Annie Yeager’s Mischief (rt) on the way to winning his third hurdle race in three starts. Mary Motion riding Fogcutter (left) finished fourth.Annie Yeager and Mischief scored a hat trick in the Amateur/Novice Rider Hurdle Race at the Warrenton Hunt Point-to-Point Races on Saturday, March 17, 2012, posting their third win in three starts this year. Mischief passed pace-setter Mariah’s Promise before the last fence to take the lead. Mariah’s Promise challenged in the stretch but had to settle for second place by a head. Mischief is owned by Yeager and trained by Don Yovanovich.
Trainer Julie Gomena and jockey Carl Rafter teamed up to win two races over fences—both hurdle and timber. Rafter on Twojohnsandajack (owned by Rock Ford Stables) dueled with Swell Party (Jeff Murphy aboard) in the Restricted Maiden Hurdle, but Twojohnsandajack prevailed by a quarter length at the finish. The Gomena-Rafter team repeated their winning ways later in the Novice Timber with Atrium, owned by Margaret C. Littleton. Atrium controlled throughout the race, holding off second-place finisher You And I to win by four lengths.
Forest Bell is having a good season with Eilidh Grant in the irons. The Simon Hobson-owned and -trained entry won the Virginia Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association flat race at a mile-and-an-eighth on the turf, repeating his win at Blue Ridge in the same race at about a mile.
Owner Irvin S. Naylor had a horse for each division of the Novice Rider Flat and won decisively with both. Jockey Keri Brion was first at the wire by four lengths on Memorial Maniac in Division 1 and by three lengths on Tax Ruling in Division 2 for trainer Brianne Slater.
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Posted March 23, 2012
Carl Rafter (left) with his first win of the day for trainer Julie Gomena, riding Twojohnsandajack.
Rafter wins again for Gomena, this time on Atrium.
Hey Doctor with Jacob Roberts up leads second place finisher Aero ridden by Jeff Murphy over the last fence in the Open Timber Race. At the wire it was Hey Doctor by two lengths.