Eva Smithwick and Hey Doctor / Douglas Lees photo
Eva Smithwick captured the Leading Trainer title on the Virginia Point-to-Point circuit this year. It was her and husband Speedy Smithwick’s first year back in Virginia after seventeen years in Kentucky training on the flat tracks. As if being a top trainer doesn’t keep her sufficiently busy, she’s agreed to hunt hounds for Snickersville this season.
The Snickersville foxhounds hunt over Sunny Bank Farm in Middleburg, home of the late Dot Smithwick. Eva, having returned to Sunny Bank with Speedy to continue his mother’s training business, just couldn’t say no to MFH Greg Ryan.
“Greg is a persistent fellow,” said Eva. “Every time the dinner conversation turned to the question of who would hunt hounds this year, Greg would stare at me.”
Although Smithwick has a long foxhunting background, hunting hounds will be a new experience for her. She hunted with the Rappahannock Hunt many years ago and whipped-in to then huntsman Oliver Brown. “I missed all the football games while at UVA so I could come hunting every Saturday,” she recalled.
Smithwick is determined to help and support foxhunting, which she sees as the bedrock of steeplechasing. She notes a decrease in the number of amateur riders and would like to encourage more young foxhunters to experience the thrill of racing.
Smithwick is looking forward to hunting again. She is exercising hounds at Sunny Bank and Creekside on foot now, but plans to switch to horses soon. She says that hounds are treating her well, and she is enjoying the summer program. As for the hunting, “I’m nervous about it, but excited,” she said. “Hopefully the field members will be tolerant!”
Her horses certainly treated her well during the point-to-point season both in the hurdles and over timber. With Woods Winants in the irons, Fogcutter won hurdle races at Thornton Hill, Old Dominion, and Blue Ridge. With Winants again, Whodoyoucallit won timber races at Thornton Hill and Blue Ridge. In the amateur rider timber, Smithwick-trained Dr. Alex and owner/rider Teddy Zimmerman were winners at Old Dominion and Piedmont.
Smithwick’s biggest days this year were at Old Dominion and Thornton Hill where Sunny Bank-trained horses won four races on each card. Through all of American foxhunting history, there cannot have been too many ladies with a stopwatch in one hand and a hunting horn in the other!
Posted June 12, 2013