With four wins and two seconds of ten races on the card, Kieran Norris was leading rider at Orange County. / Douglas Lees photoKieran Norris had an outstanding day on the racecourse at beautiful Locust Hill Farm—timber, hurdle, flat—whichever course he rode. Norris, Virginia’s Leading Rider in 2017, rode four winners at the Orange County Point-to-Point on Saturday, April 1, 2018. He finished the day with two seconds as well, making it first or second in six of the ten races run.
Entries were reasonably strong, with the Maiden Flat and the Maiden Hurdle Races being split. Trainer Doug Fout saddled four winners as well, three of them with Norris aboard.
Maiden Flat Race: Winner Perfect Union (Kieran Norris up) leads the field in the 1st division. (l-r): Charity Show (Mike Woodson), Veyron (Jeff Murphy); 2nd place Mercoeur (Archie MacCauley), and Perfect Union. / Douglas Lees photoNorris began his day on a Fout-trained horse by winning the second race, Maiden Flat, first division, on Beverly Steinman’s Perfect Union. The dark brown gelding led the field through the entire race.
Maiden Hurdle, 1st Division (l-r): Confederate (Shane Crimin), Bridge Builder (Darren Nagle) shows 3rd, Bullet Star (Kieran Norris) trained by Doug, Fout the winner. / Douglas Lees photoNorris’s next two winning rides came in the Maiden Hurdle. Fout-trained Bullet Star, owned by Steinman, with Norris up, won the first division easily. Norris won the second division as well, this time on New Saloon, trained by Madison Meyers and owned by Timber Town Stables. In winning for Norris, New Saloon had to hold off the Steinman-Fout entry, Jump Through It in the stretch. No loyalties when you change colors!
Open Timber winner Albus is ridden by Kieran Norris, trained by Doug Fout. / Douglas Lees photoNorris’s final win came in the Open Timber aboard Albus once again for trainer Doug Fout. Albus’s previous race was at Warrenton this season where he won the Novice Timber with Norris in the irons. Moving up to the Open division, Albus went to the front of the four-horse field and held off the rallying Canyon Road for the win. Second place Canyon Road has been a top timber horse on the circuit for several years. Ridden by Jeff Murphy, Canyon Road won the Novice Timber at Warrenton in 2015, the Open Timber at Warrenton with Mark Beecher up in 2016, and the Open Timber at Old Dominion with Jeff Murphy back in the irons in 2017. Canyon Road is trained by Chris Kolb and owned by Gordonsdale Farm. This racing season has been packed with young bloods unseating the old favorites.
Click for complete results at the Orange County Hounds Point-to-Point.
Posted April 6, 2018