Miss Mischief, owned by Diane Manning of Virginia, earned two impressive pieces of hardware this past Saturday night at the Jockey Club of Canada’s 41st annual Sovereign Awards. Held at Toronto’s Woodbine Race Track, the awards dinner honored newly crowned champions of thoroughbred racing in Canada.

Miss Mischief wins the Grade 2 Bessarabian Stakes at Woodbine November 15, 2015. Photo by Michael Burns.

Manning’s elite 5 year old Into Mischief mare captured trophies for both Champion Older Female and Champion Female Sprinter. In 2015, Miss Mischief made 9 starts, had a trio of wins, 2 runner-up finishes and 3 thirds, good for purse earnings of $298,600.

Debbie Easter, Executive Director of the VTA, accepts the Sovereign Award on behalf of Diane Manning at Saturday’s dinner at Woodbine. Photo by Michael Burns.

On November 15, she won the Grade 2, $200,000 Bessarabian Stakes at Woodbine, which followed a stakes triumph at Presque Isle Downs in the H.B.P.A. Stakes a month earlier. In early summer, she was runner up in the Grade 3 Hendrie Stakes and took third in the Trillium Stakes, both at Woodbine.

Out of the Lemon Drop Kid mare, Kid Majic, Miss Mischief has bankrolled $522,980 from 9 wins in 24 career outs. She is trained by Dale Capuano.

Charles Town has played host to several recent Virginia-bred triumphs, including Mitchell County’s first career win April 1st, Really Boppin’s gate-to-wire effort March 26th and Tomahawk Talk’s come from behind trip on April 2nd.

Mix, mingle, buy, sell, learn at the second annual Go Jump Racing Steeplechase Symposium & Sale this Sunday, April 10 at Great Meadow Racecourse in The Plains, Va.

Learn about the game, watch horses school, buy a prospect, join a successful steeplechase syndicate, see old friends…just come out and enjoy a day in the country.  The dozen (and counting) horses for sale, all either current steeplechasers or chosen for their potential as such, are part of an initiative designed to spur interest and affect the equine inventory in American jump racing.

Sunday’s event is a great opportunity to learn about becoming a steeplechase horse owner.

Horses are offered in two formats – outright sale (by live auction) or shares available (with connections on hand to discuss terms). In all cases, horses will be on hand for inspection with most scheduled to train and/or school over fences in the morning. Five percent of the sales price goes to the National Steeplechase Foundation to promote the sport with events like this one and other ventures.

Gates open at 8:30 a.m. Horses will gallop, school and parade from 9 a.m. to noon. Lunch and a panel discussion geared toward newcomers happens from noon to 2 p.m.  The symposium, moderated by Joe Clancy from thisishorseracing.com, will include Terry Finley of West Point Thoroughbreds, steeplechase trainers Richard Valentine and Kate Dalton, steeplechase owner Meriwether Morris and veterinarian Dr. Reynolds Cowles. The sale starts at 2:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public with lunch available for purchase. Guests are encouraged to register (free) and bidders are required to register and can do so on location or online.

Virginia-bred and connected horses will be well represented in today’s monster card of thoroughbred racing at Gulfstream Park, which features the $1,000,000 Florida Derby & six other graded stakes. Post time for the 14 race marathon program is 12 Noon; the Derby closes things out as race 14 at 6:48 PM. You can watch and wager the action on line via TVG, XPressBet and Twin Spires.

Ned Evans-bred Valid (Medaglia d’Oro) winning the Grade III Fred Hooper Stakes on February 7. Photo courtesy Adam Coglianese.

Valid, racing’s newest millionaire horse, is the even money favorite in the Grade 3 Skip Away Stakes which features a modest field of six. Bred by Edward Evans, the 6 year son of Medaglia d’Oro enters the race with a record of 11 wins, 9 runner-up finishes and 7 thirds. The Skip Away is race five and will go off at 1:50 PM.

2014 Virginia-bred champion turf horse, Long On Value (shown below, courtesy of Coady Photography), is the 3/1 second early favorite in the Grade 3 Appleton Stakes — Gulfstream’s ninth race slated to go off at 3:21 PM.   The 5 year old son of Value Plus was bred by Bob Powell from Staunton, is trained by Bill Mott and will be ridden by Jose Lezcano. A field of eight will compete one mile on turf.

My Sweet Girl, a 5 year old daughter of Bernardini, will face eight others in the Grade 3 Orchid Stakes at 5:00 PM. The Barclay Tagg trainee was bred and is owned by Bonner Young of Middleburg. Three time Virginia Derby winning rider Edgar Prado will be in the irons.

St. Albans Boy, bred and owned by the Hare Forest Farm in Orange, Virginia, will compete in the Grade 2 Pan American Stakes at 6:11 PM. The 6 year old Giants Causeway gelding comes in to the race with a bankroll of over $250,000. He is 20/1 early and is part of a ten horse field.

Turfway Park has their biggest day of the year too and the $500,000 Spiral Stakes is another key Derby prep stakes. The Grade 3 Bourbonette Stakes highlights the under card and features a 3 year old filly named Inconclusive, who was bred by James Heyward of Charlottesville. The daughter of Include will square off against 11 other fillies at 5:07 PM.

Enjoy these races — it’s the best time of year to be a horse racing fan!