Like a cat toying with a mouse, Good Night Shirt bided his time. He happily followed behind his competition until the turn for home, then as if on signal he went about the business of winning the $250,000 Grand National, Oct. 18 in Far Hills, N.J., solidifying his bid for horse of the year.
Last year, Good Night Shirt had to bow to the undisputed king of the Far Hills Race Meeting, Michael Moran’s McDynamo. Now, with McDynamo retired, the door was wide open for a new prince.
Gregory Hawkins’ Red Letter Day (Danielle Hodsdon) led the field on a merry chase for most of the 25⁄8 miles,
but Good Night Shirt and jockey William Dowling made their move before the last fence.
Be Certain (Padge Whelan) tried to get there but had to settle 4 lengths back at the wire. Best Attack (Jody Petty) was third.
The relief on Dowling’s face was evident. “Now I can sleep again,” he said. “He was brilliant. I knew we must have been going pretty slowly because we quickened so much along the back. I am just glad McDynamo wasn’t here. I mean McDynamo is great, but too great.”
Good Night Shirt likes to “scare” his owner Harold “Sonny” Via and Dowling a little with a bad fence or two. This time was no different.
| Not In Anyone’s Shadow
There is a new queen in the filly/mare series. Star Ten Stable’s Class Shadow (Richard Boucher) won the $50,000 Peapack Sport of Queens filly and mare stakes over favorite The Fields Stable’s Guelph (Whelan). Guelph was the 2005 series winner and was attempting a comeback this year after winning at Fair Hill (Md.) in May. Boucher was amazed at his horse’s grit: “When we hooked up at the second-to-last I thought, ‘I got her, I got her.’ She’s tough as anything.” Class Shadow has had a plethora of foot issues this year and came up sore after Kentucky Downs when she bruised her front hoof. Unfortunately she put her all into this race, and it will be her last. Her trainer Lilith Boucher said the 4-year-old daughter of Rock Point fractured her sesamoid in her effort and will be retired. “I felt her coming to the last fence, and something wasn’t quite right,” Richard said. “She sucked it up and went on. You can’t pull a horse like that up. She really tries so hard.” |
“The last was perfect,” Dowling said. “He took one really long fence on the back, but it wasn’t too bad. He’s so much better than last year.”
Trained by Jack Fisher, the 7-year-old son of Concern has already surpassed his record of the single most earnings by a steeplechase horse in one year with $395,520. This makes him a virtual lock for the National Steeplechase Association Horse of the Year and a second Eclipse Award.
Good Night Shirt is heading for the Colonial Cup (S.C.) on Nov. 16, and even if he does not win it is unlikely any other horses will catch him in winnings before the end of the year.
The win also catapults his trainer into new territory as Fisher has surpassed a long-standing record of most money won by a trainer in one year. In 1992, Jonathan Sheppard won an unmatched $929,357. After Far Hills, Fisher has amassed $992,667 and most likely will hit the $1 million mark.
In a moment of humbleness, Fisher reflected on his newest milestone: “The purses are much bigger now. It’s much easier to get more money for your wins. It’s been a good year, and Good Night Shirt certainly has helped.”
Good Night Shirt was Fisher’s first Eclipse Award winner. This year, he put his money back into the farm and put in a Polytrack training track. After last year’s severe drought and the heavy expense of shipping to the Fair Hill Training Facility (Md.), he said it was a move that made the difference in his entire barn’s fitness.
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Across First
When owner Gillian Johnston bought the soon to be 3-year-old gray son of Cozzene in England, she thought he might be something special. However, white knuckles and sweaty palms were not the effect she was hoping for.
First trained by Graham Motion, Swagger Stick never really panned out as a flat horse, so she took him to Fisher to train as a hurdle horse. His first time out he won at Callaway (Ga.) in 2007, and she thought they might have something. Then he started jumping his jockey Xavier Aizpuru off.
A top jockey, it was unusual to see Aizpuru on the ground.
“Poor Xavier,” Johnston said. “They just weren’t getting along at all. I was at a loss. Who’s going to buy a horse that keeps jumping his jockey off?”
But she stuck with the horse, and when William Dowling started riding him he slowly but surely started finishing races.
Fisher decided it was time for a step up and placed him in the $100,000 Foxbrook Supreme Hurdle, and Swagger Stick didn’t disappoint. The gray stuck his head out to win by more than a length over William Pape’s Baby League (Hodsdon) in grand form.
“He ran really hard this summer,” said assistant trainer Sheila Fisher, Jack’s wife. “But he just kept missing. We always knew he had the ability, that wasn’t the problem. It’s great for Gil, and I thank her for sticking with us for so long.”
Claim Of Foul
Preemptive Strike started out his season winning in March, but an injury sidelined the 10-year-old. He made his first run back in the $50,000 Appleton Stakes, but not without a few bumps in the road.
Ridden by his Jody Petty, he was gaining on leaders Cradle Will Rock (Hodsdon) and Rare Bush (Aizpuru). But at the last Preemptive Strike and Cradle Will Rock, who crossed the finish first, collided.
Petty lodged a claim of foul on Hodsdon, and in the end it was determined that Cradle Will Rock did interfere and was placed third. Rare Bush moved up to first place, and Preemptive Strike placed second. Hodsdon was fined $250 for careless riding.
Also trained by Fisher and owned by his wife Sheila’s mother, the Fisher team was a little surprised by the result but not the horse’s performance.
“You don’t really want to win that way, but he jumped really well and is coming back from a long layoff,“ Aizpuru said.
Petty said he had the inside and Hodsdon’s horse jumped a little to the left and ended up in front of him.
“My horse sailed it and landed on top of him, sending my horse sideways,” he said. “I don’t know if I would have won or not, but it definitely took the wind out of my sails.”
Redemption
When Erin Go Bragh placed second in a disqualification after winning at My Lady’s Manor (Md.) in April, trainer Doug Fout wanted to prove he was as good a timber horse as he thought he was.
At Far Hills, Erin Go Bragh (Paddy Young) did the talking for him, winning the $50,000 timber race over 2007 winner Augustin Stable’s Irish Prince.
On Oct. 4, at the Virginia Fall Races, Erin Go Bragh was a driving second. At Far Hills his New Zealand-bred kick was a little more effective.
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Western Fling Clings To Genesee Valley Hunt Cup Victory It only took Western Fling (James Slater) 8:09 to race over the 31⁄2 miles of timber inside during the $25,000 Genesee Valley Hunt Cup, but it took the stewards 10 minutes to decide his victory on Oct. 11 in Geneseo, N.Y. After watching the film, Slater appreciated just how close the photo finish call was between his horse and Patriot’s Path (Darren Nagle). “My horse wasn’t in front before the line, and he wasn’t in front after the line,” said Slater. “But at the moment crossing the line, there he was.” With only three horses going to the post for the 80th anniversary of the Genesee Valley Hunt Cup, the riders had to sort out who would lead the way. Knowing the other horses in the race—Toughkenamon (James Stierhoff) is a stablemate of Western Fling, also trained by Katherine McKenna—Slater realized he had to be on the front even though his horse prefers not to be in that position. “This horse has been around a while,” said Slater. “He had a career as a hurdler, so he was brave and honest.” After 3 miles with the Armata Stables’ Toughkenamon and Irv Naylor’s Patriot’s Path bunched close behind Slater’s mount, Patriot’s Path beat Western Fling to the final fence. But the 8-year-old son of Gone West showed true grit by fighting back up the inside of the stretch run, not giving up despite carrying 15 more pounds than his rival. Slater noted that McKenna deserved a lot of credit for prepping Stewart Strawbridge and Crestview Farm’s Western Fling, who was coming off a long lay-off while his two competitors had more recent prep races. Slater also brought home Lucy Goelet’s Twill Do, the winner of the second sanctioned race, the maiden timber over 3 miles. He was more than pleased with his performances as he had two refusals at the race meet last year and wanted to redeem his good name. Again, he was in a three-horse field, led at first by Naylor’s Beneficial Man (Stierhoff). But halfway around, Twill Do took over the front. “My horse was jumping so good, we just passed him,” said Slater, who added, “then I noticed Darren [Nagle on Timmy R] out of the corner of my eye, pushing me, so I picked up the pace. It was my horse’s jumping that did it. He saved [ground] on every fence.” |
“We always knew he was a good horse; it just took longer than we thought it would to come around,” said Fout. “Now he enjoys the timber. He’s a funny old bird but has such a good close.”
Young was in awe. “I always say Bubble Economy is one of the best timber horses, but this one could be even better,” he said. “The one thing he has is a bit of class. He’s no slouch. In the fall there are no easy
timber races, and a horse’s confidence can be ruined. If the horse is not going to win, I am not going to kill him to be second.”
Young added, “Far Hills is always the objective with this horse. This horse will be champion timber horse one year.”
Since My Lady’s Manor, the horse was never quite right. “He was real sick this spring. His thyroid was way off until he ran so poorly at Gold Cup,” Fout said. “We were so disappointed after that race. I didn’t realize what the problem was. Now I have it under control and I get his blood checked.”
Most likely Erin Go Bragh is going to the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup on Nov. 2, where he will face his rival, Arcadia Stable’s Bubble Economy, once again.
Sarah Libbey Greenhalgh
