'Jump': Wednesday Rewind, Saratoga Champion Zaccio, Keri Brion's Double Chance in the Inaugural Grade 1 Beverly R. Steinman + The 2024 Summer Condition Book is Out!
'Jump': Wednesday Rewind, Saratoga Champion Zaccio, Keri Brion's Double Chance in the Inaugural Grade 1 Beverly R. Steinman + The 2024 Summer Condition Book is Out!
Wednesday May 29th, Edition #39
In Case You Missed It: This Weekends Top 5 USA Jump Racing Stories
Contents
Belmont Stakes Racing Festival - Steeplechase 'On Display' During Belmont Stakes Racing Festival
NSA Ratings - The Top 20 Horses in Training
Wednesday Rewind - Saratoga 150 feature: Steeplechase champion Zaccio
Summer Racing - The 2024 Summer Condition book is out.
NSA Standings - Leslie Young and Leipers Fork dominate
“The ‘Jump newsletter’ is an absolute boon to me. Now domiciled in the UK, it keeps me updated on US jump racing. Thank you.” - Barbara Shaw (Facebook)
Belmont Stakes Racing Festival
Steeplechase 'On Display' During Belmont Stakes Racing Festival
Trainer Keri Brion has a pair for the inaugural running of the Grade 1 Beverly R. Steinman
The Grade 1, $150,000 Beverly R. Steinman, a new 2 3/8-mile steeplechase event created to honor the career of Beverly R. “Peggy” Steinman, will be contested for the first time on Sunday, June 9, at Saratoga Race Course.
Trainer Keri Brion may hold a strong hand in the inaugural running with a pair of Grade 1-placed jumpers in Freddy Flintshire and Jimmy P. In addition to seeing her duo compete, Brion said she is also excited for steeplechase as a whole to be at the center of the racing world during the lucrative Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.
“It’s great. It is awesome we are going to be on display during this festival. It is great NYRA is letting us put it on,” said Brion. “I have Freddy Flintshire and Jimmy P for that race. Both should be very live.”
Upland Flats Racing’s Freddy Flintshire has not raced since the 2 1/16-mile Grade 1 A.P. Smithwick Memorial on July 19 at Saratoga. There, the Flintshire gelding found himself 11 lengths back early before steadily making up ground and closing for third in the event won by Belfast Banter.
The now 6-year-old boasts a perfect 8-for-8 on-the-board record over the jumps, including a win in the Queen's Cup MPC Chase last year at Charlotte and in a Saratoga allowance in summer 2022.
While Freddy Flintshire hasn’t recorded any official work times, Brion confirmed he has worked extensively at her Fair Hill-base, adding that he seems primed for his seasonal debut.
“We were just letting him mature and grow up. He just had a point-to-point run where he just dominated on Sunday actually,” Brion said. “He’s prepping and getting ready, looking good. He’s been working, just unpublished here at Fair Hill.”
Madaket Stables, Molly Willis, and Paul Willis’ Jimmy P made his seasonal debut in the Grade 1 Iroquois at Percy Warner, finishing off-the-board in the event won by the well-regarded Snap Decision.
The 6-year-old Slumber bay was second last August in the Grade 1 Jonathan Sheppard at Saratoga, being caught late to finish one-length back of Awakened, who went on to become a finalist for the Eclipse Award for American Champion Steeplechase Horse.
“Jimmy P was second in a Grade 1 last year up there for me, and Freddy has won in Saratoga for us,” said Brion regarding her pair in the new event. “I think both of them going into that race should look pretty good in there.”
On the flat, Brion confirmed that Charles Blanford’s Crabs N Beer is doing well after a strong second-place effort in the Grade 3 Dinner Party, a nine-furlong turf test on the May 18 Preakness Day Card at Pimlico Race Course.
The 5-year-old Blofeld gelding, a 14-1 shot in the nine-horse field, came with a powerful five-wide run to finish 1 1/2-lengths back of Balnikhov, who got the jump on him during the stretch drive.
Brion said a New York two-other-than allowance could be next for the Maryland-bred, with an eye towards a stakes race at Saratoga such as the 1 5/8-mile, $135,000 John’s Call on August 21.
“He came out of it great. That was such a huge run. We are over the moon. I mean I knew the horse had a big one in him, but you need it to all come together,” Brion said. “I think he is a horse that the farther he goes, the better. Maybe a John’s Call type of race. We’ll see, that was an exciting race and I’m excited to have a horse of his level in the barn.”
Read the full articles at paulickreport.com
The NSA Ratings
The Top 20 Horses in Training
Jockey Paul Townend celebrates on Zarak The Brave
As we noted in the last issue, the top 20 horses in training have seen significant changes as we head into summer racing. No longer on the list are Snap Decision, Zabeel Champion, Noak and the Ark, Sebastopol, High Definition, The Hero Next Door, and Total Joy.
Joining the Top 20 are Zarak The Brave, who was last seen running in a G2 at Fairyhouse and has recently joined the Tom Garner barn, and Pickanumber, who recently won at Haydock Park.
Wednesday Rewind
Saratoga 150 feature: Steeplechase champion Zaccio
Three-time steeplechase champion Zaccio was known as a horse who refused to lose. As a 4-year-old, the flashy chestnut won many fans with his hard-fought victory in the 1980 New York Turf Writers Cup, and two years later won the Grade 1 race for the second time with a brilliant display of running and jumping that carried him to a 16-length victory. Riding him that day was Ricky Hendricks, a last-minute replacement for Greg Morris, who had suffered minor injuries earlier on the card. Trained by Burly Cocks, the popular jumper won 22 of his 42 starts, finished second another 10 times, and by the time he retired in 1984 had earned more than $288,000, a new record for a steeplechaser. He was voted into racing's Hall of Fame in 1990.
Summer Racing
2024 Summer Condition Book
Highlights include:
SUNDAY, JUNE 9 - THE BEVERLY R. STEINMAN (Gr.1) - BELMONT AT SARATOGA-
WEDNESDAY, JULY 17 - THE A.P. SMITHWICK MEMORIAL (Grade I) - SARATOGA
WEDNESDAY, JULY 31 - THE JONATHAN KISER MEMORIAL NOVICE STAKES - SARATOGA
THURSDAY, AUGUST 8 - THE RANDOLPH D. ROUSE MEMORIAL (Filly/Mare Hurdle Stakes) - COLONIAL DOWNS
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14 - THE JONATHAN SHEPPARD MEMORIAL (Grade I) (Formerly the New York Turf Writers Cup) - SARATOGA
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28 - THE MICHAEL G. WALSH MEMORIAL NOVICE STAKES - SARATOGA
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 - THE LIFE’S ILLLUSION (Filly/Mare Hurdle Stakes) - COLONIAL DOWNS
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 - THE WILLIAM ENTENMANN MEMORIAL NOVICE STAKES - AQUEDUCT RACETRACK
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 - THE LONESOME GLORY (Grade I) (Hurdle Stakes)
Download the Condition Book at Nationalsteeplechase.com
NSA STANDINGS
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