Seeyouattheevent ends a dry spell for the Great Meadow founder.

More than two decades have passed since Virginia owner Arthur W. Arundel has had a winner at the International Gold Cup in The Plains, Va., but with help from trainer Jack Fisher, he broke that dry
spell with Seeyouattheevent, Oct. 20.

A small field of six entered the $50,000 timber feature, run over 31⁄2 miles, including the 2005 winner Fields Of Omagh (Carl Rafter), Woodmont (Jeff Murphy), Allimac (James Fahey), Shady Valley (Russell Haynes) and Navesink View (Will Haynes).

William Dowling normally rides Seeyouattheevent, but he was at the Far Hills meet (N.J.) the same day, riding in the Breeders’ Cup, so Robert Walsh got the ride. Dowling rode Seeyouattheevent to a second-placed finish in the 2006 Gold Cup and won the $40,000 Radnor Hunt Cup (Pa.) in May.

At flag fall, Allimac took the lead, boldly dragging Fields Of Omagh, Woodmont and Seeyouattheevent with him. Navesink View made a spectacular jumping error at the sixth fence; both horse and rider were OK but ended up the next day splashed on the front cover of some major newspapers.

As the field turned for home Allimac lost steam and tired. Woodmont inherited the lead, jumping the last gamely. But Seeyouatthevent was hardly done, closing the distance and then some, leaving Woodmont for second about 8 lengths back as he set a new course record in 7:014⁄5. The previous record (7:081⁄5) was set by the great Buck Jakes in 1994.

Walsh knows the Great Meadow course well and figured patience was the name of the game.

“I had never sat on him,” Walsh said. “Willy told me just to wait. He has a great turn of foot and won’t let me down. I just wanted him to relax and switch off. He was jumping a little on the careful side. We were really going flat out for most of the race. I let Woodmont give us the lead at the last. When I landed I still had tons of horse.”

Walsh, who had a horrific accident in April at a point-to-point, spent the better part of the season healing from broken bones in his face and shoulder. The Irishman didn’t think he would be back in such good form so soon.

“Winning a timber race at Great Meadow is really special,” Walsh said. “The course is wonderful. You always have a huge crowd, and there is no better feeling than sitting on a good timber horse. I feel really lucky to have gotten here.”

Tennessee trainer Bruce Haynes, trainer of Navesink View and father to Will Haynes, said his son was a little surprised to find himself on the front page of the Washington Post, their hometown paper The Tennessean, and several others.

“He’s OK, the horse too,” Haynes said. “Just the pride is hurting. He will get over it eventually. We have plenty more timber races left.”

Seeyouattheevent, a 6-year-old grandson of Seattle Slew, started his season in the $20,000 Carolina Cup (S.C.) allowance timber, where he was third. He moved on to the $50,000 Virginia Gold Cup, where he placed fourth, then won Radnor. Fisher brought him back at Shawan Downs (Md.), where he placed third.

Oddly enough, Arundel, the founder of the Great Meadow course, has not had much luck over timber there. His last winner was Sugar Bee (Charlie Fenwick) who won it in 1983 and again in 1985. See-youattheevent moves up to third position in the National Steeple-chase Association timber standings with $63,500. Fisher currently has five horses on that list.

Walsh picked up a second win for Fisher with Gil Johnston’s Orpington in the $20,000 maiden claiming hurdle over Kinross Farm’s Dr. Kinsolving (Murphy).

Staying The Course
Murphy had better luck earlier in the day with Naylor’s Bon Fleur in the $25,000 steeplethon, and for the first time in ages, no riders were off course.

The 3-mile course is a mixed bag of hurdles, timber, stone walls, ditches and even a large expanse of water.

Last May at the spring steeplethon, Bon Fleur and Murphy crossed the wire first, but they were taken down when it was determined they had gone around the wrong beacon. This has happened more often than not. Since raising the steeplethon purses, the Virginia Gold Cup committee has decided to make all the jockeys sign a waver saying they have walked the course and know where they are going.

Unfortunately, the race pared down to three. Steeplethon specialist Northern Think-ing was scratched by
the course veterinarian, who said he was unsound at the vet check. Leslie McNemar’s Java To Go also was a late scratch.

With Northern Thinking out of the game, Murphy knew he had this race won. He just had to stay on course and not get too cocky over the unusual fences.

Bon Fleur took off, leaving Crestview Farm’s Western Fling (Carl Rafter) and Karen Gray’s Berani (Will Haynes) far behind. With each fence he gained a few more lengths. By the wire, Bon Fleur was a whopping 62 lengths ahead of Western Fling.

“He was just brilliant,” Murphy said. “He was really game, and at the open ditch he just sailed. He’s a really talented horse. I still think he could be good over just hurdles.”

Bon Fleur’s trainer Joe G. Davies was torn about losing the chance to go up against Bon Fleur’s nemesis Northern Thinking.

“I had mixed feelings when Northern Thinking came out,” Davies said. “Obviously, he was our main competition, but I really felt like Bon Fleur was doing so well, I was looking forward to taking him on.”
But Bon Fleur has not been the easiest horse to train.

“Jeff was just trying to steady him the whole way, and he jumped so well and has such rapid acceleration on the tight turns, nothing could run with him,” Davies said. “The most remarkable thing about the
performance was that he lost a front shoe with a mile to run, and he has the worst feet imaginable. But he has such heart and an engine to match—it didn’t slow him down.”

Davies and his wife, former champion jockey Blythe Miller Davies, do most of the day-to-day training of the horses.

“Blythe has done a miraculous job of getting him sound to run,” Davies said. “He has had incredible foot problems, and Blythe has been so diligent in icing, soaking, packing, his feet twice a day and exploring
different shoeing methods and interval training all to keep him sound through a very dry fall.”

Kinross Cleans Up
Hometown favorites Kinross Farm had a good day, picking up three wins. The first was with Christopher Read with When The Saints in the $25,000 Sport of Kings maiden hurdle.

“He’s a really nice jumper and found two more gears for me in the stretch,” Read said. “It was a shame it scratched down, but at the same time it gave him a good experience with not too many horses to worry about.”

Read picked up another win with a new acquisition, Run The Light. The 6-year-old son of Tabasco Cat (1994 Preakness and Belmont winner) turned a few heads in the paddock and then went about the business of winning the $20,000 Virginia flat by 2 lengths over Gary Baker’s Rosemont Runner (Devis Grilli). Kinross’ other entry, Hey Doctor (Murphy) placed third.

“He’s something in the paddock,” Read said. “Really catches your eye, kind of struts. We got him from Ned Evens at Springhill Farm. We are hoping to find a hurdle race for him soon.”

Kinross trainer Neil Morris put English jockey Lucy Horner up on Capital Peak in the $20,000 International Fegentri World Cup amateur open flat, and she easily won by 51⁄2 lengths.

“Lucy said he just tugged her along,” Read said. “She had a great time.”

Sarah L. Greenhalgh