THE feature race on the marathon Middleburgh card, the Grade 3 Temple Gwathmey Handica went to the Bruton Street-US-owned Moscato, (also owners of Pravalaguna) was always well placed under Michael Mitchell, struck to the front before the final fence and pulled away to repeat his victory at the 100th Middleburg Spring Races.
Trained by Jack Fisher, Moscato was the top 2017 novice champion and returned last year for a victory over Belisarius in this race and added third-place finishes in the America’s richest hurdle races, two Grade 1s in the Grand National at Far Hills, and Nashville’s Calvin Houghland Iroquois. Belisarius finished second for the second consecutive year for trainer Kate Dalton.
Bruton Street also now own Rashaan, trained by Leslie Young, who finished third, two lengths farther back.
Middleburg Spring’s featured timber race, the $20,000 Middleburg Hunt Cup, also produced a back-to-back winner. Ballybristol Farm’s Andi’amu, the reigning timber champion who is trained by Leslie Young, wife of Paddy.
A Grade 1-placed hurdler, Young sent him over timber last year and he won the Middleburg Hunt Cup and the Virginia Gold Cup. Ridden by Thomas Garner, French-bred made all and was eased down to win by three and three quarter lengths. Another Irish-bred Galway Kid, won the Middleburg Spring Races’ Glenwood Hurdle, the first jump race of the 2020 National Steeplechase Association season.
Trained by Jonathan Sheppard and ridden by Darren Nagle. Galway Kid, a son of Sholokhov, began his racing career in Irish point-to-points and won a year ago at Ballinagore for Michael Goff.
Acquired by Edward Swyer’s Hudson River Farms, he finished fifth on his US debut, Far Hills and then won his maiden at Callaway Gardens in Georgia. Jack Fisher, the perennial leading trainer, added a second win following Moscato’s in the Temple Gwathmey Handicap.
Sean McDermott was in the saddle aboard Sheila J. Williams’ Storm Team in the maiden timber race. McDermott closed out the card with a double when he rode Straylight Racing’s Invocation to victory over Dapper Dan in the Alfred M. Hunt steeplethon over mixed obstacles for trainer Mark Beecher.
There was another ex-Irish winner when the former Gordon Elliott-trained Chief Justice won the opening flat race ridden by Graham Watters for Cyril Murphy and Irv Naylor. Watters went on to compete a double in the waiver maiden claiming hurdle on My Own Lane for trainer Neil Morris.
THERE was only one Grade 1 in the US last weekend and Belmont’s Ogden Phipps Stakes for fillies and mares saw the Steve Assmussen-trained She’s A Julie spring a surprise as the outsider of six.
The daughter of Elusive Quality was returning to the form that had won the Grade 1 La Troienne Stakes at Churchill Downs last season as a four-year-old after a disappointing reappearance in the graded Shawnee Stakes last month, when she reared at the start and was sixth behind Dunbar Road. She won by a nose from Point Of Honor, who was finishing second in a Grade 1 for the third time.