MONKTON, Md.--Uco Valley (Ire), trained by Leslie Young, won the $50,000, 3 mile My Lady's Manor Timber Stakes on Saturday, April 11.
Uco Valley takes a jump early in the My Lady's Manor (Photo by Tod Marks)Uco Valley, owned by Potter Group USA, Gaskells Waste Service and Ashwell Stales and ridden by Darren Andrews, won by 6 1/4 lengths over Animal Kingston, trained by Neil Morris, and The Butler Yates (Ire), also trained by Young.
Bogey's Image, trained by Joe Davies and ridden by Teddy Davies, actually won the race, but after a very long Steward's inquiry, Bogey's Image was disqualified for carrying the incorrect weight.
Apparently, when Davies weighed out after the race, he was carrying a pound less than the 165 assigned weight.
"Nobody wants to win that way," said Young. "I feel badly for Teddy, Joe and the owners. But I don't make the rules."
"Uco Valley jumped great," said Young. "I had Darren Andrews over from England, and Uco Valley relaxed incredibly well for him. That's funny, because he's usually quite keen. He was so relaxed he was a bit far back in the field. I would have felt better if he was up where my other horse, The Butler Yates, was. He had too much to do at the end to catch Bogey's Image."
HE'S ENTERED at the Grand National," said Young, "We'll see how the ground is before we decide if he'll run. Then he'll go to the Gold Cup. The Butler Yates will go to the Hunt Cup."
Uco Valley finished second in the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup last fall as well as running second in the International Gold Cup Stakes and the Middleburg Hunt Cup Stakes last year.
Mark Beecher saddled Runnymoore Racing's Tufton Avenue (Ire), ridden by Dan Nevin, to win the $29,000 John Rush Streett Memorial Maiden Timber by 4 1/4 lengths over Minella Plus (Ire), trained by Tom Garner, and The Ballybreen Fox, trained by Davies.
Morris saddled Runnymoore Racing's Step Out (Ire), ridden by Eric Poretz, to win the $20,000 Thomas H. Voss Memorial Maiden Timber by 1 3/4 lengths over The Kid Rocks, trained by Meriweather Morris, and Jeremy Pass (Ire), trained by Davies.
Davies saddled Armata Stables' De Nordener (Ire), ridden by Sophie O'Brien, to win the $15,000 Apprentice Rider Timber by 1/2 length over Recoup (GB), trained by Kathy Neilson, and Monbeg Stream (Ire), trained by Young.
