GLYNDON, Md.--Mr. Fine Threads won the Maryland Hunt Cup on a rainy Saturday, April 25 for owner Armata Stable's fourth win and trainer Joe Davies' eight win in the most difficult timber race in the world.

Mr. Fine Threads leads Great Road at the 6th (Photo by Tammie Monaco)Ridden by Charlie Marshall, Mr. Fine Threads won by 6 lengths over Shootist, trained by Todd McKenna and Royal Ruse, trained by Sanna Neilson.

Seven of the nine starters finished, with Withoutmoreado, who won in 2024 and was second last year, and Road to Oz, who won last year, being the only two that fell.

"The third time was the charm," said Davies of Mr. Fine Threads, who had fallen in his first two runs in the Hunt Cup. "It started raining 10 minutes before the race, not enough to soften the ground but enough to make it slippery."

"Withoutmoreado slipped on the take-off at the sixth,"said Davies of the horse ridden by son Teddy. "Teddy's okay and is planning to ride in the Gold Cup this weekend."

"Mr. Fine Threads had a pretty quiet first fences at the back of the field and began to move forward at the 16th," he said. 

 

MR. FINE THREADS moved into the lead at the 18tth, was caught and passed at the water by Shootist but fought back and jumped the last head and head with Shootist and went on to draw clear in the stretch.

Left to right, Mr. Fine Threads, Animal Kingston, Shootist with Great Road in back"He met the last fence well," said Davies. "Charlie gave him a beautiful ride, just as Teddy gave him in the Grand National win last week. No other horse has won both the Grand National and the Hunt Cup since Blythe (Miller Davies) won it on Private Attack in 2011.

"That was Charlie's third ride in the Hunt Cup. He rode Mr.Fine Threads at Willowdale last year, so he had had one ride on him before the Hunt Cup.

"Charlie's family and our family are close friends, so Charlie is more than a fly-in jockey,"said Davies.

Davies won the Hunt Cup twice as a rider, and this was Davies' eighth win as a trainer since 2016, and only Janon Fisher with six wins is close to that record.

This was Armata Stable's fourth win since Welter Weght won in 1999 but also Armata's third win since the trophy was last retired, so Armata has now retired the latest trophy.

"How lucky can you be," said Ben Griswold, of the Armata Stable's now family affair. "If you asked me would I rather win the Kentucky Derby or the Maryland Hunt Cup, the Hunt Cup would win by a mile."

Withoutmoreado  leads Shootist with Animal Kingston in red cap farthest awayArmata Stable was a partnership between Griswold and Perry Bolton until Bolton died.

"Perry and I had a fabulous 30-odd years of partnership." said Griswold. "Now my brother Jay and sister Nancy Knox have taken Parry's share."

"Joe prepared him perfecrtly, and Charlie gave him a beautiful ride," said Griswold."Retiring the trophy makes it even more meaningful."

"This was Mr. Fine Thread's first time running in the Hunt Cup with shoes on," said Davies. "After a year and a half without shoes, his feet changed completely. I had to put shoes on him to hunt him, with all the streams and rocks. I took the field on him. He's a great hunter."

"This was Mr.Fine Thread's third win in his last three sanctioned races," said Davies. "He's going horse showing this summer, then back to hunting in the fall. Then with luck back to the Hunt Cup next year."

While Mr.Fine Threads was winning the Grand National, Justin Batolff caused a disastrous crash between his horse, Storm Team, and Uco Valley that took out both horses.

After being fined and his dangerous riding being referred to the NSA Stewards Committee, Batoff surrendered his license as a NSA jockey.