Uco Valley gets first stakes win; Morris and Young double; and eight different riders take Saturday’s eight races

©Tod Marks

For the second straight year, Harvey Goolsby. Achsah O’Donovan, and Daniel Colhoun’s Bogey’s Image finished first in the $50,000 My Lady’s Manor timber stakes in Monkton, Md.

But after a lengthy steward’s inquiry, Bogey’s Image — the 6 3/4-length winner — was disqualified and placed last because his jockey, Teddy Davies, weighed under the assigned weight.

As a result of the DQ, Potter Group USA, Gaskells Waste Services and Ashwell Stable’s Uco Valley, who had moved into second behind the front-running Bogey’s Image, was declared the winner. Uco Valley, an eight-year-old Irish-bred trained by Leslie Young, was coming off of a recent allowance win at Cheshire. He had an ambitious 2025 campaign, with seven starts and three seconds in stakes competition, two of which came against timber champ Keys Discount.

William Russell’s Animal Kingston (Eric Poretz) was placed second; Greenlights’ The Butler Yates (Virginia Korrell), third.

Veteran UK point-to-pointer Darren Andrews, in his first NSA mount, rode the winner.

Ironically, Uco Valley found himself the object of a disqualification at Percy Warner Park in Nashville last May, when he was stripped of a win over timber when his jockey went off the prescribed course.

In other action:

Tufton Avenue takes $20,000 John Rush Streett maiden

Runnymoore Racing’s Irish-bred nine-year-old Tufton Avenue, who had been competing over hurdles since coming stateside in 2024, made a seamless switch to timber racing, breaking his maiden by 4 1/4 lengths over Atlantic Friends Racing and Paul and Molly Willis’ game Minella Plus.

With Dan Nevin aboard for trainer Mark Becher, Tufton Avenue stalked Minella Plus (Virginia Korrell) in second, hooked the longtime leader on the final turn, and took over with two fences remaining in the three-mile contest. Minella Plus, who finished strong despite setting a quick pace, held the place spot by a half length over Armata Stables’ late-closing The Ballybreen Fox (Teddy Davies).

The victory was Tufton Avenue’s third in seven NSA outings.

Runnymoore Racing goes back-to-back with win in $20,000 Tom Voss Memorial maiden

After taking the John Rush Streett with Tufton Avenue, Runnymoore Racing was back in the winner’s circle in the second maiden contest on the card with Step Out, a seasoned European runner making his second start on the NSA circuit.

The seven-year-old Irish-bred son of Walk in the Park, trained by Neil Morris, recovered quickly after hitting a rail early, nearly unseating jockey Eric Poretz. He took the lead in the field of four on the final turn after battling Petticoats Loose Farm’s The Kid Rocks (Brett Owings) and Joy Slater and Lisa Stroud’s Jeremy Pass (Teddy Davies). The margin of victory was 1 3/4 lengths, with The Kid Rocks, who showed a strong late kick, finishing 5 1/4 lengths ahead of Jeremy Pass.

Step Out made his NSA debut in September, finishing off the board in a 115 handicap over hurdles at Shawan Downs. Prior to that, he had run 18 times in the UK, mostly in hurdle and steeplechase company.

De Nordener remains perfect with score in $15,000 John D. Schapiro

Armata Stables’ De Nordener is quickly becoming a horse to watch following his third straight NSA victory over timber after coming over from his native Ireland last year.

With Sophie O’Brien riding for trainer Joe Davies, the 10-year-old nearly lost his jockey at third fence, but recovered and raced in third (of five), moved into second on the final turn, and drove past Irv Naylor’s Recoup (Hunter Holm) in the final strides. The margin of victory was a half length. Tuscany Racing’s stakes winner Monbeg Stream (Darren Andrews) put in a solid effort in his first start in a year, finishing another 1 3/4 lengths back in third after contending throughout the contest.

De Nordener broke his maiden at Willowdale last spring in his initial NSA effort. He kicked off this season with an allowance score at Cheshire (for non-winners of a stakes race in 2025), before taking Saturday’s race, an allowance for non stakes winners since 2025 and restricted to apprentice riders.

For jockey O’Brien, it was her second win in two mounts this season. Both came aboard De Nordener.

And at Blue Ridge…

There was a second National Steeplechase Association race meet on Saturday, in Virginia. The Blue Ridge Hunt Point to Point in Berryville was contested for the third time with four sanctioned events: a $15,000 maiden over timber at 3 miles; $30,000 maiden hurdle at 2 miles; and a pair of $20,000 maiden starter hurdles at 2 miles for horses who previously started for a claiming tag of $16,000 or less or entered for a $16,000 tag. Here’s how the day played out:

Hurdle stakes winner Total Joy earns first score over timber

Noble Stables’ Total Joy, who captured the Daniel Van Clief Memorial at Foxfield two years ago, broke his maiden over post-and-rail by powering past another hurdle stakes winner in the $15,000 opener.

With Freddie Procter riding for Leslie Young, the seven-year-old Irish-bred son of Ribchester rated in midpack in the field of eight, moved up to second at about the 2 1/2-mile mark, and rallied past Shannon Hill Farm’s Evie’s Prince (Graham Watters) at the final fence. He extended his lead to 2 3/4 lengths over Evie’s Prince, who captured the 2024 Michael G. Walsh novice stakes at Saratoga and just missed in the Grade 1 Beverly Steinman at the Spa last season. It was another nine lengths back Ashwell Stable’s Court Dunn (Bernie Dalton) in third.

Minnesota-bred That’s Not Funny scores in $30,000 maiden hurdle

Following a lengthy career on the flat at Remington and Canterbury Parks, the seven-year-old son of Distorted Humor switched to jumps last season and earned his first victory on Saturday following a thrilling duel with Jacqueline Ohrstrom’s No Yield (Bernie Dalton).

That’s Not Funny, owned by Paul and Molly Willis and trained by Neil Morris, was second after a mile and a half, and secured a slight advantage on the far turn and entering the stretch. The duo battled it out for a quarter mile through the lane, with only a head separating them at the wire. Leipers Fork Steeplechase’s Verbal (Graham Watters), who held the lead for the first half of the contest, was third.

Grahamzilla takes maiden starter/claimer, giving four-time leading rider Watters his first win of the season

After coming oh-so-close to breaking his maiden in his first try over jumps at Aiken last month, Leamington Racing’s Grahamzilla rallied from fourth to first, getting up in the final strides to defeat Joseph Fowler’s Coal Boss (Bernie Dalton) by a length and a half.

With the tally, Graham Watters, the NSA’s leader rider in four of the past five seasons, secured his initial victory of the season, and the 132nd of his career in the States. Ricky Hendriks trained the winner.

Grahamzilla, a Pennsylvania-bred four-year-old son of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, made just two starts at age three on the flat, in a maiden special weights and maiden claimer, at Tampa Bay Downs prior to beginning a second career in steeplechasing. He was a sharp second in his debut at Aiken Fall in November, finishing second, beaten a length, in similar company. John Carrington’s Lord Donegal (Jamie Bargary) was third.

Hard Par has no trouble on the green in steeplechase bow

In the second maiden starter/claiming hurdle on the Blue Ridge card, MBH Stable, Soda Rock Farm, and Kate Dalton’s Hard Par went wire to wire to notch his first win in his first try over jumps.

With Bernie Dalton riding for his wife Kate, the trainer as well as an owner, the five-year-old New York-bred son of Hard Spun broke alertly and led by as many as six lengths, before being ridden out to the wire, 2 1/4 lengths ahead of Sawbuck Racing’s late-closing El Bello (Freddie Proctor). Hello Newman (Kevin Sexton) was 4 3/4 lengths behind in third.

Prior to Saturday, Hard Par had made 17 starts on the flat, mostly on the NYRA circuit, where he won a maiden claimer last Spring.