The $35,000 Old Dominion Turf Championship has drawn a full field of 12 Virginia-breds, and will close out the International Gold Cup card at Great Meadow this Saturday. The 9 race program features pari-mutuel wagering and tailgating with 35,000 of your closest friends!
Horses race for the finish at the Virginia Downs event at Great Meadow September 20th
Lilith Boucher’s Complete St. (shown below) is early “Turf” favorite at 3-1. Fresh off a victory in the $60,000 Brookmeade Stakes September 26th at Laurel, the 5 year old St. Averil mare brings a hefty bankroll of $173,000 into the race. Second choice at 4-1 is a Susan Cooney trainer named Gumper. The 4 year old Even The Score gelding finished 5th in last month’s Bert Allen Stakes, but captured a turf claimer at Delaware Park in his start prior. Third early pick is Silver Frame at 6-1 for trainer Jonathan Sheppard. The 5 year old Northern Afleet mare was 6th in the Brookemeade Stakes, but only finished 2 1/2 lengths behind Complete St. The trio of early contenders were bred respectively by the Mede Cahaba Stable, Quest Realty and William Backer.
Complete St. wins the 2015 Brookemeade Stakes with all time Virginia leading rider Horacio Karamanos up
Several other horses from recent Virginia Equine Association (VEA) sponsored events will compete, including two others from Boucher’s stable — Mushroom King and Jump Ship — who will vie in different $40,000 allowance races. Both competed at the VEA’s Virginia Downs event at Great Meadow on September 20th and took respective 1st & 2nd place finishes in maiden special weight company that day.
Trainer Elizabeth Voss, who scored a big allowance win with Renown at the same Virginia Downs event, returns to Great Meadow Saturday where her 4 year old Champs Elysees gelding (Great Britain-bred) competes in the $45,000 Open Flat Allowance. Despite his win in Virginia a month ago, Renown is 8-1 early in a field of 12. Jonathan Sheppard’s Rum Rum Tugger is early choice at 3-1.
Post time Saturday is at 12 Noon. The first 5 races are steeplechase events and the final 4 are flat ones that filled completely with fields of 12 each. Featured jump races are the $50,000 David “Zeke” Ferguson Memorial (Gr. III) at 2 1/4 miles (4th race) and the 78th running of the $75,000 International Gold Cup Timber Stakes at 3 1/2 miles (5th race).
More details are at www.virginiaequinealliance.com
(Photos courtesy of Jim McCue and Kurtis Coady)