Photos by Douglas Lees
Maiden Timber (l-r): #14, Flaming Sword (Aaron Sinnott up), winner; Some Response (Eric Poretz up) is seen above winner; #12, Holiday Mousse (Jacob Roberts up); #3, Le Aqua (Paul Cawley up), finishes third
The Piedmont Point-to-Point Races at Salem Racecourse on Saturday, March 23, 2019 got off to an interesting start in the first race, Maiden Timber. Some Response and jockey Eric Poretz, captured above (top center) in a disagreement at the first fence, ultimately parted company at the sixth fence. The horse did prove he could jump and do the distance, however. He took his own line over a four-foot-three-inch boundary fence, raced east on Route 50, through the village of Upperville, and was finally captured unharmed at the Hunter’s Head restaurant by huntsman Jordan Hicks and whipper-in Lissa Green, outriders. The trio were met by a police escort for the return trip to Salem, followed by jammed-up westbound traffic.
The race was won by Irish-bred Flaming Sword with Aaron Sinnott in the irons. Flaming Sword, trained by Leslie Young and owned by Fat Chance Farm, ran with the front runners, took the lead after the last fence, and won by six lengths. It was the first win over timber for jockey Sinnott.
Annie Yeager wins Lady Rider Timber on Pocket TalkAfter the safe return of Some Response to trainer Joe Davies after the race, the Maryland trainer and his jockey went on to have a good day over Piedmont’s timber course. Davies’ horses won the Lady Rider Timber with Pocket Talk (Annie Yeager up) and the Open Timber with Irish-bred Vintage Vinnie (Eric Poretz up). Most of the timber races went off with well-populated fields, but the Open Timber was a match race between Vintage Vinnie and Old Timer, winner of this race in 2017. Old Timer set the pace for about three miles. Vintage Vinnie was content to shadow the leader, went ahead at the last fence, and pulled away for a twelve-length win.
Eric Poretz wins the Rokeby Challenge Bowl in the Open Timber race on Vintage Vinnie
That was the second win of the day for Davies. It was also the second win of the day for Poretz, who bounced right back in the second race for trainer Todd Wyatt, winning the Amateur and Novice Rider Timber on Blair Wyatt’s Witor for the second year in a row at Piedmont.
(Speaking of two-time winners, the trainer-rider team of Joe Davies and Eric Poretz is a two-time winner of the Maryland Hunt Cup with Senior Senator going into this season. Will Senior Senator retire the cup this year for owner Skip Crawford, MFH, Potomac Hunt, and his wife Vicki? April 27 will be a big day in Maryland, one way or the other.)
Sam Cockburn is Foxhunter Timber winner aboard Rocking Allen.In the Foxhunter Timber race, Carnival Carl, the winner at Warrenton a week earlier, lost his rider, Hannah Belt, leaving just two contenders—Way Up High and Rocking Allen to settle the race between them. Way Up High, owned and trained by Benjamin Swope and ridden by Erin Swope, won the Virginia Amateur and Novice Rider Timber Series last year with a total of ten wins. Swope, last year’s Leading Lady Rider in the Virginia point-to-points, kept Way Up High glued to Rocking Allen, jumped the last fence side-by-side, but gave way in the stretch by just a half length at the wire. Rocking Allen, trained and ridden by Sam Cockburn, earned his trip to the winner’s circle.
Piedmont ran its Pony Races on the flat in three divisions—small, medium, and large—a series many race-goers would love to see carded at more point-to-points. Chewy, trained and ridden by William Slater, won the Small Pony race over three-eighths-miles of turf by eight lengths going away. The medium and large ponies ran a half-mile course. Teddy Davies repeated last year’s win on Count Chocula in the Medium Pony race, and Balls to the Wall with Colin Smith aboard went right to the lead with the Large Ponies in a field of eight, held off a late effort by second-place Charmed, and won by a half length.
William Slater, winner of the Small Pony division on ChewyTrainer Carl Rafter notched his first win of the season with Smokin Caraquena (Teresa Croce up) in the Maiden Flat race against a ten-horse field. Then, trainer Neil Morris and jockey Jacob Roberts swept the last two races of the day—Open Flat and Virginia Bred/Sired Flat. In the Open Flat, with a quarter-mile to run, Front Line Paige said, “So long” to the other nine horses in the field and won going away. In the Virginia Bred/Sired race, it was Talk Less—having placed third the week before at Warrenton—that emerged from the pack and drew away in the final few furlongs for the win.
Click for complete results of the eight races.
Posted April 1, 2019
Smoking Caraquena (Teresa Croce up) is first in Maiden Flat race.