Senior Senator, winner of last year’s Maryland Hunt Cup, won his first start this year at the Elkridge-Harford Point-to-Point in Monkton, Md., on April 8.
Senior Senator, who is owned by Irvin L Crawford, III, trained by Joe Davies and ridden by Eric Poretz, won the Open Timber race by one length over De Chera, owned and trained by H. Bruce Fenwick and ridden by Gustav Dahl.
He finished the three mile race over soft turf in 6:39 1/5, the fastest time of the day.
“This was was his first race since the Hunt Cup,” said Davies. “He was a little nervous in the paddock, but he settled quite nicely early on in the race, running second or third for the first couple of miles.”
“He jumped great,” said Davies. “We were thrilled with him.”
Last year, Senior Senator was a real handful, so much so that Davies described him as “one of the craziest horses that ever looked through a bridle.”
He had to be saddled outside the paddock and taken to the start alone.
There was even a question of whether he would be allowed to run in the Hunt Cup because of his temperament.
But with patient handling through the past year,, his antics have diminished.
“I was thinking about running him in the Manor, but he likes the Grand National, so we’ll run him there,” said Davies. “He’s been first and second at the Grand National.”
Davies said his aim was to run him in the Maryland Hunt Cup again.
“His owner has been very patient with us,” said Davies. “I hunted him a couple of times this past winter, and he was okay. But he kicks up in exuberance, and we were afraid he’d kick another horse or a hound, so I only took him out twice.”
Davies also saddled Kinross Farm’s Schoolhouse Woods to win the Amateur Apprentice Timber under McLane Hendriks.
“He’s a Virginia horse, and he’s won the steeplethon a couple of times,” said Davie. “Blyth (Davies’ wife) hunted him this winter. He’ll run in the little race at the manor and then hopefully either in the Hunt Cup or the Gold Cup.”
“Sometimes he’s a little bit of a problem at the start, but McLane rode him well, and he went well,” said Davies.
Fenwick also owns and trains Daddy in the Dark, who was ridden by Dahl to win the Novice Timber.
Mystic Strike, owned by Upland Partners, trained by Todd McKenna and ridden by Annie Yeager, won the Heavyweight Timber.
Elizabeth Voss saddled the winners of both flat races, with Robert A. Kinsley’s No Wonder, ridden by Dahl, winning the first Open Flat and The Fields Stable’s Barnacle Bill (Ire), also ridden by Dahl, winning the second Open Flat race.
AT THE Old Dominion Hounds Point-to-Point, also on April 8, Easy Exit, owned by Clorevia Farm, trained by Doug Fout and ridden by Jeff Murphy, won the Open Hurdle race.
Easy Exit led all the way and was never seriously challenged to win by seven lengths.
Gordonsdale Farm’s Canyon Road, trained by Christopher Kolb and ridden by Jeff Murphy, who was not hard pressed at any point, won the Open Timber.
Carl Rafter saddled Jennifer Taylor’s Alvitude to win the Amateur/Novice Rider Hurdle race under Trevor Ryan, and Sweet Talking Guy, owned, trained and ridden by Erin Swope, won the Lady Rider Timber.
Shannon Hill Farms Show King, trained by Jimmy Day and ridden by Liam McVicar, won the Maiden Hurdle Race.
The Amateur and Novice Rider Timber and the Foxhunter Timber were combined with Northwoods Stable’s Naturally Won, trained and ridden by William Dowling, winning the Amateur and Novice, and Small Giant Farm’s Air Maggy, trained by Keri Brion and ridden by Kelly Wooster, winning the Foxhunter Timber.
Fout saddled Betsy B. Mead’s So Far Away to win the Novice Rider Flat race under Victoria Lawrence, and Day saddled S. Bruce Smart’s Officer’s Oath, ridden by McVicar, to win the Virginia-bred Flat race.