Three stakes on tap in weekend doubleheader

Going Country at Far Hills © Tod Marks

The jumpers land in Georgia and Virginia on Saturday as the 2024 National Steeplechase Association season heads toward the finish line at Aiken, S.C., on Nov. 23.

At the Montpelier Hunt Races, run on the front lawn of President James Madison’s historic home in Montpelier Station, Va., 50 horses have been entered for eight races worth $245,000. The meet was founded by racing pillar Marion duPont Scott, when she owned the estate. The feature, the $75,000 Noel Laing Stakes at 2 ½ miles over Montpelier’s signature brush fences, has draw a strong field of five including Madaket Stables, R and K Racing, and The International Ventures’ recent Far Hills Foxbrook novice stakes winner Going Country, Keystone Thoroughbreds’ multiple Grade 1 winner Noah and the Ark, and Noble Stables’ Total Joy, who bested Going Country in the Van Clief Memorial stakes at Foxfield in the spring.  Also in the field are Straylight Racing’s Frontline Citizen, who set the pace for about 2 ¼ miles in the recent G1 Grand National at Far Hills before giving way, and Del Rio Racing’s Andy Dufresne, a five-time winner over jumps in Europe who showed speed before tiring in his U.S. debut in an allowance race at the Iroquois Races in Nashville in May.

The co-featured Marion duPont Scott Memorial handicap at 2 ⅜ miles for fillies and mares has gotten a $10,000 purse bump to $60,000. The race has drawn a field of four led by Gill Johnston’s Belle Wish, who finished a sharp second in her second career start, to Gold Charm in the $100,000 Peapack for fillies and mares at Far Hills. Stonelea Stable and Bonnie Rye Stables’ Afraid Not is a maiden winner who finished far back in third in last year’s duPont Scott Memorial. Atsamy Racing Club’s veteran runner Cainudothetwist has divided her time between flat and jump racing, and has three second-place finishes in distaff stakes over her career. Beswick Brothers and Aidan Coleman’s Clara Belle was a DNF in the Peapack, but won a 110 handicap in the spring, defeating Frontline Citizen.

The remainder of the card consists of a pair of training flat races; a $30,000 handicap for horses rated at 110 or less; two $20,000 maiden claiming events; a $25,000 handicap for horses rated at 110 or less; two $20,000 maiden claiming hurdles; and a $40,000 maiden special weights contest.

First race post time is 12:15 p.m For complete entries, click here: https://nationalsteeplechase.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Montpelier-Final-Overnight-Updates.pdf

$205,000 up for grabs at Callaway

Sharing the spotlight with Montpelier is the Steeplechase at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Ga., where the six-race card, highlighted by the $75,000 Aflac Supreme stakes for novice hurdlers, gets underway at 12:30 p.m.

The Aflac has attracted a field of six, including the dazzling High Definition, who was part of a blanket three-horse finish in the $250,000 American Grand National at Far Hills two weeks ago. High Definition is one of three Leipers Fork Steeplechasers’ runners in the Aflac. He was an accomplished G1 placed European flat runner, formerly trained by Aiden and later Joseph O’Brien. He made the transition to NSA jump racing at the allowance level with a victory at Middleburg Spring. The six-year-old son of Galileo rallied from fifth to first, defeating stablemate Rampoldi Plan, who went on to take the G1 Commonwealth Cup at the Virginia Gold Cup Races. In his next outing, High Definition was second to Abaan in the Green Pastures novice stakes at the Iroquois Races in Nashville in May. At Far Hills, High Definition rallied past the final fence and actually headed Snap Decision in the stretch, battling in a three-way duel for the lead with Gordon Elliott’s European shipper Galvin. At the wire it was Snap Decision by a neck with Galvin a neck ahead of High Definition.

Also in the field is Leipers Fork’s Pickanumber, who scratched out of the Grade 1 Will Allison handicap hurdle at the International Gold Cup Races last weekend. A four-time winner over hurdles in England this year, Pickanumber came stateside to run in the A.P. Smithwick and Jonathan Sheppard, both Grade 1s at Saratoga, this summer. In the former, he ran a sharp second at 4-1 to Ziggle Pops; in the Sheppard, he was on the lead when he had a couple of jumping-related mishaps before tiring.

Del Rio Racing’s Set Point was fourth in his NSA debut, in the Foxbrook Champion novice stakes at Far Hills – and in the thick of it behind runaway winner Going Country – while under the care of top European conditioner Gordon Elliott. Ricky Hendriks is his new trainer. Merriebelle Stable’s Beat Le Bon came off of a 14-month layoff to score by 20 lengths in a non-winners of two allowance at Shawan Downs in September. Leipers Fork Steeplechasers’ Walk the Warrior, who was second to Beat Le Bon that day, returns for the Aflac. Prior to his race at Shawan, Walk the Warrior had a second and first in maiden special weights company. He broke his maiden at Colonial Downs over the summer, defeating Irv Naylor’s Westerland by 1 ¼ lengths. Westerland, who is in the field as well, broke his maiden in his next outing, and then was a respectable third, beaten 11 lengths, by Evie’s Prince in the Michael G. Walsh novice stakes at Saratoga.

The remainder of the card consists of a $25,000 steeplethon over the timber course; a $20,000 maiden steeplethon over the timber course; a $35,000 handicap for horses rated at 120 or less; a $30,000 maiden hurdle; and $20,000 maiden claiming hurdle.

For the full entries, click here: https://nationalsteeplechase.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Final-Callaway-with-updates.pdf.

If you can’t attend the races, you can watch via live stream at www.national steeplechase.com.