PrintWhen the starter raised his flag for the $75,000 Livingsocial Virginia Gold Cup, May 7, six horses were nervously approaching the line. But by the time they’d set off and reached the second of 23 fences, the race was down to just three—and still dwindling.
As they approached the second, last year’s International Gold Cup winner He’s A Conniver chipped in hard, catapulting Jody Petty over his head and pulling his bridle off.
As More Fascination landed, he saw He’s A Conniver rolling around on the other side of the fence and shot to his left, unseating Paddy Young.
Next Delta Park shied to the right of the fallen horse, dropping Xavier Aiz-puru on the turf. The three grass-stained jockeys could only watch as their mounts galloped off without them.
Uppercut (Darren Nagle) inherited the lead with Bon Caddo (Blair Water-man Wyatt) and Radio Flyer (Robert Walsh) in full pursuit until the horses turned for home. Soon after the second to last, Nagle pulled up Uppercut with a suspected leg injury.
Bon Caddo passed Uppercut and jumped the last boldly. With no pressure, he sprinted ahead to win by 13 lengths over Radio Flyer for owner Merriefield Farm.
Wyatt is only the third female jockey to win the coveted race in its 86 editions. Sanna Neilson Hendriks won in 1991 with Oliver Keelan’s Joe’s OK, and Blythe Miller Davies won with Irv Naylor’s Make Me A Champ in 2002.
“After the fall, Robby and I just kind of looked over at each other,” Wyatt said.
“We were like, ‘What the heck just happened?’ We could not believe it.”
After winning at My Lady’s Manor (Md.) on April 16, trainer Dawn Williams planned to run Bon Caddo at the Mary-land Hunt Cup, but Wyatt took a tumble while schooling right after the Manor and broke her collarbone. Uninterested in finding another jockey, Williams decided to point the horse to the other four-mile timber race, the Virginia Gold Cup.
Wyatt doesn’t ride this race often, electing instead for the amateur-only big timber in Maryland.
“I’d been pushing for Hunt Cup because I really wanted to ride there,” she said.
“And then I did something stupid to my collarbone, and here we are.”
Wyatt taped up her shoulder for the race and said she didn’t feel any discomfort.
“I didn’t notice a thing,” she said. “He doesn’t pull. If I questioned my ability I wouldn’t have come out here today. It wouldn’t be fair to the horse or his owner.”
Bon Caddo, who is now temporarily leading the National Steeplechase Asso-ciation’s standings for money earned ($66,000), almost hurdles the timber, taking the huge fences in stride.
“He’s really quick and efficient,” Wyatt said.
