Originally Posted on the Secretariat for Virginia Monthly Newsletter for July 2023

SECRETARIAT EXCITEMENT AT COLONIAL DOWNS ON AUGUST 12th! 

They may as well call it “Secretariat Day” at Colonial Downs on August 12! Our “Secretariat Racing Into History” monument will be there along with sculptor Jocelyn Russell and the Secretariat For Virginia Team.  The Secretariat Stakes, with a $500,000 purse, is one of the major races that day to be run on the Secretariat Turf Course, the largest turf (grass) course in America.  It is a one-mile race for three-year-old turf horses. Secretariat was one of those rare Thoroughbreds who could win on both turf and dirt.  Kate Chenery Tweedy will present the Secretariat Stakes trophy.  Two other prestigious races will be showcased – the Arlington Million with a $1 million purse and the Beverly D. Stakes with a $500,000 purse.  Colonial Downs is calling this the biggest day in Virginia racing history!  For more information about the full race program and tickets, see www.colonialdowns.com.

MEET US IN MIDDLEBURG!

Before he rolls into Colonial Downs, Secretariat will be in Middleburg on August 8 and 9. Fresh from a star-studded stay at Saratoga, the monument will be welcomed back to Virginia with a reception at the Middleburg Community Center. Our friends at the Loudoun Therapeutic Riding Foundation are hosting this from 5-7 pm, followed by a free showing of the Secretariat movie. Kate Tweedy, who was in the film with her mother, Penny Chenery, will share her behind-the-scenes experience on the movie set. She and Jocelyn Russell will do a Q&A after the movie.  Copies of Secretariat’s Meadow – The Land, The Family, The Legend written by Kate Tweedy and Leeanne Meadows Ladin, will be available for purchase to benefit Loudoun Therapeutic Riding. For ticket info, see www.ltrf.org

On August 9, our Big Red bronze will be displayed in front of the National Sporting Library and Museum.  The museum will host a reception and presentations by Kate Tweedy and Jocelyn Russell from 5-8 pm. Kate will discuss Secretariat’s enduring popularity with fans and his continuing influence on Thoroughbred racing.  Jocelyn will describe her creative process of sculpting the monument, as well as her travels on the anniversary tour.  See ticket info at www.nationalsporting.org.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THE VIRGINIA DERBY SEPTEMBER 9

Secretariat Racing into History will race over to Colonial Downs once more for the Virginia Derby on September 9.  Concluding his whirlwind Triple Crown Tour, this will be his final appearance on a racetrack. How fitting for this to top off his tour and the summer racing season on our own Virginia track!  See www.colonialdowns.com for more info.

HELP THE SECVA CAMPAIGN GET OVERTHE FINISH LINE!

While the monument’s tour is coming to a close, our fundraising is still very much in progress. We’ve had an amazingly successful summer, but the project needs about $125,000 to cover final installation costs. Your contribution will help place our hometown hero in a setting truly worthy of his legendary stature and Virginia roots.

PLEASE GO TO WWW.ASHLANDMUSEUM.ORG to make your tax-deductible donation soon!

As always, stay tuned to SecretariatForVirginia.com  and our social media for future updates. 

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram! 

Questions?

Contact Wayne Dementi (804)363-0160

The top three finishers in the 2022 Punch Line Stakes will renew their rivalry Saturday (July 15) in the 2023 edition as Colonial Downs culminates its opening week action with four Virginia-Bred Stakes. The turf quartet, which also includes the Edward P. Evans, Tyson Gilpin/Glenn Petty and Brookmeade Stakes, will each feature a $125,000 purse.  

D Hatman Thoroughbreds and Kingdom Bloodstock’s Determined Kingdom prevailed by a convincing 5 ½ lengths in last year’s Punch Line. The 4-year-old Animal Kingdom gelding, who was best in the 2021 Jamestown Stakes, has earned $250,189 from 15 outings and will be ridden by Mychel Sanchez. Larry Johnson’s Embolden, Punch Line runner-up, is a Michael Trombetta trainee with a robust $342,641 bankroll. Colonial’s all-time leading rider Horacio Karamanos has the mount. K Ed & Susie Orr’s Boldor finished third in the Punch Line but did win the Meadow Stable Stakes last summer. The Steve Asmussen trainee, best in the 2021 Punch Line, boasts a bankroll of $562,183. 

Lapetus Racing & Diamond T Racing’s Gigante heads a field of ten 3-year-old and up horses in the one-mile Evans. The 3-year-old Not This Time colt captured the $125,000 Kitten’s Joy Stakes along with a maiden special weight last year in New Kent. The Steve Asmussen trainee, 3-for-7 with $262,900 in earnings, will be ridden by Adam Beschizza. Last year’s second and third place finishers are both in to go. Ten Strike Racing’s Alex Joon — who finished one-half length behind the victorious Largent last year — has bankrolled $232,399. The 6-year-old Flatter gelding won a turf allowance at Colonial one month after the Evans. Kendama took third in both the Evans and Bert Allen Stakes and sandwiched a second between the pair in a New Kent turf allowance. The two will be ridden by Forest Boyce and ​Jeiron Barbosa respectively. Reiley McDonald’s 7-year-old Hold Me Back gelding Passion Play, who won the 2021 Evans, is in the field as well. 

2022 M. Tyson Gilpin Stakes winner Chambeau heads a field of seven in the 2023 edition slated for fillies and mares three and up at 5 ½ furlongs. Owned and bred by Sam English II, the lightly raced 6-year-old Karakontie mare has made just five life starts — all last year — and will get the services of Karamanos up top Saturday.  Robert D. Bone and Edward J. Brown Jr.’s Carolina Sun was second in last year’s Gilpin and also had a pair of other top three finishes at Colonial last summer. Stonestreet Stables’ Aisha R N, an Asmussen trainee, is fresh off a turf allowance triumph at Lone Star May 11. This year’s stakes has been renamed to include former VTA Executive Director Glenn Petty in the title. 

The Brookmeade Stakes, for fillies and mares three and up at 1 1/16^th miles, attracted a field of seven led by Morgan’s Ford Farm’s Surya, who collected maiden special weight and allowance turf wins in New Kent last summer. The 4-year-old daughter of Street Sense is trained by Brittany Russell and will be ridden by Forest Boyce. 

Post time Saturday is 1:30 PM. Colonial Downs continues its 9-week summer racing season through September 9 racing every Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 1:30 PM.

A revised definition of a Virginia-bred horse was also approved at the recent VRC meeting. A Virginia-bred thoroughbred horse refers to a registered thoroughbred horse foaled in Virginia. Beginning with foals of 2024, the foal’s dam must also domicile in Virginia from September 1^st of the year of conception and reside in Virginia until she foals the following year. 

VTA Executive Director Debbie Easter noted the Breeders’ Fund will be rising from $1.2 million to over $2 million in the near future and that, combined with the revised definition, will help build up the mare population in Virginia. Pending VRC approval later this year, the fund will pay Virginia breeders and stallion owners awards for first thru third place — instead of just wins. More details and related registration forms are available at vabred.org.

Colonial Downs Group LLC received permission at the June 6 Virginia Racing Commission (VRC) meeting  to open a new “Rosie’s” satellite wagering center in Emporia, Virginia and conduct pari-mutuel wagering on Historical Horse Racing (HHR) there. 

The site will feature 150 HHR terminals, an OTB with two teller stations and six self bet machines, an R-Burger diner and an entertainment stage. This will be the seventh Rosie’s Gaming Emporium in Virginia and the first one built from the ground up. Opening is set for late September. The location is right off I-95 and will be visible to cars heading to and from North Carolina. Projected annual handle is $6 million from simulcasting and $373 million from HHR.  

Last year was an exceptional one for a number of Virginia Thoroughbreds. Team Valor International’s Green Up was named Virginia Thoroughbred Association Horse of the Year at the recent 2022 Awards Night celebration, which was held at Great Meadow on the eve of the Virginia Gold Cup Steeplechase. The Upstart filly, who was bred by Althea Richards, also won honors that night as top Virginia-Bred 3-Year-Old Filly.

Green Up was 4-for-5 in 2022, including an early win streak early that led to a respectable fourth place finish in the Grade 1 Cotillion Stakes at Parx September 24. The Todd Pletcher trainee kicked off her sophomore campaign with a $60,000 maiden special weight score at Gulfstream March 31, where she dominated a seven-horse field, winning by 6 3⁄4 lengths. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. led the 6-furlong effort on dirt.

Three weeks later, she had a similar trip at Gulfstream — in front at the head of the stretch — in a $51,000 allowance optional claimer at one mile. Junior Alvarado was up top in the four-length triumph where the filly was a 1-2 betting favorite among a field of six.

In starts three and four, Green Up advanced to black type stakes competition at Monmouth and Parx  and prevailed in both. Paco Lopez led a gate-to-wire performance in the $100,000 Boiling Spring Stakes July 3 in a modest field of four, winning handily by 5 3⁄4 lengths at the one mile, 70-yard distance. Seven weeks later, Green Up was best in the $150,000 Cathryn Sophia Stakes at Parx. Facing four other 3-year-old fillies, she again pulled away from the field in the stretch with Irad Ortiz Jr. in the irons and hit the wire 3 3⁄4 lengths in front. 

Green Up completed her 3-year-old campaign with a respectable fourth in the $1 million Cotillion where she was sent off as the betting choice. Overall, she has made seven starts, has four wins, a second and a third with purse earnings of $301,848.

Gigante is another Virginia horse who had an outstanding year. In a thrilling display, the Virginia-certified Gigante, ridden by Joseph Ramos, emerged victorious in the Caesar Handicap Stakes, held at Horseshoe Indianapolis racetrack. With an excellent performance, Gigante was first to cross the wire, winning the race by a nose.

Just two weeks before the race, Gigante was awarded the 2022 Virginia-Bred Two-Year-Old Colt Champion award by the Virginia Thoroughbred Association. Gigante is owned by Lapetus Racing and Diamond T Racing and Trained by Steven Asmussen. He was bred by Ann Mudge Backer & Smitten Farm.

 In his career he has made six starts, winning three and earning $260,900. He broke his maiden right here in Virginia last summer at Colonial Downs, before proceeding to win the $125,000 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Kitten’s Joy Stakes, one of Colonial Downs Stake races for the most prestigious two-year-olds in Virginia.

Other 2022 Virginia-Bred award winners receiving hardware were Whichwaze (2-Year-Old Filly Champ, Old Chapel Farm LLC), Determined Kingdom (3-Year-Old Champ, Audley Farm Equine), Repo Rocks (Older Horse Champ, Mrs. C. Oliver Iselin III), Largent (Turf Horse Champ, Lazy Lane Farms) and Chambeau (Turf Mare Champ, Sam English II). 

Other awards were presented to True Valour (Virginia Owned Champ, Larry Johnson), Leave No Trace (Virginia-Certified Horse Champ, Stevica Djuric, Pat Neusch & Anne Bonda Hartman), Susan Cooney (Trainer of the Year) and Amy Moore (Breeder of the Year).

Virginia Thoroughbreds continue to shine as they campaign around the Commonwealth and the nation. Congratulations to all owners and trainers for their hard work and commitment to their horses and the sport of kings!

The 2023 thoroughbred racing season at Colonial Downs is just around the corner and preparations are underway to make the 9-week meet in New Kent — the first since Churchill Downs Inc. (CDI) purchased it — the best ever.

The season will extend from July 13 – September 9 with racing every Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 1:30 PM. All of Colonial’s races will be televised on FanDuel TV or FanDuel Racing. The barn area in New Kent opened June 19 and training began on June 22.        

An average of $600,000-plus in purse money will be distributed daily. A record $5.2 million stakes schedule is highlighted by the relocation of a pair of Grade 1 stakes — the Arlington Million and $500,000 Beverly D — in addition to the $500,000, Grade 2 Secretariat Stakes. Another highlight is the 20^th running of the Grade 3, $500,000 New Kent County Virginia Derby on September 9 when $1.3 million in stakes purses will be on the line.

The Arlington Million card, scheduled for Saturday August 12, is being branded as the “Colonial Downs Festival of Racing” program. The Beverly D, which is now a Breeders’ Cup Challenge “Win and You’re In” race in the Filly & Mare Turf division, is on the card along with the Secretariat Stakes —  which both will be contested over Colonial’s signature Secretariat Turf Course. The massive grass course, 180 feet in width, is named for the elite Virginia-bred who captured America’s fascination 50 years ago when he won the Triple Crown in record setting fashion at all three legs. 

The August 12 Million date remains on the traditional weekend that the internationally renowned trio of stakes had been held at Arlington International Racecourse — on the second Saturday of August. The Million will be run at 1-1/4 miles, the Beverly D at 1-3/16 miles and the Secretariat at one mile. 

The Virginia Derby will carry a purse of $500,000 — $200,000 more than in 2022 — while the purse of its sister race, the (Listed) Virginia Oaks, has been kicked up $50,000 to $250,000 this year. Also on the stakes-filled closing day card is the $150,000 Da Hoss, $150,000 Colonial Cup, $125,000 Rosie’s and $125,000 Kitten’s Joy Stakes — all on turf.  

Opening Saturday, July 15 features four $125,000 stakes for Virginia-bred/sired horses — the Edward P. Evans at one mile, the Punch Line at 5-1/2 furlongs, the M. Tyson Gilpin/Glen Petty for fillies and mares at 5-1/2 furlongs and the Brookmeade for fillies and mares at 1-1/16 miles. 

The next round of stakes featuring Commonwealth connected horses is on Saturday September 2 with the $125,000 Jamestown Stakes for Virginia-bred/sired 2-year-olds at 5-1/2 furlongs along with a four-pack of $150,000 stakes for Virginia-restricted horses — the Meadow Stable for older horses at 5-1/2 furlongs and its female companion race, the Camptown, and the Bert Allen and its filly and mare counterpart, the Nellie Mae Cox, both at 1-1/16 miles. 

A pair of NSA steeplechase races will be contested every Friday as races one and two, and unlike the last several years, they will be part of the track’s pari-mutuel offering. In addition to single race wagers, the jump pair can be bet as an early daily double and as part of the early Pick-3’s. Featured steeplechase events this summer include the $75,000 Randolph D. Rouse Stakes on August 11 and the $75,000 Life’s Illusion Stakes on September 8 — both for fillies and mares. The former will be contested at 2-1/4 miles while the latter will be at two miles. 

Owner and trainer bonus incentives are a big highlight of the meet too. Owners will receive the greater of $1,000 or their share of purse money from each race while trainers will receive $300 per horse started. 

Owners of Virginia-bred and Virginia-sired horses will earn a 50% bonus on 1^st through 4^th place finishes in all open races. Developers of Virginia-certified horses will earn 25% more for wins in open races and Breeders of Virginia-bred horses will earn awards for all wins at Colonial, in addition to any win in North America.   

Training on the main track will be available every day but Sunday and turf training will be available one day a week. The first of two condition books is online at colonialdowns.com/horsemen.     

Colonial Downs is bringing back the Pick-6 wager for 2023 and will be adding a second daily Pick-5 all at reduced takeout levels. The Old Dominion 6 will be offered as a classic Pick-6 with a 15% takeout on the final six races daily. After a successful debut in 2022, an early and late 50-cent Pick-5 will feature a low 12% takeout rate. The early bet will cover the first five flat races while the late one will include the final five races.   

Virginia Thoroughbred Association (VTA) members can enjoy action every day in the VTA’s two Hospitality Sky Suites on the 4^th floor of the complex. On race days, VTA members can simply take an elevator to the 4^th floor level and present member credentials to receive access to Suites 4 & 5 which feature balcony views overlooking the homestretch. Light appetizers and beverages will be served.  

Special event day celebrations will be held as well during the meet. The VTA/VAHBPA Opening Day Picnic will be held in HBPA building on the backstretch from 12 Noon – 3:30 PM on July 13. A similar luncheon will be held on September 2 — Virginia-Restricted Stakes Day — with a location still to be determined. Virginia-Bred Stakes Day on July 15 will include extra hospitality in the suites. A Legislators Day paid event will take place on Arlington Million Day in the two suites and 4^th floor Ballroom. Virginia Derby Day festivities have yet to be finalized at press time. More details along with RSVP instructions are available at vabred.org. The annual HBPA Golf Tournament to benefit Shannon Campbell and the Disabled Jockeys Fund will be held Sunday August 13 with details coming soon.   

Fans will again enjoy free parking and free admission every day with one exception — “Festival of Racing” day when admission will be $25. Five different giveaway days are scheduled including a Baseball Cap on opening day and T-Shirt on August 11.  

The Virginia Thoroughbred Alliance (VTA) announced the winners of its annual Championship Awards at the Virginia Gold Cup held over the weekend. The awards recognize the top Virginia-bred horses, trainers, and breeders for their achievements in racing over the past year.

The VTA presented the Virginia-bred Horse of the Year award to Green Up, a four-year-old filly by Upstart out of the mare Green Punch. Owned by Team Valour International LLC , Green Up has won four of her seven career starts, including a victory in the Cathryn Sophia Stakes at Parx Racing in August 2022 and the Boiling Springs Stakes at Monmouth Park in July 2022.

The 2022 Breeder of the Year award was given to South Gate Farm, and owner Amy Moore, while unfortunately the Kentucky Derby favorite Forte scratched out of the big race In 2022, he won the Hopeful stakes (Gr. 1), Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (Gr. 1), and the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (Gr. 1). In January he was awarded an Eclipse Award as the 2022 Champion Two-Year-Old Colt.

The Trainer of the Year award was given to Susan Cooney After producing her highest earnings year ever in 2021, Susan topped that milestone by about $30,000 in 2022. This is the third time in six years that Susan has been named the Leading Virginia-based trainer. Not only did she top her earnings record from last year, but her win percentage (10%) and her average earnings per start ($4,186) both increased over last year. She was the 7th leading trainer in starts at Colonial Downs and finished 15th in the trainers’ race. Top horses Fionnbharr ($180,942) and Island Philo ($139,390) powered her to the top half of the trainer list at Colonial.

In addition, the VTA recognized the top Virginia-bred horses in various categories. The winners of the 2022 VTA Championship Awards are:

• Virginia-Certified Horse: Leave No Trace, a 3-year-old filly by Outwork, out of Tanquerray, bred by Red Cloak Farm LLC and owned by WellSpring Stables
• Virginia-Bred Two-Year-Old Cold Champion: Gigante, a colt by Not This Time, out of Summertime Green, bred by Ann Mudge Backer & Smitten Farm and owned by Lapetus Racing & Smitten Farm
• Virginia-Bred Two-Year-Old Filly Champion: Whichwaze, a filly by Cross Traffic, out of Deherewego, bred by Old Chapel Farm LLC and owned by Tina Casse
• Virginia-Bred Three-Year-Old Champion: Determined Kingdom, a gelding by Animal Kingdom, out of Filia, bred by Audley Farm Equine LLC  and owned by D Hartman Thoroughbreds and Kingdom Bloodstock INC
• Virginia-Bred Older Horse Champion: Repo Rocks, a five-year-old gelding by Tapiture, out of Hawaiian Love, bred by Mrs. C Oliver Iselin III and owned by Double B Racing Stables
• Virginia-Bred Turf Horse: Largent, a seven-year-old gelding by Into Mischief , out of Life in Seattle, bred by Lazy Lane Farms LLC and owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners & Twin Creeks Racing Stables LLC
• Virginia-Bred Turf Mare Champion: Chambeau, is a six-year-old mare by Karakontie (JPN), out of If Not For Lust, bred and owned by Sam E. English II
• Virginia-Owned Champion: True Valour (IRE), a nine-year-old horse by Kodiac (GB), out of Sutton Veny (IRE), bred by Mr. P. O’Rourke and owned by R. Larry Johnson

We are thrilled to recognize the outstanding achievements of Virginia-bred horses and breeders at this year’s Virginia Gold Cup, and we congratulate all the winners and look forward to another exciting year of Virginia racing. For more information about the Virginia Thoroughbred Alliance, visit www.vabred.org.

Originally posted on Thoroughbreddailynews.com on 5/18/2023, Written by T.D. Thornton

This Saturday, May 20th, marks the running of the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown. The race will take place at the Pimlico Racetrack in Baltimore, MD, and betting will be available in Virginia at six Rosie’s Gaming Emporiums located in New Kent, Richmond, Hampton, Dumfries, Collinsville, and Vinton. Additionally, VA-Horseplay OTBs inside Breakers Sports Grille in Henrico and Buckets Bar & Grill in Chesapeake will offer betting options, as well as our four partner sites: Twinspires.com, TVG.com, Xpressbet.com, and NYRABets.com.

Onward to Baltimore! Here are the GI Preakness S. entrants listed in “likeliest winner” order.

1) Mage
GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage won’t be a heavy favorite on Saturday. In fact, he projects as the possible second choice in the betting based on the “fresh competition” angle in a Preakness that will feature no other starters who ran in the 18-horse Derby.

Pari-mutuel value notwithstanding, a Preakness victory is within the grasp of this white-blazed, chestnut son of Good Magic ($235,000 KEESEP; $290,000 EASMAY). He’s a lighter-framed colt who might not have taken the pounding that a bigger runner would have in a demanding race like the Derby. And in the eight-horse Preakness, he figures to be more in touch with the pace, and will likely not have to give up as much real estate (four wide on the far turn before floating to the eight path) as he did in the Derby.

We’ve now seen Mage uncork two consecutive, sustained, late-race bids against Grade I competition. One was a slightly premature move in the GI Curlin Florida Derby that catapulted him to the lead, only to be reeled in by the vastly more experienced divisional champ Forte (Violence). The other was a more measured move under Javier Castellano in the Kentucky Derby in which Mage went from 11th to second between the five-sixteenths and the three-sixteenths poles before zeroing in on a tiring (but not quitting) leader while being kept to task under hand-hustling though the final furlong and a half.

Mage’s 105 Beyer Speed Figure stands out as at least seven points better than any number his rivals have run so far, but it remains to be seen whether that rating holds up. It was 11 points higher than Mage’s previous best, and to fully embrace it, you have to have faith that the 2-3-4 finishers in the Derby also realistically upped their Beyers by 4-10-10 points.

2) National Treasure
The draw of post one, the addition of blinkers, and the continued partnership with one of the game’s premier front-end riders all point to John Velazquez seeking the lead in the Preakness with National Treasure.

This $500,000 FTSAUG son of Quality Road sports a past-performance block anchored by mid-90s Beyers and company lines featuring heavy divisional hitters. But there are also some gaps in his training, most notably time missed in early March because of a quarter crack that caused this colt to pass on an expected start in the GII San Felipe S.

Although he wasn’t finishing with the authority of the top trio in the GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby, National Treasure’s fourth-place effort there can serve as a useful bridge to a better effort at 1 3/16 miles considering the nine-furlong try was his first race in three months.

Trainer Bob Baffert has saddled seven Preakness winners. Five of them were Kentucky Derby winners. The two who weren’t both were beaten Derby favorites: Point Given (2001) and Lookin At Lucky (2010).

3) First Mission
This Godolphin homebred by Street Sense debuted too late to make a run at Derby qualifying points, so after breaking his maiden at Fair Grounds in start number two on Mar. 18, his connections opted for the 1 1/16-miles GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. at Keeneland.

First Mission went off favored at 2-1, rolling out of the gate alertly, then conceding the lead while attaining inside position. He started to inch up 4 1/2 furlongs out over a short-stretch configuration, then reeled in an opening-up pacemaker who twice put him in tight at the fence through the stretch.

First Mission prevailed by half a length (98 Beyer), but it was the visual appeal of how he refused to be by intimidated by the more experienced Arabian Lion (Justify) that contributed to this colt being bet down to the 6-1 second choice in the Preakness future wager.

On Saturday you can get a better read on the Lexington S. by seeing how 2-5 morning line fave Arabian Lion runs in Pimlico’s fourth race, the $100,000 Sir Barton S.

4) Perform
Perform required six starts to break his maiden, but since tasked with two turns for the first time, he’s 2-for-2. This $230,000 KEESEP colt by Good Magic has also tangled with Mage once before, having run fourth, beaten 5 1/2 lengths by the eventual Derby winner, when that colt broke his maiden at Gulfstream back on Jan. 28.

Perform broke through with his first victory on the GIII Tampa Bay Derby undercard over one mile 40 yards, and both the second- and fifth-place finishers from that race came back to graduate in their next starts.

Let go at 10-1 odds in the $125,000 Federico Tesio S., Perform dropped out to last and looked unlikely to even hit the board on the far turn, lingering near last after a dueling duo had set a tepid pace and opened up by five turning for home.

Weaving through the pack, jockey Feargal Lynch switched Perform off heels of tiring rivals not once, but three times through the Laurel homestretch, at the three-sixteenth pole, the eighth pole, and again in the run up to the wire. The result was a head victory, and although the 85 Beyer came back a little light, this could be an example of “how he did it” resonating more than “how fast” in terms of overall impression.

“I hope we’re finishing with Mage and can outkick him,” said Hall-of-Fame trainer Shug McGaughey. “But I think that just the two turns on the dirt, the distance, the mile and three-sixteenths, the timing is pretty good. We’ve got plenty of time in between races. He had a good work here last Sunday with Lynch on him, and that’s what made up my mind that, along with his owners, to say, ‘Let’s give it a chance.’”

5) Red Route One
Red Route One has stamped himself as a capable one-run closer from far back. That means he’s going to be picking off horses late, but how many runners he passes in the stretch is largely going to be at the mercy of the pace. The faster they go up front, the better the finish for this Winchell Thoroughbreds homebred.

By Gun Runner out of a Tapit mare (same cross as stablemate and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Disarm, who was fourth in the Derby), the potential for later development has always figured in Red Route One’s progress. Recall that his sire ran third in the 2016 Derby, finished on the board in a series of graded stakes into the summer and fall, but didn’t truly burst onto the scene until after the Breeders’ Cup, when he won the GI Clark H., and then seven of his eight final races against top-class competition.

Red Route One has run respectably over firm and good turf, plus sloppy and fast dirt, so he handles various types of footing quite well. He went 7 1/2 months between his first and second lifetime victories, but closed with abandon to score in the $200,000 Bath House Row S. at Oaklawn, which was the Plan B option after failing to make the qualifying points cut for the Derby.

6) Blazing Sevens
Blazing Sevens ($140,000 KEEJAN; $225,000 FTSAUG), the third son of Good Magic entered in this Preakness field of eight, is the real handicapping conundrum among the trio. He hasn’t won since the Oct. 1 GI Champagne S., yet his last two efforts have a “can’t be as bad as they look” vibe about them.

Through his first five career tries, Blazing Sevens won twice and was beaten by champ Forte the other three times. Racing for the first time since the Breeders’ Cup in the GII Fountain of Youth S., this colt got pinballed early and was never a factor, finishing eighth while beaten 26 lengths.

Stretched to nine furlongs in the Apr. 8 GI Toyota Blue Grass S., Blazing Sevens ran a so-so third, with the impression of that result blunted by the arresting stretch battle of the two dominant horses who finished six lengths ahead of him.

Blazing Sevens qualified for the Derby based on points, but was withdrawn by trainer Chad Brown to instead aim for the Preakness. Those skip-the-Derby tactics worked well for Brown in 2017 and 2022, when he won Baltimore’s big race after opting out of Louisville with Cloud Computing and Early Voting, respectively.

Bettors who had a nose for that trend sniffed out 21-1 odds in the Preakness future wager, which is significantly higher than the 6-1 morning line ranking for Blazing Sevens.

7) Chase the Chaos
Chase the Chaos (Astern {Aus}) started his career in Minnesota, winning at Canterbury on the grass before running credibly over Tapeta at Golden Gate Fields in early winter.

One of his two wins there, in the Feb. 11 El Camino Real Derby (lifetime best 82 Beyer), gave him an automatic berth into the Preakness. But this $10,000 KEENOV gelding has been seventh and eighth in two starts since then.

He was outgunned in his only lifetime try over fast dirt in the Mar. 4 GII San Felipe S. at Santa Anita, then was the beaten 5-2 fave when returning to Golden Gate for the Apr. 29 California Derby.

8) Coffeewithchris
The Preakness is always a little more interesting with a Maryland-bred long shot in the mix, and Coffeewithchris fits the bill as this year’s local hopeful after having sold for $2,000 as an EASOCT yearling.

This gelding has been steadily competing in the series of sophomore stakes on the Maryland circuit, and he most recently raced to the front in the moderate-paced $125,000 Federico Tesio S., where he held well under pressure until upper stretch before regressing to fifth.

But they’ll be going a bit quicker in the Preakness, and the 88-85-82 downward arc of the last three Beyers for Coffeewithchris doesn’t bode well for his chances.

His sire, Ride on Curlin, finished second in the 2014 Preakness at 10-1 odds behind California Chrome. He competed in all three Triple Crown races (7th, 2nd, 11th), yet concluded his 22-race career never having won beyond six furlongs.

Originally posted on Nationalsteeplechase.com, on 5/11/2023, written by Tod Marks

As always a special thanks too Douglas Lees for all of the photographs used in this article.

For the first time in a while, weather wasn’t front and center for the weekend’s races, and beautiful conditions provided the perfect backdrop for a Saturday’s Virginia Gold Cup card in The Plains and Sunday’s Winterthur Point to Point outside of Wilmington, Del.

The $100,000 Virginia Gold Cup, at 4 miles over Great Meadow Race Course, was the marquee event, and it lived up to its billing as the contest turned into a spirited duel between the reigning timber champion, Ballybristol Farm’s Andi’amu, age 13, and Upland Partner’s Mystic Strike, now 14.

Sent off as the third choice at $2.80-1 in the field of four, Mystic Strike, under Gerard Galligan, sat in third through the first three miles, and was about six lengths behind the leader, The Hundred Acre Field’s Cracker Factory, while the $1.50-1 favorite Andi’amu and Jack Doyle stalked in second. Leipers Fork Steeplechasers’ Tomgarrow, the 2019 timber champion, was off slowly under Harry Beswick and quickly found himself behind by 15 lengths, but was able to narrow the gap until falling at the beginning of the second lap over the course. That changed the complexion of the Gold Cup, which became a match race when Cracker Factory and Jamie Bargary suddenly veered off course.

Mystic Strike, who came within a nose of defeating his longtime rival in the Middleburg Hunt Cup several weeks ago, remained slightly behind as the duo neared the final fence then took aim and passed his foe at the jump, drawing clear through the long stretch by 2 3/4 lengths.

Trainer Todd McKenna, who engineered another huge upset when he saddled 41-1 Noah and the Ark to take down Snap Decision in the Grade 1 Lonesome Glory at Aqueduct last season, was just as jubilant as he was at the Big A following Mystic Strike’s remarkable performance against Andi’amu, who came into the race riding a three-race win streak.

Both veteran warriors remain at the top of their game with 30 wins between them along with more than $900,000 in purse earnings.

In other action at Great Meadow:

Welshman prevails in $100,000 David Semmes Memorial (G2)

It was great to see the colors of Virginia horseman Sonny Via, who campaigned the magnificent Hall of Fame steeplechaser Good Night Shirt, back in the winner’s circle in open stakes competition, this time with Welshman, trained by another Hall of Famer, Jack Fisher.

With Graham Watters riding, the four-year-old son of Flintshire, coming off of a heartbreaking narrow loss to recent import Caramelised in the Carolina Cup, was always well placed and took command heading to the final fence in the  2 1/8 mile contest.

Riverdee Stable’s Gordon’s Jet put in a solid effort under Jamie Bargary, finishing just two lengths behind the winner in only his second NSA start. He won his first, a 120 handicap, at Tryon last month.

McTigue awarded victory in Smithwick

Making his NSA debut following a long career in Europe, Irv Naylor’s McTigue was placed first in the $50,000 Speedy Smithwick Memorial four-year-old stakes when the runaway winner was disqualified for going off course.

Talk about a tough beat. Michael Smith’s Hoffman, an up-and-comer from the powerful Leslie Young stable, ran a monster race, jumping fluidly and leading by as many as 60 lengths at one point, and coasting to the wire by 20. But upon a review of the videotapes, the stewards confirmed that Hoffman, under David England, had missed a beacon, and thus awarded the victory to McTigue and Jamie Bargary, who was riding for trainer Cyril Murphy. McTigue was clearly second best, finishing eight lengths ahead of the show horse, Metahorse Racing’s Praghas Ceart.

Storm Team storms to victory in $30,000 Steeplethon stakes

At age 9, Sheila Williams and Northwoods Stable’s Storm Team may have lost a step or two after a brilliant career boasting stakes scores over hurdles and timber. But the son of Candy Ride began a new chapter, romping in steeplethon competition that involves navigating additional obstacles including natural brush fences and water.

With Graham Watters aboard for Jack Fisher, Storm Team settled behind Ballybristol Farm’s Mercoeur and Turks Heard Turf’s Brooklyn Speights for much of the race, and responded when Watters asked him for run before the final turn. From there, Storm Team opened daylight through the stretch, extending his lead to 14 lengths at the wire. Brooklyn Speights and Jamie Bargary were second.

The win was Storm Team’s 10th in 40 lifetime starts, elevating his career bankroll to just under $300,000.

Rampoldi Plan takes $40,000 maiden in style

It looks as if the sire Hard Spun, sire of the illustrious Snap Decision, has produced another nice jumper. Leipers Fork Steeplechasers’ Rampoldi Plan, who just missed in his NSA debut last month at Middleburg, broke his maiden with authority, going almost wire to wire in a crowded field under Jack Doyle.

Doyle, a former NSA champion jockey who returned to his native Ireland several years ago, is back on the circuit riding for leading conditioner Leslie Young. Doyle gunned the four-year-old Florida-bred – who previously had raced in England – to the front early on, steered clear of traffic, and drew off by more than eight lengths through the stretch. Riverdee Stable and Ten Strike Racing’s Rocket One was second with Graham Watters in the saddle.

Merry Maker comes from off the pace to score in $45,000 allowance

Hurricana Farm’s Merry Maker, a lightly raced six-year-old Irish-bred, returned to the scene of his maiden victory last fall, and picked off horses through the stretch to win going away by 2 1/2 lengths in an allowance race for non winners of two.

With NSA newcomer Stephen Mulqueen riding for Arch Kingsley, Merry Maker sat unhurried near the rear of field of nine for the first mile and a half, moved up to fifth with three furlongs remaining, then drew even with the leaders near the final fence, and scooted clear by 2 1/2 lengths at the finish. Hudson River Farms’ Modus Operandi was a determined second, with favored Neotropic third.

Hail to the Chief scores in $25,000 maiden claimer

After two close seconds in the maiden claiming ranks, David Lee Hain’s Hail to the Chief broke through with a victory in the finale at Great Meadow, circling the field of 10 on the final turn and edging clear by 1 1/4 lengths under Gerard Galligan for trainer Kathy Neilson. Flying Elvis Stable’s Be Yourself, with Jamie Bargary up, had a narrow lead heading to the final fence, but was outfinished.

As always a special thanks too Douglas Lees for all of the photographs used in this article.

Originally posted on Nationalsteeplechase.com, on 5/5/2023, Written by Tod Marks

After some rough patches of weather the past few weekends, it looks like the sun will come out for Saturday’s stakes-stacked Virginia Gold Cup Races.

The Gold Cup, first run in 1922, features seven races, four of which are stakes. Two of those stakes, the historic Virginia Gold Cup, at 4 miles over timber, and David Semmes Memorial (Grade 2) each carry a purse of $100,000. The Semmes gets a $25,000 bump in value, making it worth six figures for the first time. Overall, the Gold Cup meet is worth $390,000 making it the second richest stop on the NSA spring circuit, behind only Iroquois in Nashville. As in past years, onsite parimutuel wagering will be available; fans can also bet online via the Twin Spires app.

Headlining the card is the eponymous Virginia Gold Cup stakes, which has drawn a small but select field of top timber veterans, including 2019 and 2022 champion Andi’amu and 2021 champ Tomgarrow, both trained by leading 2022 conditioner Leslie Young, who is dominating the standings this season as well.

At 13, Andi’amu, who runs in the colors of Tom and Roxy Collins’ Ballybristol Farm, hasn’t lost a step. In fact, he’s as sharp as ever. A winner of 11 races – nine stakes – in 15 outings since 2018, Andi’amu has finished second three times. The only blemish on his record came at Great Meadow in 2020 when he went off course in the Gold Cup, a race he has also captured twice. In his 2023 debut two weeks ago, Andi’amu won the Middleburg Hunt Cup by a neck over a hard-charging Mystic Strike, a multiple stakes-winning 14-year-old owned by Upland Partners and trained by Todd McKenna. Mystic Strike returns to take another shot at the champ.

Like his stablemate, Leipers Fork Steeplechasers’ Tomgarrow began 2023 with a win, in the My Lady’s Manor stakes, and comes into the race as the victor in four of his last five starts. However, his endurance will be tested as he has not won at the Gold Cup distance. In last year’s Gold Cup, Tomgarrow was no match for Andi’amu, racing on the lead until running out of gas.

Rounding out the field are The Hundred Acre Field’s Cracker Factory, who finished third in the recent Middleburg Hunt Cup for trainer Mark Beecher, less than six lengths behind Andi’amu and Mystic Strike. Northwoods Stable and Sheila Williams’ Notjudginjustsayin takes a huge class jump for trainer Jack Fisher after reeling off a maiden and allowance score in his final two starts of last season.

A field of five is also expected in the David Semmes Memorial at 2 1/8  miles over hurdles. Riverdee Stable’s Gordon’s Jet was impressive in his first U.S. start, a 120 handicap at Tryon in April, after a long career in the UK, drawing clear by 3 1/2 lengths. Sonny Via’s Welshman won the Aflac Supreme novice stakes to close out 2022, and looked like a winner in the recent Carolina Cup, only to be overtaken by a length in deep stretch by Caramelised. Both contenders are trained by Jack Fisher.

Madaket Stables and The International Venture’s Going County wasn’t a factor in the Temple Gwathmey (Grade 2) at Middleburg last month, his first start back following a stellar 2022 in which the Keri Brion-trainee went from maiden winner to Grade 1 placed. Nor was Irv Naylor’s Belfast Banter, trained by Cyril Murphy, a threat to Snap Decision and Redicean in the Gwathmey. Though he’s still seeking his first NSA victory since coming stateside a year ago, Belfast Banter has competed in Grade 1 competition and is the starting highweight at 158 pounds, giving away four to 12 pounds to the rest of the field. Tom Rice and Ashwell Stable’s Booby Trap began his jump racing career in 2021 with two straight scores, in maiden and allowance competition, then followed those up with a second in the William Entenmann and a third in the Foxbrook Champion, both novice stakes. He got back on track in his final start of 2022, romping in a 120 handicap at Callaway Gardens for trainer Leslie Young.

The supporting stakes include the $50,000 Daniel M. “Speedy” Smithwick hurdle stakes for four-year-olds, which is being run in memory of the former rider and trainer who passed away last year, and the 3-mile, $30,000 Steeplethon over timber, natural brush fences, and through water.  In addition, there’s a $40,000 maiden special weights hurdle; $45,000 allowance hurdle; and $25,000 maiden claiming hurdle. All hurdle races are contested at 2 1/8 miles.

Post time is 1 p.m. For full entries, click here.