Open Timber race winner Hill Tie, ridden by Eric Poretz. Photo credit Marcella Peyre-Ferry
Small fields went to the post for five sanctioned timber races at the 77th running of the Brandywine Hills Point to Point on Sun., April 7 at the Myrick Conservation Center outside West Chester, PA.
The featured Open Timber Race for the Henry C. Baldwin Challenge Trophy was won by Hill Tie, a nine-year-old owned by Julie and Dan Colhoun of Sportsmans Hall, trained by Joseph Davies and ridden by Eric Poretz.
Hill Tie set the pace from the start in the three horse race, followed at a distance by Eddie Keating on Irvin S. Naylor’s Ardrahan, with Beck’s Bad Boy, owned by Ivy Hill Stable and ridden by Sean McDermott, racing third. The trio came to the finish in the same order, well-spaced in a running time of 6:05.
When asked if the race had been ridden to plan, Davies explained, “I’ll quote Woody Stevens about jockey instructions, ‘there’s no point giving them. The good ones don’t need them, the bad ones can’t follow them, so why bother?’”
Brian Owings had been scheduled to ride Hill Tie but suffered a fall a week earlier. Hill Tie won the Benjamin H. Murray Memorial Race at the Grand National last spring and is nominated for the Grand National itself this year. “We’re trying to find a rider,” Davies said. “Brett Owings we hope will be back in time, but he had a little bit of a concussion last week. We’re anxiously waiting to hear on that.”
Poretz rode another winner for Davies in the Novice Timber. Rollforward, owned by Charles Noell, took the Henry Latrobe Roosevelt Challenge Trophy for the win after leading from the first fence onward.
Setting the pace for the race. Rollforward had a long lead at times, as much as 30 lengths, with William Meister’s Timmy T running closest to him for most of the way. Timmy T pulled up before the horses entered the long run and final jump before the finish. The remaining three runners tightened the gap somewhat, but never really pressed Rollforward as he jumped the last fence alone and finished unchallenged. Completing the course in second place was Irvin Naylor’s Jack Slade with Eddie Keating aboard followed by La Isabella and Expedient in third and fourth.
The Novice Timber was the fastest race of the day, completed in 5:50 for the course of roughly three miles and 17 jumping efforts.
“Charlie (Noell) and my wife actually own him,” Davies said about the horse. “He’s been plagued with minor things, he got hurt in the van once. He’s giving a good accounting of himself.”
Looking forward, Davies does not want to speculate on the future. “During years past we’ve had some moments with good horses and we’ve had some moments with a good rider but we’ve never really had them coincide like they have this year – to have some good horses and to have a good rider like Eric who is just hungrier than anybody, he’s a great amateur, a great sport and a tribute to the game. He’s one of the best, maybe the best ever,” he said. “We’ve had five wins on the weekends with five timber horses and the other one we ran was second. Anything can happen, it can turn on a dime, so we appreciate every happy day that we have and if we never win another race we’ve had a great time.”
Heavyweight Race
Five quality horses started the Joseph T. Murtagh Memorial Heavyweight Race with William Meister’s Battle Aray setting the pace for most of the three mile course. Battle Aray kept a lead of several lengths, even after a sticky jump with six to go.
Eddie Keating on Joshua G (owned by Armata Stables) made his move between the last two fences, so that he was jumping side by side with Battle Aray at the last. Battle Aray’s hind legs clipped the top rail of the final fence, breaking it. The horse continued without breaking stride, but Joshua G had the momentum to take over in the stretch run and earn the win for trainer Katherine Neilson.
Neilson also trained Embarrassed, the winner of the Ladies Race for the Betty Baldwin Meister Memorial Trophy.
Gas Can Eddie, ridden by Bethany Baumgardner, set the pace for the race, running at the lead, followed by Annie Yeager on Derwins Prospector with Embarrassed, and Our RJ trailing. The story changed when they turned for the straight run to the finish with two jumps to go. Embarrassed, owned by Armata Stables and ridden by Skyler McKenna, moved up and forward, taking over the lead, and lengthening it to the finish line.
This was the second point to point win for sixteen-year-old McKenna who is just moving up from the pony racing ranks. “It went very well,” she said, explaining that it had been her plan before the race to let Baumgardner set the pace. “I thought that was where she was going to go. I don’t have much experience, so I don’t know what pace I do want. He’s so nice, a very natural jumper, and really willing.”
The final race of the day was the Foxhunter Timber. With just two horses going to the post, Julie Nafe on Forgotten Knot took the win when Sarah Martin fell from race leader W W Salty Queen about halfway through the course.
Junior Races
Junior riders had the option of a Junior Field Master Race, following the master over fences through a two mile course before being turned loose to run for the finish line., Ponies and horses ran together with awards presented for each size division.
First under the wire and winner of the horse division was Guts for Garters, ridden by Parker Hendriks, with Marisol Jimenez on Easy Ed the second horse to finish. Awards also went to Austin Belt on Domino Effect in the Medium Pony Division and Maddie Rowland on Bailey in the Large Pony Division.
An exciting four pony contest for the Farrashaca Memorial Perpetual Trophy Small Pony race was won by Lickity Split, owned by Elizabeth McCue, with 12-year-old Thomas Houghton aboard.
“He’s fast. The bad thing is he gets a little excited before the race, I guess that’s good because he’s all hyped up and stuff and he’s just real fast. If you don’t get the start you still gain up into the front,” Houghton said. “I love riding him. He’s my favorite pony.”
The Medium Pony Race for the American Girl Perpetual Trophy was a two pony contest with Squeak and 13-year-old owner/rider Elizabeth Barr winning by a distance over Work to Ride’s Betty the Brat with Mark Anthony Harley aboard.
Barr has raced at Brandywine Hills before, but this was her first win on this course. “It’s very nice. I love how there’s so many people here,” she said after the race. “He’s very fast. He’s a little hard to pull up. It takes him a few minutes to calm down.”
The Large Pony Race for the Down Hill Runner Challenge Trophy was won by 14-year-old Joey Dipierro on David Davies’ Hot Chocolate.
Hot Chocolate is a frequent winner in the pony races. “A couple of years from now I’m going to race horses but for now she’s doing as good as she can.” Dipierro said. “I just let her do her race.”
The only steward’s action of the day was the disqualification of the first finisher in the Lead Line Pony Race. Trace Houghton and Baloo were set down for breaking into a canter. The official win went to All Russelled Up with rider Adlai Kaplan. Zara Kaplan finished second on Buckin Benson.