Keys Discount stamps himself a star with third straight timber stakes score

©Tod Marks

The National Steeplechase Association kicked off its fall calendar on Saturday with a six-race $160,000 card in Hunt Valley, Md., and the star of the show was a horse who rose out of obscurity at Shawan Downs exactly a year ago to become the sport’s most exciting timber runner.

When Dolly Fisher’s 2023 timber champion Schoodic retired at the end of 2024, she and her Hall of Fame trainer and son, Jack, probably never imagined they’d have another runner to fill those mighty shoes. And while Keys Discount has a long way to go to come close to Schoodic’s 12 stakes scores over timber and hurdles while racking up more than $600,000 in earnings over 13 seasons, the six-year-old Maryland-bred has been nothing short of sensational.

On Saturday, the son of Medal Count added the $25,000 Brown Advisory Timber Stakes to his 2025 resume with an easy 4 1/4 length romp over nine foes.

With leading rider Graham Watters aboard, Keys Discount sat in midpack for most of the 3 1/8 miles, drawing even with longtime leader, Armata Stables’ Crealion (Virginia Korrell) turning into the stretch, accelerating past the final fence, and coasting home comfortably over Will Russell’s Animal Kingston (Eric Poretz) and last year’s Brown Advisory winner, Riverdee Stable’s Queens Empire (Stephen Mulqueen).

The win elevated Keys Discount’s season earnings to $93,000, putting him more than $30,000 ahead of the next highest timber earner, Road to Oz. The timber championship is based on earnings. More impressively, the victory was Keys Discount’s third in three starts this year. In April, he notched the Middleburg Hunt Cup and a month later, the prestigious $100,000 Virginia Gold Cup. He began his remarkable run at Shawan last September with a 12-length maiden score over post and rails.

The story of Keys Discount is an interesting one. Keys Discount was originally owned by late horseman Gordy Keys and trained on the flat by Madison Meyers. He then became part of a Riverdee Stable partnership for hurdle racing, where he was trained by Sam Cockburn, who also owned the horse. Cockburn, Gordy’s grandson, actually bought the horse from his grandfather for $1, and rode Keys Discount as a fox hunter.

His eye-popping performance in a blowout win in an open timber contest at Old Dominion last year caught the attention of onlookers, including top trainer Fisher, who called Cockburn the day after and offered to buy the horse from him for his mom. And the rest is history.

In other action…

Ethics launches his hurdle career with a bang

After a brief and unremarkable tenure on the flat, the three-year-old son of Hard Spun, bred in Kentucky by Claiborne Farm & Adele Dilschneider, ran like an old pro in the opener, a $20,000 maiden special weights hurdle for freshmen.

With Freddie Procter riding for Jack Fisher, the Riverdee Stable up-and-comer sat toward the rear of the field of ten for much of the two-mile contest, advancing heading up the backside the second time around, and challenging for the lead with a couple of fences to go. But Ethics wasn’t alone. Parkland Thoroughbreds’ pacesetter Moreperfectunion (Stephen Mulqueen) still had plenty of run as did Joe Fowler and NBS Stable’s Ten Bucks A Glass (Bernie Dalton), and Gill Johnston’s Scorpius (Graham Watters). The quartet took the final jump in unison and it took strong urging on Procter’s part to edge clear in deep stretch to draw off late by 3 1/4 lengths. Scorpius was second; Ten Bucks A Glass, third. Both of those runners were also making their NSA debut coming off the flat.

Max’d Out breaks maiden for Naylor, Dwan, and Garner

Irv Naylor’s four-year-old Irish-bred sat in second behind Morningstar Farm’s runaway pacesetter Marcilly (Conor Tierney) for most of the going, gathering steam around the last turn, then fighting off a renewed effort by the early leader to draw off through the stretch by 5 1/4 lengths in the second at Shawan, a $30,000 maiden hurdle.

The winner, trained by Tom Garner and ridden by Evan Dwan, was coming off of a point-to-point win in his home country. Marcilly, a four-year-old son of Galileo, started once in France before running in a maiden claimer at Delaware Park, where he finished out of the money. He was fourth in his NSA debut on the turf at Fair Hill last out. Up for third was Gill Johnston’s Big George, a five-year-old California-bred who raced out West on the flat prior to making his NSA debut at Shawan.

Rucker Road prevails in $30,000 handicap

Making only his seventh career start at age six, Sharon Sheppard’s Rucker Road stalked the early breakaway pace set by Garrison Forest, repelled a challenge by Brie’s Mission, and re-assumed the lead when a resurgent Garrison Forest fell at the last fence to win the third race, a handicap for horses rated at 115 or less.

The margin of victory was 3 1/2 lengths and was one of two winners on the card for trainer Leslie Young. Mell Boucher had the mount.

The victory was the second for Rucker Road, who broke his maiden at Montpelier last fall. Leipers Fork Steeplechase Artistic Choice (Jamie Bargary) rallied from sixth to grab the place spot; Nancy Reed’s Bright Eyed Eagle (Freddie Procter) was third.

Cyber Ninja outduels St. James the Great to capture $40,000 Allowance hurdle

Riverdee Stable earned its second winner on the card when Cyber Ninja, a stakes-placed veteran of 19 starts on the flat where he earned nearly $300,000, out finished recent Grade 1 starter St. James the Great in a non-winners of two allowance.

With leading NSA rider Graham Watters aboard for

Jack Fisher, the five-year-old son of Arrogate stalked leader Chosen Judge (Jamie Bargary) in third for much of the going, secured a narrow lead on the inside turning for home, and fought off challengers Boldog (Bernie Dalton), Dynamite Dan (Evan Dwan) and St. James the Great (Stephen Mulqueen). The race was still anyone’s heading over the final fence, but as the quartet raced to the wire, St. James the Great was the only challenger who still had plenty of run, and Cyber Ninja had to work hard to score by a length. Dynamite Dan, who was up close throughout, took the show spot. Cyber Ninja broke his NSA maiden at first asking at Colonial Downs in July.

The Hero Next Door scores in timber debut

Michael Smith’s The Hero Next Door, a lightly raced hurdler who finished second in a trio of stakes events, made a smooth and seamless transition to the timber circuit with a 21-length romp in the $25,000 maiden finale on Saturday’s card.

With Jamie Bargary riding for trainer Leslie Young, the seven-year-old Irish-bred poured it on heading into the stretch, extended his advantage over the final fence, and coasted home an easy winner over James B. Foulks’ Sorolla (Virginia Korrell) and Del Rio Racing’s Andy Dusfresne (Conor Tierney). The victory was one of two on the card for Young.

A look at the leaderboard

With three victories, this season’s top trainer Jack Fisher continued his domination, running his win total to 19, seven more than Leslie Young, who doubled on the day. Fisher is also the leading trainer by earnings, with nearly $890,000, about a quarter-million-dollars more than Keri Brion, who had a huge summer, capturing three Grade 1s on the NYRA circuit, among other successes. Leading rider Graham Watters padded his prowess at the top of the jockey standings with a pair of victories, bringing his total to 16, four more than Stephen Mulqueen. Watters also is ahead of Mulqueen by about $70,000 in earnings. Riverdee Stable, which leads the NSA in wins, had two victories at Shawan to narrow the gap with Bruton Street-US in the battle for leading owner, a title decided by purse earnings. Only $17,000 separates the two stables with a lot of big-money meets remaining on the schedule.