IRISH-BREDS – horsemen and horses – dominated the rest of the Far Hills six-race card.
Irish-bred Historic Heart won his American debut in the Harry E. Harris, a four-year-old stakes, for Atlantic Friends Racing and trainer Keri Brion.
Richie Condon guided the 132-rated previously British-based hurdler to a three-quarter-length win over Bogey’s Image and trainer/jockey Sean McDermott. Jim Bolger bred the son of Fracas.
Hurdle
Irish-bred City Dreamer dominated the Foxbrook Champion Hurdle for Riverdee Stable, trainer Jack Fisher and jockey Graham Watters. The seven-year-old snapped a nine-race losing streak to earn his second stakes win since joining Fisher’s team four seasons ago.
Bred by Redpender Stud, the son of Casamento drew off to score by seven and a quarter lengths.
The Irish-bred Presence Of Mind wired five rivals in the Appleton Ratings Handicap for Bruton Street-US, trainer Leslie Young and jockey Tom Garner. Bred by Alan Loughlin, the son of Presenting had won a bumper and a hurdle for Olly Murphy before venturing across the world.
Elliott-trained
Davy Russell made the trip worth it with an easy win aboard British-bred Realist in the Gladstone Hurdle Stakes for Ben Griswold IV and trainer Gordon Elliott. A winner of his hurdle debut at Down Royal in August and subsequently second at Listowel, the son of Camelot trounced Irish-breds Parish Delight and Project Two in the $30,000 stakes for three-year-olds.
“You have something here to cherish and it really needs to be looked after,” Russell said of the Far Hills atmosphere, and racing.
“It’s a fantastic thing. It’s not easy for us to get here, but we really, really do love to come over. This is major in Ireland. People stay up all night to watch it and I hope the little bit we contribute to it can help it along.”
The only other winner on the card was American-bred, Irish-themed Down Royal for Joe Fowler and the hard-working team of Bernie and Kate Dalton. The New York-bred routed two rivals in the Peapack, a filly and mares’ stakes, to complete the card.