Photos by Douglas Lees
Senior Senator (Eric Poretz up) and challenger Monstaleur (Forrest Kelley up) at the last fence.Potomac MFH Skip Crawford’s Senior Senator won his third straight Grand National Point-to-Point—a three-and-a-quarter mile race over timber in Butler, Maryland—in a dominant finish to retire the challenge cup. The horse also has two legs up on the Maryland Hunt Cup and will be gunning to retire that trophy next Saturday in Glyndon.
Throughout his quest, the nine-year-old bay Thoroughbred has been trained by Joe Davies and ridden by amateur jockey Eric Poretz—a rider who seems to be with the horse, balanced in the middle, blessed with sympathetic hands over every fence. The horse, of course, has to be playing a huge part in making it all look so easy. One has to wonder if, upon retirement, he will some day be seen leading the field after the Potomac foxhounds.
Monstaleur, trained and ridden by Forrest Kelley, was Senior Senator’s last serious challenger right to the last fence. He’d won the Open Timber race at the Old Dominion Point-to-Point two weeks earlier, but lost Kelley when stumbling upon landing, allowing Senior Senator to romp to the finish thirty lengths in front of second-placed Joshua G. (E. Keating up). Joshua G. finished second to Senior Senator in last year’s Maryland Hunt Cup as well. Third place Raven’s Choice was a Maryland Hunt Cup Winner in 2015 and placed second to Senior Senator in last year’s Grand National.
All eyes will be on Senior Senator next Saturday in Maryland! Will he be the first horse in racing history to retire both the Grand National Point-to-Point and the Maryland Hunt Cup in the same year?
Posted April 23, 2019
Jockey Poretz and trainer Davies frame the happy Crawford family who will take home the cup.