2010 USA Steeplechasing Thread

Well, after a long, cold, snowy winter, spring has finally arrived, which means that the American steeplechase (technically hurdle and timber) season is here! We begin with the Aiken Spring races on Saturday, March 20th in Aiken, South Carolina. Most of the top horses will race in Camden the following weekend, but the $45,000 Budweiser Imperial Cup has a decent field of 5.
FIFTH RACE (#5). Purse $45,000. THE BUDWEISER IMPERIAL CUP. Hurdle Stakes (NW $27,000 2X in 2009-2010). 2 Miles over National Fences.
1 SWAGGER STICK [L] g.9 150 Dowling, W Mrs. S. K. Johnston Jr. Jack Fisher
2 SERMON OF LOVE [L] g.7 146 Hodsdon, D William L. Pape Jonathan Sheppard
3 TORLUNDY [L] g.5 142 Young, P Silverton Hill LLC Leslie F. Young
4 FOUR SCHOOLS (IRE) [L] g.8 158 Walsh, R Mrs. George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Richard L. Valentine
5 LETTER PERFECT [L] g.7 142 Mackenzie, R EMO Stables Ernest M. Oare

Swagger Stick, winner of an allowance race at the final NSA race meet of 2009, has 2009 leading trainer Jack Fisher and William Dowling up. Swagger Stick also won the 2008 Foxbrook Supreme Hurdle, and has placed in several other hurdle stakes. He seems to take a race or two to get going into the season, and he tends to either win or do horribly.

My personal favorite, Sermon of Love, really came into his own last year. He ran a surprise second in the G1 New York Turf Writers Cup at Saratoga. He and Danielle Hodson also won a flat race during the Saratoga meet at long odds. The team of Hodson and Sheppard have done exceptionally well in stakes races, and Hodson knows how to get the best out of any horse she rides.

The youngster Torlundy is ridden by 2009 champion jockey Paddy Young for his wife, trainer Leslie Young. Torlundy was a failure on the flat but has finished in the top three in 7 of 8 hurdle starts in 2009. He was stakes-placed in his most recent two starts.

The Irish-bred former O’Neill trainee Four Schools ran rather poorly in chases and hurdles all over the UK and Ireland before coming here in 2007. He has been a stakes winner each of the last two years, making him the high-weight. Ridden by Robbie Walsh (not to be confused with Ruby, who was unseated by Four Schools in a handicap at Wincanton ) and trained by Richard Valentine, if he runs well he poses a major threat.

Rounding out the field is the royally-bred Letter Perfect. He is by A. P. Indy, out of Myrhh by Mr. Prospector. Myrhh is out of Miesque. Thus far Letter Perfect has’t lived up to his high expectations. He won a maiden hurdle impressively back in 2007, and hasn’t raced since.

For more information about steeplechasing in America please check out the newly-remodeled NSA website http://www.nationalsteeplechase.com. They’re still finishing it and adding features, but it looks much better than the old site. http://www.centralentryoffice.com is a good resource as well. Many races are streamed live online for free either on the NSA site or their official race website.

By the way, if anyone is actually interested I’d be glad to do a little educational post about American jump racing, since it is a little different than UK chasing. Of course, about three-fourths of our jockeys and trainers are English or Irish .