June 2021 Issue

Page 14 June 2021 EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN Email: eschfence@gmail.com - Fax: -- WHOLESALE & RETAIL Phone -- Tell our advertisers you found them in East Coast Equestrian. www. EquineColicReliefUSA.com • Email: zebecash2@hotmail.com Renegade River Wins 28th Annual Willowdale Steeplechase to the final turn jockey Eddie Keating was slowing up, leaving Ismusbemyluckyday at the top of the pack. Ismusbemyluckyday, owned by Kuhn’s Dominion stayed on top through the final fence, but the lead began to change hands in a tightly contested stretch run. Ismusbemyluckyday got back to the front by ¾ length as they came under the wire in a time of 4:52 3/5, followed by Irvin S. Naylor’s West Newton in second and Stewart Straw- bridge’s Lap Of The Gods in third. This was the first win in a sanctioned race for rider Mel Boucher, daughter of Ismusbe- myluckyday trainer Lilith Boucher. The streak of family wins continued in the Rose Tree Cup, a $15,000 hurdle race over 2-1/4 miles won by He’ll Do under jockey Parker Kendriks riding for his mother, owner/trainer Sanna Neilson. Beverly Steinman’s Go As You Please set the pace for the first time around the course but just after beginning the second lap, jockey Bernard Dalton pulled his horse up leaving William Russell’s Animal Kingston on the lead. While the horses were out of sight behind the trees, Junonia, owned by Kinross Farm, took over the lead but lost rider Bryan Cullinane as they turned downhill for the final time. The horse ran loose but did not stop He’ll Do from getting by and making it first under the wire. “They didn’t really go out in front of me. I tried to fol- low around Animal Kingston, I thought he was going to be the one to beat,” Parker Hendriks said after the race. “Actually, there was a loose horse that kind of came up next to me and dragged me along.” The Landhope Cup, a $10,000 Maiden Timber race, drew so many entries it was run in two divisions. The first divi- sion saw Holiday Mousse, owned by William M. Russell, win under jockey McLane Hendriks for trainer Neil Morris. Rakhaa, owned by Bally- bristol Farm LLC led in the early going, while Hendriks waited with the pack before he made his move at the final fence with Hol- iday Mousse. “I called on him to jump at the last,” Hendriks said. By the time they went under the wire, Holiday Mousse had a two- length margin over second place Our Legend, owned by Rather Be Racing. In the second division, My Afleet under jockey Graham Watters not only was on top wire to wire but won going away with a winning margin of more than nine lengths in a time of 5:46 3/5. My Afleet is owned by Merrief- ield Farm and trained by Mark Beecher. “I jumped out sharp and no one wanted to come with me,” Watters said after the race. The day wrapped up with the Marshall Jenny Memorial $10,000 Apprentice Rider Tim- ber. Winner Include It, owned by Riverdee Stable and trained by Todd Wyatt, traveled with the pack while Canyon Road and then Katnap set an easy pace in the early going. When the course changed direction at the midpoint of the race the speed picked up. At the last fence Skyler McKenna on It’s Noth- ing took the lead followed by Include It. Include It picked up speed in the stretch to go to the finish with a win by 3 ¾ lengths in a time of 6:09 2/5. A new addition to Willow- dale this year was the inaugural presentation of a perpetual trophy to the winning trainer. This first- time award went to Katherine Neilson who saddled a winner, a second place finisher and three third place horses over the course of the day. (Continued from page 1)