Racing

Teddy Davies rode Gentleman de Reve to place sixth at Pardubicka

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October 16, 2025

By SARA CAVANAGH

PARDUBICKA, Czechia--Teddy Davies on Gentleman de Reve placed sixth in the Velke Parducka, the 4 3/4 mile most challenging steeplechase in the world.

Stumptown, the winner, and Gentleman de Reve, the grey over the fourth fence, the texis Last year, Davies was the first American ever to ride in the Parducka, and this year he is now the first ever not only to finish the race but also earn a place on the podium, reserved for the top eight finishers.

It's a crazy race," said Davies, 21, a senior at Delaware University majoring in business. "There are so many fences you never see in this country, and 40 percent of it is over plowed fields."

The course includes huge hedges, and one, the fourth fence,the Texis, has a huge, wide ditch on the landing side, water jumps, an in and out and banks along with hurdles and steeplechase fences.

"There's a huge ditch after the texis, and the hedge is so big you can't see over it, even sitting on top of a horse," said Davies. "You have to get up as much speed as possible going into it so that you have the momentum to get over it." 

"We got there on Thursday.and I walked the course Friday," said Davies, who traveled to Parducka with his father Joe. "I rode Gentleman de Reve for the first time Saturday and skipped over a couple of hedges on him."

"More horses get taken out by loose horses or fallers, so I wanted to get a good start in the race," he said. "I wanted to get out in front, and I knew my horses is a good jumper. I kept him tucked in the rest of the race."

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Mark Beecher as trainer and Virginia Korrell as jockey dominated Genesee Valley

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October 14, 2025

By SARA CAVANAGH

GENESEO, N.Y.--Armata Stable's Crealion, trained by  Tom Garner and ridden by Virginia Korrell was disqualified on Saturday, Oct. 11 due to not weighing out at the correct weight at the Genesee Valley Hunt Races.

Crealion ridden by Virginia KorellThen 48 hours later the National Steeplechase Association Stewards Advisory Committee ruled that the disqualification of the horse was not warranted.  

"When i weighed out, I was one-tenth of a pound under," said Korrell. "It used to be that jockeys were allowed a half pound leeway, but that was changed this year. Tom argued the decision and it was changed."

Originally, it was announced that South Branch Equine's Master Seville, ridden by Nevin, won the $15,000 Amateur or Apprentice Rider Timber by 5 1/4 lengths in 5:40 3/5 over Project Two (Ire), trained by Leslie Young, and Rhyhmia, trained by McKenna.

The Steward's ruling reinstated Crealion, and dropped Master Sevile to second and Project Two to third.

With that ruling, it meant that Korrell had ridden two winners, Crealion and The Butler Yates in the Timber Stakes and a second placed horse, Hey Teacher..

 "Crealion has run about 35 times," said Korrell. "Tom got him last year, and I rode him in some races. Then he wasn't himself this spring, so we gave him the summer off. He's a nice horse, and he jumped really well." 

The Butler Yates, owned by Greenlights, trained by Young and ridden by Korrell, won the $25,000, 3 1/2 mile Timber Stakes by 3/4 length in 6:54 2/3 over Goodoldtimes, trained by Beecher, and Hard Games, trained by Neilson.

"I rode and schooled The Butler Yates quite a lot when I worked for Leslie."said Korrell. "He's very uncomplicated now. He used to be quirky, when he came over from Ireland. He used to be very slow over the fences, but that was the best he's ever jumped." 

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Keys Discount and Ethics won the two Stakes at the Virginia Fall Races

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October 13, 2025

By SARA CAVANAGH

MIDDLEBURG, Va.--Jack Fisher trained horses that again dominated in a steeplechase meet, this time at the Virginia Fall Races on Saturday, Oct. 11.

Ethics ridden by Freddie Procter (Photo by Tod Marks)Fisher had three winners, including in both Stakes, and had horses finish first, second and third in the Three-Year-Old Hurdle Stakes.

Riverdee Stable's Ethics, ridden by Freddie Procter, won the $50,000, 2 1/8 mile Will O'Keefe Memorial Three-Year-Old Stakes by 2 lengths in 4:06 45 over Scorpius and Cooper, both also trained by Fisher.

Mrs. John R.S. Fisher's Keys Discount, ridden by Graham Watters, won the $50,000, 3 1/4 mile National Sporting Library & Museum Timber Stakes by 10 1/4 lengths in 6:38 over Marcel Magic (Ire), trained by Kathy Neilson, and Wagner (ire), trained by Todd Wyatt.

Fisher's third winner was Potus, another owned by Riverdee Stable,and ridden by Watters, who won the $20,000, 3 mile Maiden Timber by 4 1/4 lengths in 5:37 2/5 over Glencorrib Sky (Ire), trained by Leslie Young and Total Joy (Ire), also trained by Young.

Ethics was bred and raced by Calumet as a 2- and 3-year old with only one third place finish from four starts,

"I watched him race as a 2-year-old at Kentucky Downs," said Sean Clancy, syndicate manager of Riverdee Stable. "He fell out of the gate and was far behind, but he finished 10 when he should have been dead last. I thought right then he'd make a jumper. He certainly had the pedigree."

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Russell Jones' syndicate's Barnavera won Prix de l'Opera

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October 9, 2025

By SARA CAVANAGH

UNIONVILLE, Pa.--Barnavera (Ire), owned by Alpha Racing, a small Irish syndicate that includes Russell Jones of Unionville, won the G1 Prix de l'Opera in France on Sunday, Oct. 5.

Barnavera winning Prix de l'Opera"It was the best day of my racing life," said Jones.

Barnavera, a 3-year-old by Calyx out of a Kentucky Dynamite mare, won the 11/4 mile, 587,000 Euro Stakes for fillies and mares 3 and up at Paris Longchamps by a neck in a driving finish.

"We bought her two years ago as a yearling for 85,000 Euros," said Jones. "She won as a 2-year-old and a 3-year-old. She's now won a G3, a G2 and a G1. This was her first race outside of Ireland."

Alpha Racing is a small syndicate that operates in Ireland.

"We started the syndicate about five or six years ago," said Jones. "We started it after my good friend Johnny Harrington died. A group of his friends got together to start the syndicate. There's between 15 and 20 in the syndicate every year."

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Cool Jet won the $75,000 Mariann De Tejeda Memorial at Foxfield

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October 7, 2025

By SARA CAVANAGH

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va--Cool Jet (Ire), trained by Jack Fisher, won the G3, 12 1/8 mile, $75,000 Mariann De Tejeda Memorial at the Foxfield Fall Races on Sunday, Oct. 6.

Cool Jet winning the Commonwealth Cup (Photo by Tod Marks)Owned by Riverdee Stable and ridden by Bernie Dalton, the 9 year-old Cool Jet won by 4 3/4 lengths over Foxy Walk (Ire), trained by Leslie Young, with Who's Counting, trained by Sean McDermott, third, finishing in 4:03, the fastest time of the day.

The favored Snap Decision, owned by Bruton Street-US and also trained by Fisher, finished fifth. 

"Cool Jet came to me from Pat Doyle as a 6-year-old, and he's been sterling ever since," said Sean Clancy, head of the Rverdee syndicate. "He's a hard trying over-achiever."

Cool Jet has run 12 times for Riverdee Stable with five wins, three seconds, a third and two fourths after racing in England and Ireland as a 4- and 5-year old.

"He'll run next a the G2 at the International Gold Cup," said Clancy. "It depends on how he does there where he goes after that. He's not gong to Far Hills. The 2 5/8 mile race would be too far for him."

Fisher was unavailable for comment as he was in hospital following a fall.

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Graham Motion, Jack Fisher, Keri Brion, Liz Merryman and Michael Matz have winners

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September 30, 2025

By SARA CAVANAGH

FAIR HILL, Md.--Over the past month, Graham Motion has had 11 winners, including five stakes winners, Jack Fisher had  $170,000 Maiden winner, Keri Brion and Liz Merryman had four winners each, and Michael Matz had a winner.

Jack Fisher Fisher saddled Bruton Street-US' The Jackal, ridden by Forest  Boyce, to win a $170.000, 1 1/2 mile Maiden Special Weight turf race at Kentucky Downs by 3/4 length on Aug. 31.

The Jackal, a 5-year-old by Medaglio D'Oro out of a Tapit mare.was trained by Chug McGaughey for Woodford Racing from July 2024 to October, 2024 with one second and one third in maiden special weight races, and then was purchased by Bruton Street to become a steeplechase horse.

Fisher ran him over hurdles at Colonial Downs on Aug. 7, and he won.

"He can't jump," said Fisher despite his win. "He won that race, but I thought he was going to fall over every fence on the backside."

So Fisher entered him on the flat and won the $170,000 Maiden Special Weight at Kentucky Downs.

"He's in the field now" said Fisher. "Then when we bring him back up, we'll teach him how to jump this winter."

When The Jackal does learn how to jump,  he looks like he'll be another powerhouse for Fisher and Bruton Street.

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Jack Fisher had three winners including Keys Discount in the Timber Stakes at Shawan Downs

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September 28, 2025

By SARA CAVANAGH

HUNT VALLEY, Md.--Jack Fisher dominated the races at Shawan Downs, winning three of the six races and finishing second in one and third in two others on Saturday, Sept. 27.

Keys Discount leads over the last in the Brown Advisory Stakes (Photo by Tod Marks)Fisher's three winners included Maiden and Allowance Hurdle winners and the winner of the Timber Stakes.

He saddled Keys Discount, owned by his mother, Mrs. John R.S.Fisher and ridden by Graham Watters to win the $25,000 3 1/8 mile Brown Advisory Timber Stakes by 4 1/4 lengths in 6:46 2/5 over Animal Kingston, trained by Neil Morris, and Queens Empire (Ire), also trained by Fisher.

"Keys Discount has stamped himself as the horse to beat," said Fisher. "It was the way he won it that was so impressive. He won it easily."

"He'll go to Middleburg next," he said. 

Keys Discount has now won three hurdle stakes this year, beginning with the Virginia Gold Cup and then the Middleburg Hunt Cup and now at Shawan Downs.

Fisher's horses finished first and second in the first race on the card,  the $20,000 Maiden Three Year Old Hurdle.

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Mark Beecher saddled Timetoshine to win $100,000 hurdle at Colonial

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September 12, 2025

By SARA CAVANAGH

NEW KENT, Va..--TimetoShine (Fr) won the !00,000 Life''s Illusion 2 1/4 mile Filly and Mare Hurdle Stakes at Colonial Downs on Thursday, Sept. 11.

Timetoshine (Photo by Coady Media)Trained by Mak Beecher, owned by Runnymoore Racing and ridden by Dan Nevin, Timetoshine won by 8 lengths over Anador (Fr), trained by Todd McKenna, and Madaket's Arrow trained by Kate Dalton, finishing in 4{03.86.

"That was a massive win," said Beecher. "It was a great pick-up for us."

"I bought her iin May for Runnymoore," he said. "She'd been running in England. I got her acclimated to the heat here. This was her first race in this country."

"Her owners never put any pressure on me to race her," Beecher said. "They said, run her when she's ready."

"Today was perfect for her," he said. "A little overcast, and the ground was a little yielding."

"She's a lovely, light-type mare," Beecher said, ""We'll get her home and see how she is, She'll probably run next in the filly and mare stake at Far Hills."

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Successful Fair Hill Races leads to plans for additonal meets

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September 3, 2025

By SARA CAVANAGH

ELKTON, Md--Officials have declared the Fair Hill Races on Aug. 30 to have been a success and say that there will be another meet over Memorial Day weekend.

Fair Hill turf course "We were thrilled with the day," said George Mahoney, Chairman of the Maryland Racing Commission.

"This was a good first step," said Joe Clancy, a member of Sports Corp., the group that organized the meet. "We puposely didn't have any jump races. We didn't want to compete against Colonial Downs or Saratoga or hurt their entries. We held the number of entries to eight in the interest of safety, and we didn't charge admission."

"We got a good crowd, and I think that the people that came had a good time," said Clancy. "The total betting handle was $56,5503. The total handle is always going to be small, and that never was a money maker, but it's a tradition to have betting. In the old days the handle was around $200,00, but 75 percent of that goes back to the betters and 25 percent is divided between the races, which pay all the expense of betting, and the Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources."

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Taylor Kingsley won two races at the first meet held at Fair Hill in six years

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September 1, 2025

By SARA CAVANAGH

ELKTON, Md.--Recently turned professional Taylor Kingsley rode two winners as racing returned to the Fair Hill turf course on Saturday, Aug, 30 after six long years. 

Taylor Kingsley (File photo)The day, which featured six flat turf races, all without a starting gate but with para-mutual betting, was very successful despite a few minor glitches.

Kingsley won both divisions of the $20,000, 1 mile and five furlongs Starter Allowance, one for Tom Garner and one for her father Arch Kingsley.

Garner saddled Bonita Farm's Fightnomoreforever to win by 1 3/4 lengths over Fenwick, trained by Garner, and Mortal Sin trained by Danielle Hodsdon.

"Fightnomoreforever was a professional," said Kingsley. "He really didn't need me at all. When a hole opened up on the turn, I didn't have to ask him, he just went through it."

"I was delighted to win at the first races  back at Fair Hill," she said. "It was like christening the track. I would love to win one for my Dad at this track."

So in the very next race, she did just that, winning on Gossiper.

"That was brilliant, wasn't it," said Kingsley. "Perfect timing. That was my first win for him as a professional. i still want to win for him at a flat track out of the gate."

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Jimmy P, trained by Keri Brion, won the G1 Sheppard at Saratoga

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August 27, 2025

By Staff Writers

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. --Keri Brion continued her incredible week-long stretch with yet another win, this time with Jimmy P in the G1 Jonathan Sheppard Memorial Hurdle Handicap on Wednesday, Aug, 27 at Saratoga,

Jimmy P, saddlecloth 9, outduels Zarak the Brave to win the Sheppard (Photo by Tod Marks)Brion has now won seven races in seven days, four on the flat and three over fences.

Madaket Stables, Molly Willis and Paul Willis’ Jimmy , ridden by Stephen Mulqueen, won by 3/4 length over Zarak the Brave, trained by Tom Garner, and Hidden Path, trained by Ricky Henriks.

Jimmy P had blinkers taken off by Brion and successfully defended his title in the G1, $150,000 Jonathan Sheppard, a 2 3/8-mile hurdle handicap for older horses, at Saratoga Race Course.

Jimmy P had run five times between winning the Sheppard last year and then again this year, not hitting the board in any of those five races.

Brion said she took the blinkers off Jimmy P to help keep his interest throughout the race.

“He’ll outwork anything in the morning and then you put him in the race and he’s just kind of nonchalant about it,” Brion said. “So, I put them on and then I thought let’s just change it back up again, take them off, just keep messing with him a little bit – he did nothing wrong last year in this race, let’s just do exactly the same thing.”

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Jack Fisher had a flat Stakes winner in Mission North

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August 23, 2025

By SARA CAVANAGH

NEW KENT, Va.--Leading steeplechase trainer Jack Fisher saddled Mission North to win the $125,000 Find Stakes at Colonial Downs on Saturday, Aug, 16.

Mission North (Photo by Coady Media)Owned and bred by Northwoods Stable, Mission North, ridden by Forest Boyce, won the 1 1/16 mlle turf Stakes by 3/4 length over Giganter, trained by Steve Asmussen.

Fisher has alternated Mission North between flat races and steeplechase races, with great success in both.

Mission North now has four wins and a third in five starts this year, with an overall record of six wins and two thirds from 13 starts.

Fisher ran hm on the flat in '23 and '24 before winning his first start this year, which was also his first race over fences, at Old Dominion Hounds in a Maiden Special Weight in April.

Since then, he's won the Speedy Smithwick Hurdle Stake at Great Meadow, an Allowance race at Laurel and now in Find Stakes.

"He'll run one more time on the flat at Colonial and then go to the 4-year-old Stakes at Far Hills," said Fisher.

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Brion has two Maiden winners and Neilson has a Handicap winner at Colonial

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August 21, 2025

By SARA CAVANAGH

NEW KENT, Va.--Keri Brion had the winners of both $60,000 Maiden Hurdle races on Thursday, Aug. 21 at Colonial Downs, while Kathy Neilson saddled the winner of the $35,000 Handicap Hurdle.

Swore (Photo by Photos Coady Media)Brion also had two winners at Saratoga in the afternoon for four winners in one day - quite a day!

Swore, trained by Brion and ridden by Stephen Mulqueen, won the first race, a $60,000, 2 1/4 mile Maiden Hurdle, by 2 1/4 lengths over Gratia Prince, trained by Barry Foley and ridden by Bernie Dalton, and Predominate, trained by Todd McKenna and ridden by Freddie Procter.

"Swore is a nice horse for Stone Farm and Upland Flats, which is owned by Patrick Lewis ," said Brion. "He's one of my nicest new horses to go jumping."

A 6-year-old by Broken Vow out of a Ghostzapper mare, Swore was trained by Graham Motion through his 5-year-old year with one win, in an allowance race, two seconds and two thirds.

He was second in his first race for Brion, a maiden hurdle at Colonial. 

Swore ran third for much of race, moved to the inside on the final turn to get to the lead with a furlong to go and edged clear to win in a drive by 2 1/4 lengths. 

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Little Trilby won the $75,000 Michael G. Walsh Novice Stakes at Saratoga

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August 15, 2025

By SARA CAVANAGH

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--Ricky Hendriks saddled Little Trilby (GB)  to win the $75,000, 2 3/8 mile Michael G. Walsh Novice Stakes at Saratoga on Wednesday, Aug. 13.

Little Trilby, running second to last early in the race (Photo by Tod Marks)Del Rio's Litlle Trilby, ridden by Conor Tierney, won by 12 1/4 lengths in 4:40.29 over Travesuras, trained by Cyril Murphy, with the favorite Roja Redemption another 7 lengths back in third.

Carloun went into the lead from the flag drop but pecked badly losing his rider, giving the lead to Roja Redemption,, who led through the back side and over the last fence.

Litlle Tilby was racing near the back of the seven horse field, moving forward through the backstretch and moved into contention after the last fence.

He caught Roja Redemption on the final turn and went into the lead at the top of the stretch,extending his lead to win easily by 12 1/4 lengths.

This was Little Trlby's second win since being imported last August.

He won the Holiday Stakes in Aiken last November, then finished second in the Carolina Cup Hurdle Stakes in Camden in March.

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Laurelin, trained by Graham Motion, won again to remain undefeated in five starts

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August 9, 2025

By Staff Writers

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y--Undefeated Laurelin, trained by Graham Motion, won the Gr2, $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks Invitational, a 1 3/16 mile Mellon turf race,on Saturday, Aug. 9 to keep her perfect record intact.

Laurelin in the winners circleWinning by 1 3/4 lengths, the 3-year-old chestnut filly is undefeated in five starts, all on the turf, beginning with a Maiden win at Belmont followed by wins at Aqueduct in the Tepin Stakes last November and the Memories of Silver Stakes in April and then the Penn Oaks Stakes  at Penn National in June. 

“It’s very hard to go 5-for-5 and I don’t think I’ve ever had a horse do that before,” said Motion. “A lot of things have to go right, and they have to be very good. I feel like we’ve done right by her and tried to go step-by-step and this was a logical time to go into a graded race.

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