Chewy, Will Slater up, wins the Small Pony Race.
Rappahannock wisely and prominently promoted the rain date for their first-of-the-season race day, knowing all too well the vagaries of Virginia weather in early March. Fortunately, on March 5, 2022, the scheduled date was a highly pleasant day to spend outdoors at the new steeplechase course on Larry Levy’s Hill Farm just outside Culpeper, Virginia. A week later, as I sit filing this report, snow is still falling on three inches of the stuff already on the ground.
Seven races were carded: three pony races on the flat―Small, Medium, and Large―and two Timber Races followed by two flat races. Of a total of twenty-eight entries for all seven races, nearly half―sixteen entries―were ponies. I hope the strong showing of pony entries interests other race planners looking forward.
Nine of those sixteen ponies―more than half―were trained by Betty McCue at the EHM Stables in Whitehall, Maryland. Five of the nine EHM-trained entries finished ‘in the money.’ McCune tallied one win, three seconds, and a third (in a six-pony race), altogether a strong showing.
ECM Stables is a small family-run operation. Principals are Evelyn Martin and Betty McCue. They offer lessons, boarding, layup, sales, and leases. And they specialize in giving off-the-track Thoroughbreds new careers.
The Wyatt Family was on hand to assist the EHM Stables contingent and to ride races. (L-R) Todd Wyatt, Paige Wyatt, James Wyatt, and Blair Wyatt. / Douglas Lees photo
The Wyatt Family has two race-riding siblings training at EHM―Brother James, who finished second with Bailey in the Large Pony Race and Sister Paige, who rode Laugh Out Loud in the first race of the day, Small Pony.
Chewy, winner of the Small Pony Race (lead photo), was also a family affair. Trained by Brianne Slater and owned and ridden by young William Slater, the little paint took the lead from the six-pony field at the start and won easily by three lengths.
Medium Pony stretch run (l-r) Thumper (Kaeley Fowler up) second place; Ducky (Lilly Vargas up) fourth; Charleston (Yomar Ortiz Jr. up) the winner. / Douglas Lees photo
Omar Ortiz gave trainer Betty McCue and ECM Stables a winning ride in the Medium Pony Race. The Bay mare, Charleston, led the four-pony field all the way and won by seven lengths.
Goose (Carly Kern up) in the stretch winning Large Pony. / Douglas Lees photo
In the Large Pony Race, Goose beat a field of six with Carly Kern in the irons. Goose is owned and trained by Carly’s dad, Christopher Kern.
Open Timber winners with Fletched: Elizabeth Scully and owner/trainer Forrest Kelly. / Douglas Lees photo
Elizabeth Scully was top-jock this day with two wins, Open Timber and Maiden Flat. Scully won the Open Timber Race aboard Fletched, owned by Black and Blue Stable and trained by Forrest Kelly. The competition in this two-horse field was Bet the Pot, ridden by Graham Watters and trained by Neil Morris, a strong team. Scully was content to hold Fletched behind Bet the Pot until three fences from the finish. There, she joined up, and the two horses raced as a pair to the finish where Fletched got his head in front at the wire. Fletched is a Maryland-bred nine-year-old dark bay gelding by Etched out of Conowingo.
Scully’s second win came in the last race of the day, Maiden Flat, where she prevailed with Diva of Seville by a half-length over Criticize, once again denying the Morris-Watters team.
Stretch run in the Foxhunter Timber Race: (l-r) What a Charmer (Sam Cockburn up) finishes second; Boyfriend, owned, trained, and ridden by Brian Driskill is first. / Douglas Lees photo
The Foxhunter Timber Race was also a two-horse duel. Boyfriend Brian―owned, trained, and ridden by Will Driskill―went right to the front, opening an enormous lead on his sole challenger, What a Charmer. Sam Cockburn, rider and trainer of What a Charmer, held his horse to a steady pace the first time around for owner Carey Shefte. In the final lap, Driskill, with his more-than-comfortable leads, allowed Boyfriend Brian to shorten up and relax as Cockburn sent his horse on flying, but couldn’t make up for the long lead. At the wire, it was Boyfriend Brian by seven lengths. The winner is an Irish-bred eight-year-old by Big Bad Bob out of the British dam, Danzelline by Danzero.
Graham Watters and Neil Morris in the paddock before winning the Open Flat Race with Animal Kingston. / Douglas Lees photo
Neil Morris and Graham Watters were not to be denied, finally. Five entries vied in the Open Flat Race, with Animal Kingston, trained by Morris and ridden by Watters, first to the wire by four lengths. Both men are reigning American Sanctioned and Non Sanctioned Champions from 2021. Morris was last year’s Leading Trainer, and Watters was last year’s Leading Rider on the Flat.
Click for complete results of all races.
Posted March 12, 2022