Featuring the Photos of Douglas Lees
Jeff Murphy on Secret Soul. “If at first…try, try, again.” / Douglas Lees photo
Race-goers at Piedmont enjoyed a warm, sunny day at the Salem Racecourse in Upperville, Virginia on Saturday, March 25, 2017. Entries were strong for the seven-race card consisting of four timber races and two flat races. So much so that one timber race and two flat races were split into two divisions each.
Jeff Murphy scored a hat trick in the first race, Maiden Timber, winning as rider, owner, and trainer. His horse, Secret Soul, delighted his syndicate, but it was a multi-stage struggle to get to the winner’s circle. Secret Soul opened a comfortable lead on the eight-horse field, but lost a lot of ground midway through as the result of a loose horse. Secret Soul got his rhythm back and regained the lead, but turning for home he was passed by Going For It and Hill Tie. Both those horses went off course by jumping the fence at the finish line and were disqualified. So it was Secret Soul, saved again!
Rutledge Classic, Virginia’s 2016 Leading Amateur Novice Rider Timber Horse, returns in good form. / Douglas Lees photo
Eva Smithwick saddled the first of her two winners for the day in the second race, Amateur and Novice Rider Timber. With McLane Hendriks aboard, Rutledge Classic demonstrated that Virginia’s 2016 Leading Amateur/Novice Rider Timber Horse is back, having retained his form from last year.
Smithwick’s second win came in the second division of the Open Flat Race with Irish-bred Hoppala, ridden to the wire by James Slater. Hoppala is owned by Greg Ryan, MFH of both the Snickersville Hounds, for which pack Eva Smithwick serves as huntsman, and the Piedmont Fox Hounds.
Emme Fullilove, Virginia’s 2016 Leading Lady Rider Over Fences, returns in good form, as well. / Douglas Lees photo
In the third race, Emme Fullilove demonstrated that Virginia’s 2016 Leading Lady Rider Over Fences is back in form, also. Fullilove trained and rode Ronald Blankenship’s Skunk to victory by an eight-length margin in the seven-horse field.
In the final timber race of the day, the Open, McLane Hendriks notched his second win aboard Kinross Farm’s Old Timer for trainer Richard Valentine. This is the fifth consecutive year that Valentine has trained the winner of this race. The four-horse field was tightly bunched for much of it. Foyle challenged Old Timer at the last fence, but fell behind in the stretch to a strong finish by the winner.
Click for complete results of the day’s racing.
Posted March 31, 2017
Old Timer (McLane Hendriks) leads Foyle (Jeff Murphy) in the quest for the Rokeby Challenge Bowl in the Open Timber Race. / Douglas Lees