The Montpelier Hunt Races are this Saturday November 7th in Orange, Virginia and two of the races are training flat events while the other five are steeplechase races.
The kickoff race, at 12:30 PM, features a field of five Virginia-breds including Pride of the Fleet, a 9 year old son of Parker’s Storm Cat that was bred by the Run Aweigh Stable. He has career earnings of $140,581 and despite 8th and 9th place finishes at Great Meadow this year, did win a fall race there during the 2014 International Gold Cup program. Also in the field are Malibu Dreamer (James Carter), Ritual Way (Mrs. C. Oliver Iselin III), Leith Lane (Mr. & Mrs. Bertram Firestone) and Marvey Marley (James Walters & Teresa Myers), who is a 7 year old daughter of Victory Gallop. The group of five will compete one mile and vie for a $5,000 award, to be spread among the top three finishers in varying percentages.
The Montpelier Hunt Races are always held the first Saturday in November.
Virginia-breds Hooping and Class Cherokee will be among a field of 12 in the $15,000 Madison Plate Hurdle Handicap at 2 3/8ths miles. The former, bred by the Hickory Tree Farms, has a pair of seconds at recent Virginia Equine Alliance events at Great Meadow— Virginia Downs (September 20) and at the Gold Cup card (October 24). The latter, bred by the Mede Cahaba Stable, won at Montpelier last November.
The $15,000 Battleship is a maiden claiming hurdle race featuring Virginia-bred Prima Facie (James Faulk Sr.) and the $25,000 Montpelier Cup, a filly/mare allowance hurdle, includes Ivy Mills (Lazy Lane Farms) in the six horse field. The $20,000 Constitution Hurdle (maiden) and $40,000 Noel Laing Hurdle Handicap round out the steeplechase portion at 2 3/8ths and 2 1/2 miles respectively.
The afternoon concludes with a training flat called the Liberty Cup Allowance at 1 1/2 miles. Virginia-bred Curve Of Stones, bred by the Audley farm, is among a field of ten. Interestingly, 2014 Eclipse Award winner Demonstrative will compete as well. He won as top steeplechase horse last year after rolling to three consecutive Grade I scores. Demonstrative, who races for Virginian Jacqueline Ohrstrom, has amassed over $952,000 in purse earnings. Also in the field are Bob le Beau and Alajmal, who have earned $523,000 and $185,000 respectively.
Demonstrative is the 2014 Eclipse Award winning Steeplechase Horse of the Year – photo courtesy of Twin Spires
The last day to purchase on line tickets to the races is on Friday November 6. More details are at www.montpelierraces.org.