Virginia, Delaware to host 11 races on Kentucky Derby weekend

©Tod Marks

Saturday’s Virginia Gold Cup meet at Great Meadow Race Course features the first of nine Grade 1 National Steeplechase Association hurdle stakes, which has drawn a prospective lineup of nine. The Winterthur Point-to-Point on Sunday, outside of Wilmington, Del., will feature its traditional four-race card, three over timber.

Though the 2025 Maryland Hunt Cup is in the record books, the season’s other $100,000 timber stake will share center stage with the second running of the Grade 1 Commonwealth Cup at the centennial celebration of the Virginia Gold Cup Races in The Plains, the National Steeplechase Association’s second richest meet of the spring.

First contested in 1922, the Gold Cup features seven races including three stakes. The Commonwealth Cup carries a purse of $150,000. The eponymous Virginia Gold Cup, at 4 miles over timber, is worth $100,000, up $25,000 from last season, while the Speedy Smithwick for four-year-olds remains a $50,000 stake. Overall, the Gold Cup meet is worth $430,000, behind only the Iroquois Races in Nashville on the spring calendar. As in past years, on-site parimutuel wagering will be available. For information about online wagering, visit www.twinspires.com.

The rest of the lineup consists of a $40,000 maiden special weights contest; $45,000 non-winners-of-two allowance; $25,000 maiden starter allowance for runners who have previously run for a claiming tag of $25,000 or less; and the $20,000 Steeplethon over mixed obstacles at 3 miles. With the exception of the Commonwealth Cup, at 2 ⅛ miles, the hurdle events have been increased in distance from previous years to 2 ½ miles.

This year’s Steeplethon has been named in honor of the late founder of Great Meadow, Arthur “Nick” Arundel, who designed the unique event consisting of jumps over timber, hurdles, and natural brush fences, and through a body of water known as Swan Lake.

Headlining the Commonwealth Cup, a handicap, are a bevy of stakes winners, including several coming off of long layoffs. Irv Naylor’s Too Friendly, the starting high weight at 158 pounds, upset Eclipse Award winner Snap Decision in the G1 Colonial Cup last fall, but was no match for the champ in the G2 Temple Gwathmey stakes at Middleburg two weeks back. Leslie Young, who saddled Rampoldi Plan to take the inaugural Commonwealth Cup, trains Too Friendly. Riverdee Stable and Ten Strike Racing’s Awakened enjoyed his shining moment in the G1 Jonathan Sheppard at Saratoga in 2023 and since has a pair of seconds in G2 competition (and two unplaced finishes in G1s). A second Riverdee entry is Cool Jet. Cool Jet was victorious in the 2023 Aflac Supreme novice stakes at Callaway Gardens, and tuned up for the Commonwealth Cup with a sharp second to Foxy Walk in last Saturday’s Good Night Shirt four-year-old stakes at Foxfield. Trainer-rider Sean McDermott wheels back South Branch Equine’s Who’s Counting after a gutsy third, beaten just three lengths, by Snap Decision in the Gwathmey.

Ballybristol Farm’s Noble Anthem, trained by Tom Garner, came stateside after a long career in England and rallied from off the pace to capture a 115 handicap at the Carolina Cup Races in his NSA debut in March. Welshman, the third of four Fisher trainees, runs in the colors of late Virginia horseman Sonny Via, and is a two-time stakes winner. He finished second in a pair of G1s last year, including the Commonwealth Cup.

Belfast Banter, Historic Heart, and Proven Innocent all had recent preps following a lengthy absence. Irv Naylor’s Belfast Banter, trained by Cyril Murphy, stretched his legs in a training flat race at Middleburg, his first outing since his 17-1 win in the A.P. Smithwick in July 2023. Similarly, Atlantic Friends Racing’s Historic Heart, the 2022 Carolina Cup winner, made his first start since the aforementioned 2023 Smithwick at Morven Park on April 20, where he stumbled late in the contest. Keri Brion trains. The fourth Fisher starter, Bruton Street’s Proven Innocent, the 2022 leading novice, flattened out to finish third after mounting a late threat in the Good Night Shirt stakes at Foxfield, his initial start in nearly a year.

The Virginia Gold Cup stakes has drawn a solid field of recent stakes winners. Daniel Colhoun, Achsah O’Donovan, and Harvey Goolsby’s Bogey’s Image, trained by Joe Davies, was victorious in the first leg of the Maryland Timber Triple, the My Lady’s Manor stakes in Monkton, while Michael A. Smith’s Wrestlingwithrae, trained by Leslie Young, took the second, the Grand National in Butler a week later. Dolly Fisher’s Keys Discount, trained by Jack Fisher, annexed the Middleburg Hunt Cup on April 19. Potter Group USA, Gaskells Waste Services, and Ashwell Stable’s Uco Valley, also trained by Young, finished a solid second to Keys Discount at Middleburg.

Runnymoore Racing’s Eternal Story broke his maiden in his most recent start at The Manor Races, and is trained by Mark Beecher, who saddled Daniel Baker’s Road to Oz to his historic win in last Saturday’s Maryland Hunt Cup. A maiden and allowance winner over timber, Irv Naylor’s Family Tree seeks his first stakes tally. Since coming stateside from England in the spring of 2024, Merriebelle Stables’ Wagner has run four times, winning his first start, a maiden contest, but failing to hit the board in the three others.

Gates open at 10 a.m. First race post time is 1 p.m., with about 30 to 45 minutes between each contest. If you can’t make it to the races, you can watch the action via live stream from the NSA’s web site, www.nationalsteeplechase.com.

For the complete entries, click here.

47th Winterthur Point-to-Point on tap for Sunday

The traditional four-race timber card, featuring the $25,000 Winterthur Bowl allowance (non-winners of two), gets underway at 2 p.m., but there’s plenty of family fun before the flag drops.

Gates open at 10:30 a.m., and the Alison Hershbell pony races begin at noon, followed by a parade of the River Hills Foxhounds a half hour later. Next comes the picturesque George A. “Frolic” Weymouth parade of antique carriages, the tailgate picnic competition, and the stick pony races for young fans.

Besides the Winterthur Bowl, the other two timber races, also at 3 ¼ miles, are the $20,000 Isabella du Pont Sharp Memorial maiden and $15,000 Vicmead Plate, restricted to apprentice riders. The finale is the Middletown Cup training flat race at 1 ½ miles for amateur or apprentice riders.

Post time is 2 p.m. For full entries, click here.  The Winterthur Races, too, will be streamed live from the NSA’s web site.