(Center) Greg Ryan’s Three Kingdoms (Kieran Norris up) won the Open Hurdle Race. / Lesley & David Hower photoLoudoun Hunt opened a day of point-to-point racing at Oatlands Plantation in Leesburg, Virginia on Sunday, April 15, 2018, with two exhibition side saddle races—one over fences, the other on the flat. King of Hearts trained by George Kuk and ridden by Devon Zebrovious was the winner over fences. The sixteen-yerar-old bay gelding alternated the lead with Little Lady, Amy Jo McGee up, in the two-horse field and prevailed in the stretch.
Hail Yeah was the winner by a neck in the Side Saddle Flat race in a field of seven. Winning owner was Terri Ehrenfeld, and Kathryn Cowles was trainer and rider.
Lambeau Field (Dean Sinnott up) won the first division of the maiden HurdleRrace. / Lesley & David Hower photoMThe first official race on the card, Maiden Hurdle, was split into two divisions of nine horses each. In the first division, Lambeau Field set the pace in the early going and held off second place Always Elegant’s challenge in the stretch, winning by one-and-one-half lengths. Lambeau Field was ridden by Dean Sinnot, trained by Leslie Young, and is owned by Emily Astor and George Tydings.
The second division of the Maiden Hurdle was won by New Horizon (Barry Foley up), trained by Doug Fout and owned by Beverly Steinman. The fourteen-year-old brown gelding stayed with the pack, moving to the front as the field approached the last fence, and winning handily in the best time for either division.
In the Open Hurdle Race, rider Kieran Norris kept Three Kingdoms just off the pace set by Orchestra Leader, engaged the leader in the last lap, drew away before the last fence, and won by six lengths. Three Kingdoms is owned by former amateur rider Greg Ryan, MFH, Piedmont Fox Hounds and trained by Julie Gomena.
Kingofalldiamonds (Sean McDermott up) won the Novice Timber Race. / Lesley & David Hower photoNovice Timber, the only timber race of the day, was won confidently by Neil Morris-trained Kingofalldiamonds, Sean McDermott the rider. This dark brown eight-year-old gelding has been a competitive horse on the point-to-point circuit, having won a division of the Maiden Hurdle at the Virginia Fall Races in 2014, the Open Flat Race at Warrenton and the Open Hurdle Race at Old Dominion in 2016.
Trustifarian (Barry Foley up) won the Virginia-bred flat race. / Lesley & David Hower photoTrustifarian put a second nail in the Virginia Bred/Sired Flat Race series with his second win this year, the first coming at Orange County. The field of four were tightly bunched at the head of the stretch when Trustifarian emerged from the pack to win easily by two-and-a-half lengths. Rider Barry Foley stayed in the irons to ride his second horse of the day to the winner’s circle. The four-year-old chestnut is trained by David Bourke and owned by S. Rebecca Shepherd.
Click for complete results of the day’s races.
Posted April 29, 2018
Posted April 29, 2018