Photos by Douglas Lees
Trainer Joe Davies and jockey Eric Poretz hoist the Maryland Hunt Cup in jubilation as owner Skip Crawford, MFH, fist-pumps Senior Senator’s 3rd victory in the 125th running of the Maryland Hunt Cup to retire the trophy. Potomac Hunt Joint-Master Vicki Crawford is at far right.
In a heroic come-from-behind effort exacerbated by a momentary heart-stopping mishap, Senior Senator battled back and claimed the fruit of a four-year quest. Owner Skip Crawford, MFH, Potomac Hunt (MD) now takes permanent possession of the Maryland Hunt Cup—arguably the world’s crown jewel of timber racing—which he can place alongside the Grand National Challenge Cup which Senior Senator also retired just last week in Butler, Maryland.
Senior Senator and jockey Eric Poretz lead the field of 9 at the third fence.
The Maryland Hunt Cup is a four-mile endurance test over twenty-two imposing five-rail verticals with rails as thick as a man’s thigh, some just shy of five feet high. Senior Senator joins a group of six great timber horses that have retired the Maryland Hunt Cup over the past 125 years of running. Included in the select group is the illustrious pair, Jay Trump and Ben Nevis, both winners of the Grand National at Aintree as well. The last race in which the Maryland Hunt Challenge Cup was retired was run thirty-six years ago by Mrs. Miles Valentine’s Cancottage (1983).
Throughout the past four years, Senior Senator’s owner-trainer-jockey team has remained constant, with trainer Joe Davies, a Maryland Hunt Cup winner himself, and jockey Eric Poretz, a young, talented amateur with a sympathetic pair of hands on the reins.
Senior Senator set the pace for most of the race until Hadden Frost moved Drift Society up and passed the front runner at the nineteenth fence. (Drift Society placed third in last year’s race.) Trailing the leader by a couple of lengths, Senior Senator slipped while crossing the temporarily dirt-covered road dividing the course and went to his knees. Poretz, who always seems to be in the middle, stayed in the irons as Senior Senator recovered his footing and galloped on.
The bobble was over in a flash, but left him even further behind Drift Society. By the next to last fence, Senior Senator had gained back the deficit from his near fall and was methodically closing the gap. At the last fence, he jumped powerfully into the lead and turned it on in the stretch to beat Drift Society by four lengths at the finish. Joshua G. who placed second last year finished third in the nine-horse field.
Posted April 29, 2019
Racing down the stretch it’s (l-r) Joshua G., Eddie Keating up, finishing 3rd; Drift Society, Hadden Frost up, placing 2nd; and Senior Senator, Eric Poretz up, pulling away to win.