December 2020/January 2021 Issue

EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN December 2020/January 2021 Page 19 Mystic Strike Survives Slop to Win PA Hunt Cup the $15,000 Arthur O. Choate, Jr. Memorial. Opting to run in the three-mile timber race turned out to be a good decision that led to the winner’s circle. Armata Stables’ Vin- tage Vinnie ridden by Archie Macauley took the lead early, sometimes gaining a distance over the field. Riders behind him had an extra problem to worry about when Rocket Star Red lost rider Sean McDermott around the third fence. The loose horse not only stayed with the pack, it ran second or third for the remainder of the race, jumping most of the timber fences and going all the way to the finish line. With just two jumps to go, Vintage Vinnie’s lead was disap- pearing when he bobbled a jump bringing the runners tighter to- gether. Thomas Garner on Kiplin Hall’s Renegade River looked to be a strong contender at this point but slipped and fell on the turn into the straight. Gerard Galligan on Nancy Reed’s Awesome Adrian, and Royal Ruse both moved around Vintage Vinnie. Royal Ruse, with apprentice jockey Skyler McKenna had plenty left for the stretch run. The high school senior rode Royal Ruse to a win going away by a 35 length margin at a time of 6:53:2/5 for trainer Sanna Neilson, followed by Awesome Adrian in second and Vintage Vinnie third of the three finishers. Ledyard Timber The first race of the day was the Lewis C. Ledyard $10,000 Maiden timber race, another race of attrition with just four of the nine starters completing the course. Kinross Farm’s Pocket Talk, ridden by Eddie Keating and trained by Joseph Davies, was in the lead by the first fence and stayed on top to the finish. Al- though he was challenged several times, Pocket Talk rallied on each occasion. At the wire it was Pocket Talk in a winning time of 6:56, followed by Upland Part- ners’ Shootist in second and First Friday, owned by Four Virginia Gents in third. After the day’s three timber races, two divisions of the Athe- nian Idol Apprentice Training Flat Race were run. Of the ten starters in the first division, attention surrounded 2019 Eclipse Award winner Winston C, trained by Jonathan Sheppard and owned by Hudson River Farms. The horse is set to travel with four others to race overseas this winter where more racing opportunities are avail- able. Ridden by Eve Ledyard, Winston C was never put into contention in the flat race and finished seventh. "(We were) super happy with him,” Jonathan Sheppard’s assistant trainer Keri Brion said. “Plan was to just take him back and stay on the best ground possible and let him pass some up the stretch, which he did. He got a very good blow out of it, which we wanted. His first run is Dec. 31 in Ireland, so having this run in him before shipping to Ireland will hopefully do a lot for fitness.” Instead it was Pony Up, owned by Emily Astor and ridden by Courtney Dankanich, that went wire to wire to wire to win the race by 3 ¾ lengths in a time of 2:33 for trainer Ricky Hendricks. Finishing second was Senor Seville, owned by Richard Blue, Jr., and ridden by Madeline Rowland. Third went to Supervillain, owned by Wen- dy Hendriks, trained by Ricky Hendriks and ridden by McLane Hendriks. The second division of the Athenian Idol was the faster of the two with a time of 2:30: 4/5 for Sherry Fenwick’s Forgiving, trained by Jonathan Sheppard and ridden by Parker Hendriks. Forgiving showed a huge burst of speed in the stretch to earn the win by 2 ¾ lengths. The mare was followed by Petticoats Loose Farm’s The Kid Rocks with Skyler McKenna riding in second in his first start on the NSA circuit after winning seven times in 17 starts on the flat, mostly at Tampa Bay and Presque Isle Downs. Debra Kachel’s Better Tapit, ridden by McLane Hendriks finished in third. Each year, the primary beneficiary of proceeds from the PA Hunt Cup races is the Chester County Food Bank. Although there were no spectators per- mitted on the race site regular subscribers, live stream viewers and visitors to the website were encouraged to donate to the cause. “This year more than ever, our goal for the race meet has been twofold,” said race chair Anne Moran. “To support the horsemen who put on the show and to raise money for the food bank.” The effort is expected to add $10,000 to the race committee’s donation to the Food Bank. (Continued from page 7)