du Belais is a classy French-bred stakes winner of more than $660,000, and ran a respectable fifth in his one and only NSA start, in the Iroquois, beaten just five lengths.
Gail Clark and Turks Head Turf’s Predominate (146 pounds, Graham Watters) steps up in class for trainer Todd McKenna following two stakes wins in three 2026 outings, most recently taking the Valentine Memorial stakes (for previous non-stakes winners) at the Fair Hill Races on Memorial Day where he defeated subsequent G1 winner Smart Uncle. Before that, he took the prestigious Marcellus Frost novice stakes at Iroquois.
Silverton Hill’s Two Past Eight (142 pounds, Niall Prendergast) was a serious contender in the Valentine Memorial until jumping poorly at the final fence. A two-time allowance winner, including a victory at Foxfield last year, Two Past Eight is seeking his first stakes tally.
Completing the field is NSA newcomer Secret Force (144 pounds, Danny Mullins), owned by Paul and Molly Willis and James Fyffe. At age four the Irish-bred (by Godolphin) son of Frankel is the youngest runner in the field. A four-time winner overall, Secret Force captured a handicap hurdle at Cartmel Race Course in England in July. Irishman Danny Mullins, a frequent and highly successful visitor to the NSA circuit, crosses the Atlantic for the mount. Barry Foley is the trainer.
The rest of the card consists of a $20,000 maiden claiming hurdle; $30,000 filly and mare maiden hurdle; $40,000 open maiden hurdle; $30,000 110 ratings handicap; $40,000 120 ratings handicap; and training flat contest.
The Tejada is the sixth race on the card with a 2:50 p.m. post time. The first race goes off at noon. You can watch the races via live stream from the NSA web site, www.nationalsteeplchase.com.
PICTURED: Zabeel Champion, Freddie Procter, Sean Clancy, and Erin Butler celebrate after their win in the Iroquois in May.