Running for the Rokeby Bowl are (l-r) winner Dakota Slew (Robert Walsh up) and Zulla Road (Woods Winants up). / Douglas Lees photo
Virginia point-to-point fans were treated to a full weekend of racing on March 22 and 23, 2014. The Piedmont Fox Hounds Point-to-Point went off as scheduled on Saturday and the Blue Ridge Hunt races, postponed from their original date, were held on Sunday. In a spirit of cooperation, races over fences were split so that Piedmont ran timber races and Blue Ridge ran just hurdle (brush) races, thus assuring a good field of entries for each specialty.
In the Open Timber Race, Zulla Road (Woods Winants up) set the pace for the first mile, but Dakota Slew ridden by Robert Walsh took control from there to the wire. Skunked ran a strong second, but Dakota Slew in prevailing notched his second consecutive Rokeby Bowl win. Dakota Slew is owned by Magalen Bryant and trained by Richard Valentine. Ms. Bryant shared last season’s Virginia Leading Owner title with Pennsylvanian Irvin Naylor. Although Winants pulled up Zulla Road in that race, the fourth on the card, he had earlier shown his 2013 Virginia Leading Rider form by winning the first two races of the day, Maiden Timber and Amateur Highweight Timber.
In the Maiden timber race (l-r) are Plenty Coups (James Slater up) and winner You and I (Woods Winants up). / Douglas Lees photo
In the Maiden Timber Race, Winants allowed Plenty Coups (James Slater up) to set the pace for most of the race, taking over the lead with You and I by the last fence and pulling away in the stretch. You and I is trained by Don Yovanovich. [The grammar is OK; You and I is one!]
In the Amateur Highweight Timber Race, Winants won his second race of the day with Whodoyoucallit first to the wire, besting Dr. Alex (owned and ridden by Teddy Zimmerman) in the stretch. Both horses are trained by Eva Smithwick.
Virginia’s Leading Timber Horse in 2013, Let’s Presume, owned, ridden, and trained by Matthew Hatcher, won the Foxhunter Timber Race against his only competitor in the field, Blue Ribbon Joe, who pulled up after the first fence. The pair ran with the amateur highweight horses but were not in contention in that race. Click for complete results on the day’s card.
Posted April 4, 2014
Amateur Highweight Timber (l-r): Terko Service (Nick Carter, up) and winner Whodoyoucallit (Woods Winants up) / Douglas Lees photo