Unfortunately, U.S. steeplechasing fans will have to wait yet another year for a Triple Crown winner after the favorite was bested at the Middleburg Spring Races, April 21.

Since the series inception in 1999, steeplechasing has not had a horse win all three legs. There have been a few close calls, so close there is no longer a $100,000 bonus (after the insurers pulled out) to the horse that can do all three. This year EMO Stable’s Orison looked like one of the better contenders to break the streak, but his stablemate, Brigadoon Stable’s Gliding, was the one to beat.

Run at the Glenwood course in Middleburg, Va., eight horses entered the $75,000 Temple Gwathmey.
Orison had a very bad first fence, nearly losing jockey Matt McCarron, and never really factored after that.

Ridden by apprentice jockey Jeff Murphy, Gliding stayed out of trouble midpack until a few fences from home when he clicked heels with Sovereign Duty, sending Danielle Hodsdon into the turf two fences out.

Murphy asked a little more of the New Zealand-bred and took on the leader Rare Bush (Xavier Aizpuru). The pair battled all the way in an exciting stretch duel with Gliding winning by 1⁄2 length over Rare Bush.
Unhurt in her mishap, Hodsdon quickly came back to the steward’s stand and claimed foul against the winner. After 30 minutes of reviewing tapes and talking to jockeys the claim of foul was disallowed and the order of finish allowed to stand.

Trainer Doug Fout (who is also the clerk of the course for the Middleburg Races) said Gliding has had an unusual season. Gliding was going to be shipped to Camden, S.C., this spring for the southern meets in March and April when the equine herpes virus struck in Virginia. Gliding did run in the first leg of the series at the Carolina Cup (S.C.) and placed third, but the horse was not quite himself.

“We missed a lot of time with him this spring going into the Carolina Cup with the outbreak,” Fout said. “He was a couple works short, and I had to run him strictly off the farm which is awfully difficult. He got tired at Camden, but he did not get tired today.”

This was the first time Murphy sat on the horse for Fout.

“Jeff is a good rider; he just needs confidence. He has not had a whole lot of breaks, but he got one today,” Fout said. “What I like about Jeff is he never interferes with a horse, and he is never going to hurt a horse. He lets things fall into place, and that is what was needed today.”

The final leg of the series is the $75,000 National Hunt Cup at Radnor Hunt Races (Pa.), May 19.
Murphy had a second win in the ever tricky $20,000 Alfred M. Hunt with Irvin S. Naylor’s Bon Fleur for trainer Joe Gillet Davies of Maryland.

Much like the steeplethon of the Virginia Gold Cup, horses must jump both hurdles and timber and negotiate a very sharp U-turn. Veteran steeplethoner Acorn Stable’s Northern Thinking (Robert Walsh) was definitely the horse to beat. But Bon Fleur had other ideas and took to the course with authority, leading most of the way until the U-turn, when Murphy let Walsh guide him.

After that Murphy zeroed in on Walsh, catching him on the outside at the last of the brush fences. Bon Fleur dug in and pulled away in the stretch to win by 1⁄2 length over Northern Thinking.

“He just zooms around and jumps so well,” Murphy said. “He’s such a good horse. I just wanted him to get a lead around that turn, and I wanted Robbie to take me into the last. It kind of worked out perfectly.”

Paddy Young claimed the $20,000 Middleburg Hunt Cup open timber with Augustin Stable’s Ghost Valley. The pair followed Salmo (Walsh) for most of the running, then made their move about three fences out, dragging Salmo into the stretch. Ghost Valley won by 9 lengths.

Murphy and Alison’s Trick tried to keep up but caught a leg on the last fence and flipped. Both were unhurt in the accident.

This winter, Fout redesigned the timber fences. For years he said that he had heard complaints that the fences were too small so he raised five of them to 3’9″ and the last to 3’6″. He also repositioned three fences, most importantly the last, which he pushed back 20 yards to ensure that if a horse falls, the other horses will be able to see it in time.

“They wanted bigger and stiffer timber,” Fout said. “They got their wish.”

Young said the new course was definitely an improvement, and this was a good prep for Ghost Valley, who is heading for the $100,000 Virginia Gold Cup on May 5.

“It jumped great,” Young said of the new course. “They look pretty big, but they actually rode really well. You need to be a little more careful, and the horses can’t cheat with these.”

Sarah L. Greenhalgh