Held Sat., May 8, steeplechase racing at Willowdale, in Kennett Square, PA had a different look this year, as Covid-19 restrictions limited crowd sizes and tempered the usual party atmosphere. There were no additional attractions such as terrier races, car show and shopping tents. Spectators were asked to remain with their groups as much as possible, wear masks, and not crowd along the racecourse sideline fence. Fans were able to follow along with an online only program, and streaming video of the races was available.
The featured race of the day was the Buttonwood/Sycamore Farm Willowdale Steeplechase Timber Stakes for a $35,000 purse. The 3-1/2 mile timber was won by Renegade River, owned by Kiplin Hall and trained by William Dowling.
Jockey Eddie Keating took Renegade River to the front on the start where he set a leisurely pace that went unchallenged for the bulk of the race. The pace picked up somewhat halfway through, after the course changed direction, but Renegade River was not pressured until the final turn into the last jump. Schoodic and Awesome Adrian closed the gap after the last jump, but they did not have time to make up enough ground before going under the wire. Renegade River held on to win by a neck in a time of 7:16.94 with Schoodic, owned by Mrs. John R. S. Fisher in second and Awesome Adrian, owned by Nancy Reed, placing third.
The Willowdale Steeplechase Races are traditionally held on Mother’s Day weekend. This year’s results followed that theme with a number of winning mother-trainer/child-jockey combinations.
The first race on the card was the $10,000 Liam MaGee hurdle for apprentice riders. Taking the win was Mighty Mark, owned and trained by Kathrine Neilson and ridden by her daughter Skyler McKenna.
All six starters stayed in a tight group behind Boss Man under Eddie Keating for owners Carrington Holdings LLC. and trainer Todd Wyatt. Boss Man held the lead from the start until the final turn. As they took the last jump and began a long run to the finish, horses that had been following the pacesetter took over.
Mighty Mark finished in a time of 4:50 4/5 followed by Adlestrop Hill’s entry Paddy’s Crown under Chloe Hannum in second and Hepcat, owned by Steve Poorman and owner/trainer Sanna Neilson with Parker Hendriks aboard.
“He’s a cool horse. We thought coming in that you have to stay off the pace,” McKenna said after the win.
Another mother daughter combination went to the winner’s circle in the second race, The Folly, a $10,000 Maiden Claiming Hurdle.
Lemon Again, owned by Fearnought Farm LLC, led the first two laps around the course, at times by eight lengths or more, but when the horses came back into view for the second time to begin the downhill run 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 Strawbridge’s Lap Of The Gods in third.
This was the first win in a sanctioned race for rider Mel Boucher, daughter of Ismusbemyluckyday 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 follow 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 division saw Holiday Mousse, owned by William M. Russell, win under jockey McLane Hendriks for trainer Neil Morris.
Rakhaa, owned by Ballybristol Farm LLC led in the early going, while Hendriks waited with the pack before he made his move at the final fence with Holiday 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 Merriefield 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 Timber. 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 Nothing 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 3/4 lengths in a time of 6:09 2/5.
A new addition to Willowdale 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.