Going to the Start / Douglas Lees photo
The Old Dominion Point-to-Point Races held on April 9, 2022, at Ben Venue drew the healthiest list of entries so far this season. No jump race went off with a field of less than five horses, and the second race, Maiden Hurdle, was split into three divisions of from seven to nine horses in each. There was fine weather and a number of close and exciting finishes, making it a good day for the spectators as well.
Open Timber, final fence: (l-r) Paddy’s Crown (Harrison Beswick up) finishes second; Lonely Weekend (Thomas Garner up) wins the Leeds Don Trophy. / Douglas Lees photo
The trainer/rider team of Todd Wyatt and Thomas Garner had two wins this day. The pair won the Open Timber Race with Lonely Weekend, a grandson of A. P. Indy, for owner Riverdee Stables. First Friday with Barry John Foley aboard, went to the front of the five-horse field at the start with Paddy’s Crown (Harrison Beswick up) and Lonely Weekend close in his wake. Paddy’s Crown was the Open Timber winner at Warrenton in March. With the three racing in a tight bunch, Lonely Weekend took over the lead before the last fence and won by a length-and-a-half under a strong hand-ride in the stretch by Garner. The scopey gray, Paddy’s Crown, finished second, and First Friday was third.
Open Hurdle Race: In the Winner’s Circle, Douglas Wise, ex-MFH, presents the Meeting House Mountain Trophy to Trainer Kate Dalton for Razoul, Bernie Dalton up.
The Wyatt/Garner team came less than a horse’s length from making the hat trick, a third win, with Mrs. Johnston, Jr’s State of Affairs in the Open Hurdle Race, but had to settle for a second placing by just three-quarters of a length. Setting the pace and leading the eight-horse field of experienced Open Hurdlers after the last fence, State of Affairs was overtaken in the run-in by Razoul in a fast-closing finish under veteran jockey Bernie Dalton, one-half of the Dalton Team with his wife Kate, the trainer.
Maiden Hurdle, Third Division: winner Agravain (Thomas Garner up) skims over the last fence. / Douglas Lees photo
Earlier in the day, the Wyatt/Garner team had accompanied British-bred Aggravain to the winner’s circle after prevailing in the third division of the Maiden Hurdle Race. In that race, Masterful Touch (Jamie Bargary up) led the eight-horse field for the first loop around, though Garner on Aggravain stuck well within striking distance. Masterful Touch fell back, and Economic Policy came on to engage Aggravain. Over the last three furlongs of the race, those two horses battling for the lead with Aggravain getting his head in front at the wire.
Amateur Novice Hurdle: winner Knockholt (Parker Hendriks up) over the last fence / Douglas Lees photo
Parker Hendricks won two races, the first over hurdles and the second on the flat. The First Race, Amateur/Novice Rider Hurdles, began this day of exciting finishes. French-bred Beat Le Bon (Connor Hankin up) set the pace for the five-horse field but was overtaken after the first time around by Knockholt with Hendricks in the irons. British-bred Amschel made it a three-horse race in the final furlongs. In the stretch, it came down to two horses, Knockholt and Amschel, battling through the stretch with Knockholt by a head at the finish. The winner is trained by Neil Morris, last year’s Leading Trainer.
Maiden Hurdle, First Division: number 16, Connagh’s Quay with Barry Foley aboard is first at the wire. / Douglas Lees photo
Jump Jockey Barry John Foley beat fourteen other horses by winning the first and second divisions of the Maiden Hurdle Race―two fields of nine and seven horses, respectively and consecutively. In the first division, Foley rode Connagh’s Quay, a four-year-old bay gelding trained by Richard Valentine and owned by Mrs. George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. From the start, Lunaire (Graham Watters up) and Caughtoncamera (Parker Hendricks up) took the lead and set the early pace. Lunaire dropped back, and Connagh’s Quay came on to join Caughtoncamera in front. The two raced as a pair over the last three furlongs, but at the finish, it was Connagh’s Quay by three-quarters of a length over his challenger. This was the second race of the day and the second with a winning margin less than a horse’s length.
Maiden Hurdle, Second Division: (l-r) Turbo Drive (Barry Foley up) led from start to finish, winning handily. / Douglas Lees photo
The second division of the Maiden Hurdle Race, which Foley also won, finished in the fastest winning time (by one-hundredth of a second faster than his previous trip) of the three divisions. And it was the only race of the three divisions where the winning margin was greater than a fraction of a horse’s length. Foley drove Turbo Drive, unchallenged throughout, under the wire four-and-a-half lengths in front of second-placed Kicking Myself (Parker Hendricks up).
Amateur/Novice Rider Timber: Trainer Mark Beecher leads Cracker Factory, ridden by Brett Owings, back from the Winner’s Circle.
With the conclusion of the third division of the Second Race, Maiden Hurdle, spectators’ attention turned from hurdles to timber. Engish-bred Cracker Factory, a hurdler in the UK, also turned his attention to timber recently. The now seven-year-old brown gelding that had won four races over hurdles in the UK was acquired by trainer Mark Beecher after making his own decision to transition from rider to trainer. Irish-born Beecher came to the U.S. as a jump jock, and after eight years had won all the major jump races here, including the Maryland Hunt Cup. It was time for another challenge, he decided.
Under Beecher’s training program, Cracker Factory finished third in his first race in the U.S. Less than a month ago, Beecher saddled the horse for the Maiden Timber Race at Piedmont. With Bret Owings in the irons, Cracker Factory placed second, beaten by the Irish-bred Ya Boy Ya by a head in the run-in.
This time out, again with Owings aboard, Cracker Factory laid back as Broken Force (Jamie Neild up) raced off to a commanding lead for the first circuit. During the last loop around, Broken Force’s lead dissipated, and with a half-mile to the finish, Cracker Factory made his move and won by nine lengths going away.
Virginia 2021 Point-to-Point Champions Cocodimama and Chloe Hannum― Leading Timber Horse and Leading Lady Timber Rider―finished third in the field of five.
Click for complete results of all races.
April 14, 2022
Published with appreciation for the meticulous Central Entry website maintained by Will and Kathleen O’Keefe.