Amateur/Novice Rider Hurdle Race (l-r): Acela (Suzanne Stettinius up) 2nd; Controlled Neglect (Brendan Brooks up) 1st / Douglas Lees photo
The Old Dominion Hounds Point-to-Point Races were run on Saturday, April 4, 2015, at Ben Venue Farm, Ben Venue, Virginia.
Controlled Neglect, owned by Ann Braxton Jones-Lynch and trained by Jimmy Day, nailed down his second win of the Virginia point-to-point season in the Amateur/Novice Rider Hurdle series by two lengths over Acela. The second place Acela, trained by Eva Smithwick, won last week’s Novice Flat Race at Orange County. Acela set the early pace in the four-horse field, with Controlled Neglect keeping in close touch. The pair jumped the last fence together, and Controlled Neglect took over from there. Brendan Brooks was in the irons for both the Old Dominion and the Blue Ridge wins.
Hopefully, before the season ends, we’ll see a match-up between two-time winner Controlled Neglect and Greg Ryan’s veteran hurdler, Spy in the Sky, winner of last week’s Amateur/Novice Rider Race at Orange County.
Open Hurdle Race, last fence (l-r): Kingofalldiamonds (Jacob Roberts up) 1st; Manacor (Brendan Brooks up) 2nd / Douglas Lees photo
In the Open Hurdle Race it was Kingofalldiamonds over Jimmy Day’s accomplished Manacor, winner at Blue Ridge, who ran strongly but was shy at Old Dominion’s wire by two lengths. Kingofalldiamonds is owned by Noble Stables, trained by Neil Morris, and was ridden by Jacob Roberts.
Open Timber Race(l-r): Private Equity (Robbie Walsh up) 3rd; Delta Park (Sean McDermott up) 2nd; Lions Double (Connor Hankin up) 1st / Douglas lees photo
The Open Timber Race was won by Lion’s Double, owned by Woodslane Farm, trained by Jack Fisher, and ridden by Connor Hankin. Lion’s Double allowed the other two horses in the field to battle up front for the lead even to the last fence, but won his race in the stretch run beating Delta Park, another Fisher-trained horse, by a length and a quarter at the wire.
Posted April 10, 2015