The iron horse returns to earn a remarkable fifth consecutive victory.

Any questions about McDynamo’s fitness became a distant memory when he jumped all alone at the last fence, winning his fifth consecutive Breeders’ Cup Grand National at the Far Hills Race Meeting on Oct. 20 in Far Hills, N.J.

The 10-year-old son of Dynaformer had not been seen over fences since the $150,000 Iroquois Hurdle Stakes (Ky.) on May 12, where he finished a lackluster fourth. He also got a bone chip in his ankle for his effort, which required surgery later that month.

Even after a successful recovery, McDynamo still did not appear at a racetrack. Trainer Sanna N. Hendriks opted instead to school at her farm in Coatesville, Pa., foxhunt him and run him on the flat on Sept. 29 with several other horses from her barn and trainer Jack Fisher’s. The two-mile informal gallop on the irrigated course answered a few questions, but not all.

This was to be one of the toughest Breeders’ Cup Grand Nationals of McDynamo’s career. Not only would it be his fifth at the New Jersey course, but also the purse for the race was a record $300,000, making it American steeplechasing’s richest race to date.

His field was choice with one of the favorites being the National Steeplechase Association’s leading horse, Harold A. Via’s Good Night Shirt (William Dowling). Four years McDynamo’s junior, Good Night Shirt won Iroquois and the $150,000 Lonesome Glory grade I hurdle stakes at Belmont (N.Y.). If any horse had a shot at dethroning the king, the 6-year-old son of Concern was the most likely contender.

Jonathan Sheppard brought four horses: Lucy Lindsay’s Luongo (Diana Gillam), Timber Bay Farm’s Underbidder (James Slater), Calvin Houghland’s Sweet Shani (Xavier Aizpuru) and Three Caret (Danielle Hodsdon).

Also among the talent were last year’s second-placed finisher Houghland’s Chivite (Paddy Young) and the $75,000 Carolina Cup (S.C.) winner EMO Stable’s Orison (Matt McCarron).

On Friday, Mother Nature graced the course with a good 2 inches of rain, which softened the compaction up considerably and pleased many of the trainers who have had nothing but rock-hard conditions to train and race on.

Luongo led early, but McDynamo and jockey Jody Petty forged their way to the front by the end of the first of 25⁄8 miles. Good Night Shirt stalked the pace and looked like he was in a fair position to strike, but he never seemed to find the fuel.

As the field made the turn to the last fence, McDynamo did what he does best, drawing even further away from the field. Only the little gray mare Houghland’s Sweet Shani was able to get close, but she had to settle for 6 lengths behind under the wire. Sarah Jeffords Radcliffe’s Best Attack (Chip Miller) was third and Good Night Shirt held on for fourth-placed money.

I Knew He  Was Ready
Tears of joy ran down the face of Hendriks and owners Michael and Anne Moran as McDynamo made his way to the winner’s circle yet again.

“I was pretty nervous,” Hendriks said. “But in the last two weeks he has been really sharp. You might not know that watching him walk around the paddock, because his coat didn’t look as well as it has, but I knew inside he was pretty fit.”

Hendriks said McDynamo shows her when he is ready.

“At home, his ears are pricked, and he’s kind of prancing around,” Hendriks said. “One of the reasons I opted not to run him at Belmont was sometimes his best race is his first race out.”

Three Caret and Chivite fell early on in the race. Both horses were unhurt, but jockey Paddy Young suffered some bruised ribs and was not allowed to ride back the rest of the day.

Unprecedented is an understatement when describing McDynamo’s reign at Far Hills. No other horses have ever won more than two steeplechasing Breeders’ Cups, and to sweeten his resume he also has won two other races there.

“There’s something about this course he really likes; he broke his maiden here,” Hendriks said. “If he’s going to like one course, I would rather it be Far Hills. It’s a great galloping course, which helps him, and the jumping is obviously key here. Today, the ground is good not soft. People always say, ‘He has his bog up here’. But certainly that was not the case today.”

Out of Sheppard’s four entries, his little gray mare was spot-on. “We are very proud of her, she was very game,” Sheppard said after the race. “She ran her heart out, never quit and kept finding a little bit more. Xavier gave her a great ride.”

Sheppard has had the 7-year-old mare for more than a year. “When she first arrived she broke her hind ankle,” Sheppard said. “We think it was kicking in the stall—we had only had her 10 days. It got a little bit of filling, and we ended up putting screws in it. She had a long rest. I’m not sure what’s next for her, but she really proved herself today.”

But a third Eclipse Award is not just McDynamo’s for the taking unless he wins at the Colonial Cup (S.C.) on Nov. 18. The Fisher-trained Good Night Shirt is still leading horse with $224,163 while McDynamo has $187,500. Also knocking at the NSA Horse of the Year and Eclipse doors are Arcadia Stable’s Footlights and William Pape’s Mixed Up.

“He already has three Eclipse Awards and now five wins here, he doesn’t have to prove anything. If he’s right, we may go,” said Anne Moran.

A Hat Trick
Petty’s win with McDynamo was one of three for him. His first came on Augustin Stables’ Imagina in the $50,000 Peapack Sport of Queens filly and mare hurdle stakes. That it was the 35-year-old Petty’s 100th career win was just icing on the cake.

Petty was less than optimistic about Imagina’s chances in the Peapack. The mare has made it abundantly clear she does not like any side of soft, and for the first race of the day the ground was still wet.

The Fields Stable’s Guelph (Cyril Murphy) led most of the way, but Imagina grew stronger and soon found her way toward the lead with Mimi Voss’ Lair (Dowling) not far behind. After the last fence Imagina dug in, sprinting away to finish by more than a length.

“She’s such a trouper,” Petty said. “At one point I really thought maybe I should pull up, and I looked at a few horses in front of me and they didn’t seem to be going better than me, so I kept on. Then on the backside she jumped up three places over two fences—I went from dead last to third.”

Petty didn’t realize he was at milestone 100 until he was handed the card for the photo. “Somebody told me a while back it was close, but I just didn’t want to think about it,” Petty said.

Petty finished up the day with a win in the $50,000 New Jersey Hunt Cup timber stakes on Irish Prince, also for Augustin Stables and Hendriks.

This win places Irish Prince solidly as leading timber horse with $102,000, and he is officially done for the year. Irish Prince, who only switched to timber in March, started off his spectacular season with a maiden timber win at Piedmont Fox Hounds Point-To-Point (Va.) in March, moved on to win the timber race at the Carolina Cup, the $75,000 timber race at Iroquois and then the $25,000 timber race at Shawan Downs (Md.).

Hendriks wasn’t surprised that he took to the new fences so well. “He’s a good hurdler, he has great stamina and is a great timber jumper, and when you get those things combined it makes for a pretty good timber horse,” she said.

While Virginia trainer Doug Fout did not fair as well in the feature with Orison, he did pick up a grade I win with Brigadoon Stable’s Gliding (McCarron) in the $100,000 Foxbrook Supreme Sport of Kings novice hurdle stakes. The $75,000 Temple Gwathmey (Va.) winner has had a few setbacks since shining this spring. His last outing was a nasty fall at the Meadowlands (N.J.) on Sept. 21.

McCarron stalked the pace for most of the running. Not outdone as the field approached the last, McCarron brought Gliding up the outside of leaders Hudson River Stable’s Sovereign Duty (Hodsdon) and Fox Ridge Farm’s Planets Aligned (Miller). Gliding landed well and McCarron gunned it in the stretch to win by over two lengths.
 
“We have had some bad luck with him,” Fout said. “I have been saying all year how nice a horse this is. There have been a lot of ‘ifs’ with him, but he finally pulled through today.”

Sarah L. Greenhalgh