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Another big Saturday of American jumps racing action! There is actually parimutuel betting for this meeting but AFAIK it’s just on Twinspires.com and not open to residents outside the USA, boo. As always, it will be live-streamed on http://www.nationalsteeplechase.com. If you happen to be staying up for that other big race in America that happens on the first Saturday in May these make a good pre-show.
Entries https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/GRM050623USA-EQB.html
There are 4 stakes races on the card at Great Meadow. In order:
-the Steeplethon. Cross-country race. Several types of jumps – post-and-rail, stacked timber, regular hurdle, “Irish hurdle”, brush, packed pine, hedge and bank, and a 120-foot-long water feature. Just 4 runners, of them Storm Team is probably the best horse but the old gray Mercouer is my sentimental favorite.-the G2 David Semmes Memorial, with a handful of horses who aren’t quite good enough for the Iroquois next week but don’t fit into the <130 handicaps. The early scratch of highweight Redicean leaves us with Belfast Banter as the likely favorite. I’m more interested in recent import Gordon’s Jet who won his first US start last month in impressive fashion.
-the Virginia Gold Cup, 4 miles over timber slightly smaller than the Maryland Hunt Cup but still imposing. The matchup is between last year’s NSA timber champion Andi’amu, who won his season debut in the Middleburg Hunt CUp, and 2021 timber champion Tomgarrow who won the My Lady’s Manor last out. 14yo Mystic Strike can’t be counted out either but this isn’t his favorite course.
-the Speedy Smithwick Stakes for 4yos, Hoffman is the favorite but McTigue is the most intriguing horse in the field having just been snapped up from the Emmett Mullins barn.
14yo Mystic Strike wins a great stretch duel over 13yo Andi’amu to win the Virginia Gold Cup! This is Mystic Strike’s third race in three weeks; he was 3rd in Tomgarrow’s My Lady’s Manor at 3 miles, 2nd a week later to Andi’amu in the 3 1/4 mile Middleburg Hunt Cup, and now two weeks after that turns the table on both rivals at his favorite distance of 4 miles. I love timber racing
I was surprised to see McTigue win as he got walloped in the Morebattle and the Fred Winter. Maybe he is enjoying the sunnier climes. I looked to see how Agitare got on as I recognised the name from his Irish flat career, but he did no good.
McTigue had an excuse with the lost shoe in the Fred Winter. The field wasn’t all that great here tbh, the allowance earlier on the card that some of the horses were cross-entered in came up tougher. Better ground does make a big difference for some horses though and McTigue might have a preference for it as well. Agitare is one who likes it boggy, his best race by far came on yielding at Far Hills.
Should also note that Merry Maker’s win in the aforementioned allowance was Stephen Mulqueen’s first win in the USA. Congrats to him, one of the biggest purses he’s gotten all year.
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