The view of a rainbow from near the Virginia Gold Cup office on Main Street in Warrenton, VA yesterday at 5:45 p.m. (iPhoto by G. Petty/T.A.H. Worldwide Media)
Thursday, April 28, 2011
PICTURES OF THE DAY
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
WHAT NOT TO WEAR, WEDNESDAY PART II
Seriously, this doesn’t really require an explanation now does it? There is a time and place for every cool outfit, and it’s your job to know what to wear and when to wear it.
 |
| (Marco Garcia/Getty Images North America) |
Here, (L-R) Julie Doll, Amber Staab, Kammee Stewart, and Sandy Bear pose with Hello Kitty at the Sephora Hello Kitty Beauty Event With Hello Kitty Designer Ms. Yuko Yamaguch held at the Ala Moana Shopping Center, Thursday, April 21, 2011 in Honolulu.
Now, if you can rock the Hello Kitty look, you go right on with your bad self. Otherwise...back to the closet.
You’ve got this, right?
KENTUCKY DERBY UPDATE
 |
| Uncle Mo (l) and Stay Thirsty (r). (Reed Palmer photo) |
Now ten days before the Kentucky Derby, two of the top contenders are headed in opposite directions.
Uncle Mo appeared right at home on the dirt at Churchill Downs on Tuesday, leaving trainer Todd Pletcher and owner Mike Repole optimistic he will be ready to run under the twin spires on May 7 at Louisville, Ky.
The Factor, meanwhile, will be a nonfactor. The San Vincente and Rebel Stakes winner is out of an increasingly wide-open Derby following throat surgery.
Chalk it up to another chaotic day in a series of them leading up to the big race.
A semblance of sanity, however, may have returned following Uncle Mo's steady five-furlong workout under the lights in the pre-dawn darkness.
The 3-year-old colt clocked the distance in 1:01.80 under the lights early Tuesday morning, his first major training move since a gastrointestinal infection was discovered following a third-place finish in the Wood Memorial on April 9.
Pletcher called the move "an indication that he's in good form."
The pre-race favorite now might be Dialed In who won the Florida Derby back in March. However, Uncle Mo's biggest victory (the Breeders Cup Juvenile) did happen at Churchill Downs last November. The victory earned Uncle Mo the Eclipse Award for champion two-year-old colt.
Other contenders include: Mucho Macho Man, Santiva, Toby's Corner, Pants On Fire, Midnight Interlude, Soldat and Brethren, among others.
 |
| Dialed In. (Photo: Joe Ganley/EquiSport Photos) |
Other contenders include: Mucho Macho Man, Santiva, Toby's Corner, Pants On Fire, Midnight Interlude, Soldat and Brethren, among others.
WHAT NOT TO WEAR
Masks.
Don’t wear a mask. It’s not Halloween.
Masks are hot.
Masks scare people.
Most mask make you look…well…stupid.
Don’t wear a mask.
In this photo, a fan wearing a horse head shaped mask pretends to smoke during the 6th edition of the 'Polymanga' show, western Switzerland's major anime, manga and video games festival, in Lausanne.
He or she would not wear this to the Swiss Gold Cup or the Virginia Gold Cup.
PICTURES OF THE MORNING
A horse drawn carriage is driven past London's Westminster Abbey on April 27, 2011, after taking part in a dress rehearsal for the royal wedding between Britain's Prince William and his fiancee Kate Middleton. Up to 1,000 members of the British military attended a pre-dawn rehearsal for the royal wedding on Wednesday to ensure they get everything right on the big day. (Getty Images)
Blythe Davies on Private Attack leads over the 4th fence in the Maryland Grand National last Saturday. (Photo by Douglas Lees)
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
PICTURES OF THE DAY
Monday, April 25, 2011
PRIVATE ATTACK WINS MARYLAND GRAND NATIONAL
By Joe Clancy/Steeplechase Times
Blythe Miller Davies, twice champion steeplechase jockey in the 1990s, returned to the race course after nearly nine years and won the $30,000 Grand National timber stakes with Maryland Hunt Cup hopeful Private Attack Saturday in Butler, Md.
 |
| (Photo by Zach Egolf) |
Miller Davies, 42, was a regular on the circuit and rode five-time champion Lonesome Glory among others in a stellar career that included 202 wins from 1988-2002. Now a mother of two, she planned to ride a horse of her own this spring but accepted the Private Attack ride when the other horse went to the sidelines.
"It felt great," she said. "I'm an old lady now, but it came back to me. What a great ride. He's got so much tactical speed, I could place him where I wanted at his fences, move him around, do whatever I wanted. I could hear Charlie coming but he never got in front. My horse responded."
Davies, daughter of trainer Bruce Miller, won the Grand National 20 years earlier aboard Cabral.
DECOY DADDY WINS STAKES AT MIDDLEBURG
Irvin S. Naylor’s Decoy Daddy set almost all the pace in the $50,000 Temple Gwathmey (Gr. 3) and pulled away to a 3 1/2-length victory over Riverdee Stable’s Dictina’s Boy at the 90th annual Middleburg Spring Races on Saturday, April 23.
 |
| (Douglas Lees photo) |
Now trained by Tom Foley, Decoy Daddy ran the Gwathmey distance in 5:30.80 on soft turf at the Virginia course. In his first start of the year, he had finished second to Country Cousin in the $45,000 Budweiser Imperial Cup at the Aiken Spring Races in South Carolina on March 26.
Dictina’s Boy finished 6 3/4 lengths clear of Gwathmey third-place finisher Pierrot Lunaire. Call You in Ten was fourth, and Mixed Up finished fifth in a field of five. Slip Away, the 2010 Temple Gwathmey winner and Eclipse Award champion steeplechase horse, was scratched because of the soft ground.
PICTURES OF THE DAY
 |
| (AP Photo) |
A young race fan gets a good view of the action during the 65th running of the Block House Steeplechase horse race on Saturday, April 23, 2011, in Tryon, N.C.
 |
| Courtesy of Dabney Oakley |
Saturday, April 23, 2011
PICTURE OF THE DAY
MARYLAND GRAND NATIONAL STEEPLECHASE TODAY
 |
| 2010 winner Across the Sky (Douglas Lees) |
Like the Gold Cup, the Grand National has its own glorious past. It was begun in 1898 by several young men who wanted to compete, but were too young to enter in the Maryland Hunt Cup.
While the Hunt Cup is considered Maryland’s most demanding timber race (longer race, higher jumps), the Grand National is the most demanding three mile timber race—a critical difference, as the shorter distance means racing faster over eighteen unyielding obstacles at a faster pace. That said, since the race moved to the current course in 1946, there have been sixteen horses to win both races.
 |
| 2009 winner Coal Dust (Douglas Lees) |
Some great equines have won the race three times: Inshore, Winton, Landing Party, Mountain Dew, Buck Jakes, and Welter Weight. With his fourth win last year, Welter Weight joined only one other in winning more than three times. The other, a six time winner and still reigning king of the Grand National, is Mountain Dew. Eight starts, six wins, two seconds and never a fall over 144 Grand National fences.
How do the experts see this year’s race? Here’s what the guys at Steeplechase Times had to say about it.
1st Race. The Grand National Steeplechase, 3 1/4-mile timber stakes. With the Maryland Hunt Cup a week away, this race always causes consternation for handicappers. Who’s winning? Who’s schooling? This year is even more tricky with a couple of serious contenders, soft ground, a two-time champion jockey returning from motherhood and a wild front-runner who puts a spell on any race.
1st Race. The Grand National Steeplechase, 3 1/4-mile timber stakes. With the Maryland Hunt Cup a week away, this race always causes consternation for handicappers. Who’s winning? Who’s schooling? This year is even more tricky with a couple of serious contenders, soft ground, a two-time champion jockey returning from motherhood and a wild front-runner who puts a spell on any race.
Joe Clancy: Incomplete, Private Attack, Across The Sky.
Sean Clancy: Private Attack, Incomplete, Across The Sky.
Sean Clancy: Private Attack, Incomplete, Across The Sky.
OUT OF THE ATTIC: OPERATION BISCUIT
Originally posted here May 1, 2007:
Please help.
Please help.
While doing research for the post above, we made an unfortunate discovery of a group of hat models, several of which are pictured here. It seems as though these poor waif-like creatures are in desperate need of 1) some food, 2) some sun, and 3) some help with their makeup. If you visit web pages that sell these hats, you will see hundreds of these pale, pencil thin, hard working models.
Should you see any of these poor unfortunates ladies wandering about on Saturday at the Gold Cup, please take a moment to stop and give them 1) a ham biscuit, and 2) some eyeliner and lipstick.
It’s frightening to think about how many pizzas have gone to waste just so this mannequinesque group can remain gainfully employed.
Friday, April 22, 2011
PICTURES OF THE DAY
Thursday, April 21, 2011
PROFILE OF RACE ANNOUNCER WILL O'KEEFE
The call of this year’s Virginia Gold Cup will be done by Will O’Keefe as it has been every year the famous race has been held at Great Meadow in The Plains. In an article called “Longtime Steeplechase Announcer: ‘I Get the Best Seat in the House’” in the Cockeysville Patch, Editor Nayana Davis has this to say about the well-known Virginia horsemen and jump racing expert.
Will O’Keefe has been a fixture of the Maryland and Virginia steeplechase scene since 1980. As an announcer, he calls more than 30 races during a busy year, and as far as steeplechase is concerned, O’Keefe has seen it all.
O'Keefe's voice has long echoed over North County horse country at the Green Spring Point-to-Point, the prestigious Maryland Hunt Cup and the Maryland Grand National, which runs Saturday.
“I thoroughly enjoy it,” he said. “Steeplechase racing is very exciting. I get the best seat in the house at every meet.”
O’Keefe, the recently retired executive director of historic Morven Park in Virginia, has been around horses and horse racing his entire life. His family raised thoroughbred horses on their 600-acre farm in Bealton, VA. When he was younger, O’Keefe, 63, had even entertained the idea of becoming a jockey.
“At 140 pounds, I was too heavy for a jockey,” laughed the small-in-stature O’Keefe. “I hunted instead.”
O’Keefe announced his first race at the Casanova Hunt Point-to-Point in 1980. As the secretary of Casanova Hunt, he was charged with the responsibility of finding a new announcer to replace the one who retired in 1979. O’Keefe assigned the role to his father, but wound up having to stand behind him, whispering the plays in his ear the entire time. He then reasoned that it would just be easier if he took over as announcer.
He's been doing it ever since.
“I personally enjoy big fields of horses where I see everything,” O'Keefe said. “I have a photographic memory of the fields. I can tell people what’s going on in places they can’t see.”
One memorable experience was overseeing the six-year victory streak of a horse named Saluter at the Virginia Gold Cup. Saluter’s winning record also includes the Cup’s fastest race time at eight minutes, 27 seconds over a four-mile course in 1995.
To read the rest of the article, click here.
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO...
Hmmm...
The blog Shcwartzy had this to say about the 2010 Virginia Gold Cup.
For those who don’t know, Gold Cup is an all day event located in The Plains, Virginia that’s packed with horse races (this was the first year I’ve actually ever seen a horse)…girls in big hats, big glasses, & sundresses…guys in ridiculous bright colored outfits that wouldn’t be acceptable anywhere else….and tons of food and alcohol. Gold Cup is always a great time and this year definitely didn’t disappoint.
Schwartzy describes himself as “an artist, singer, rapper, musician, etc” and based on his description of his parents on his “about” page he’s a creative and funny guy.
Check him out here.
PICTURES OF THE DAY
Northwoods Stables' Battle Op won the Eustis Cup open timber race under Chris Read at the Loudoun Hunt Point-to-Point last weekend. Horses that do well in the Eustis Cup have been known to turn up on the Virginia Gold Cup card running in either the Steeplethon or the feature race, the Gold Cup. (Photo by Richard Clay/RichardClayPhotography.com)
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
FORMER KY DERBY FAVORITE BEING MONITORED CLOSELY
Trainer Todd Pletcher says Kentucky Derby contender Uncle Mo “needs to have a good 19 days” if he’s going to enter the Run for the Roses. Uncle Mo was the clear choice in the upcoming Kentucky Derby prior to losing the Wood Memorial in New York a few Saturdays back. But now his connections aren't so sure...
 |
| (Churchill Downs photo) |
Uncle Mo took his first gallop at Churchill Downs on Tuesday, a day after he arrived from New York. The three-year-old colt is coming off a disappointing third-place finish in the Wood Memorial, and postrace tests discovered he is suffering from a gastrointestinal infection.
Pletcher said the horse is “doing very well” but is still far from a lock in running under the twin spires on May 7. Uncle Mo dominated his last race there, rolling to victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last fall.
Pletcher and owner Mike Repole both say Uncle Mo would have to be “100 percent” to take on the other 19 horses in the Derby.
PICTURE OF THE DAY
Daryl Jacob and Spe Salvi (L) jump the last fence a bit awkwardly ahead of Andrew Tinkler and Belle De Fontenay. Spe Salvi would land on all four and go on to win the the Sporting Appointments Mares' Maiden Hurdle race at Fontwell Park on April 19, 2011 in Fontwell, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images Europe)
Monday, April 18, 2011
OUT OF THE ATTIC: HOW'D THIS PARTY GET STARTED
Originally published on Virginia Blog Cup in April of 2007.
Steeplechase races are offshoots of organized fox hunting. Fauquier and Loudoun Counties in Northern Virginia are home to more recognized fox hunts and organized steeplechase races than anywhere else this side of the Atlantic. Don’t worry. Unlike fox hunters in England, we don’t kill the fox. It’s just a bunch of hounds barking and horses snorting and people “Tally Ho-ing” which in some language surely means, “If I fall off this horse going 30 mph, I’m toast!”
Since it wasn’t dangerous enough to go galloping over hill and dale chasing a speedy, wily varmint, somebody hatched a plan to multiply the thrills by conducting an actual race under similar conditions. Viola! Steeplechase racing was born. Would you be shocked if I told you this happened in Ireland?
Point–to-point racing got started on the Emerald Isle according to most sources (read that: everyone but the English). The first such steeplechase race was run in Cork in 1752 when Mr. Blake challenged his neighbor, Mr. O'Callaghan, to race from Buttevant church to Doneraile church some four and a half miles away. Along the way, horse and rider would jump stone walls, ditches and hedges as these presented themselves. By keeping the steeple of the church in sight (steeplechasing), both riders could see the finish line.
When the race was over, Mr. Blake and Mr. O’Callghan invented the pub.
Nice work, fellas.
PICTURES OF THE DAY
Bon Caddo (Blair Wyatt, up) beats More Fascination (Jeff Murphy, up) to win the $35,000 My Lady's Manor Saturday. The race is traditionally the final prep race for either the Virginia Gold Cup or the Maryland Hunt Cup. (Photos by Douglas Lees)
Sunday, April 17, 2011
2010 VA GOLD CUP RUNNER-UP BON CADDO WINS MY LADY’S MANOR
By Joe Clancy/Steeplechase Times
On a day filled with rain, wind, flying clouds, tornado warnings and a few hardy souls, veteran timber horse Bon Caddo won the $35,000 My Lady's Manor timber stakes at Monkton, Md. Saturday.
 |
| Bon Caddo leading the field. (Douglas Lees) |
Allowed to set a slow pace under Blair Waterman, the 10-year-old winner gave up the lead briefly to Prospectors Strike on the final turn, turned aside a stout challenge from More Fascination in the stretch to win the 3-mile stakes for trainer Dawn Williams. More Fascination (Jeff Murphy) stayed for second with 2010 Manor winner South Monarch (Jody Petty) third.
Bon Caddo turned in a strong 2010 season – without winning a race. He was third in the Grand National, second in the Virginia Gold Cup, International Gold Cup and Pennsylvania Hunt Cup. Saturday's win will have his connections pondering future starts – in the Grand National next week, the Maryland Hunt Cup April 29 and/or the Virginia Gold Cup May 7.
In other action at the Manor, NoGo Stable's Yin Yang (Eric Gaertner) prevailed with a frantic stretch run to catch He's Got Mojo in the final yards in the $10,000 maiden timber. He's Got Mojo (Mark Beecher) led over the last, but couldn't hold off the winner. Irish-bred You And I finished third. Billy Meister trained the winner, who was making his first NSA start since 2009.
 |
| (Douglas Lees) |
Lucy Stable's Irish import Justpourit (George Hundt Jr.) won his third consecutive race, thriving over the soft going to win the $5,000 amateur highweight timber. Richard Valentine trained the winner, who defeated Voler Bar Nuit and Thermostat.
PICTURES OF THE DAY
Queen Elizabeth II at Newbury racecourse on April 16, 2011 in Newbury, England. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images Europe)
The view of the start of the $750,000 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on Saturday. (Photo by Coady Photography)
Saturday, April 16, 2011
PICTURES OF THE DAY
Get Stormy with jockey Javier Castellano riding charges to the finish line to with the Grade I Maker's Mark Mile at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., Friday, April 15, 2011. (Photo by Coady Photography)
Friday, April 15, 2011
PREP-RACE UPSETS LEAVE KENTUCKY DERBY WITH NO CLEAR FAVORITE
 |
| Uncle Mo |
So if you are planning to attend the Gold Cup and you want to impress your friends, date, boyfriend, girlfriend an/or spouse, you need to know about the horses running in the "most exciting two minutes in sports."
According to CBS news, this year’s Kentucky Derby is still a wide open affair:
Like twin pole stars, the spires of venerable Churchill Downs point the way to glory. In the shadow of those spires, a frantic field of 3-year-old thoroughbreds will run for the roses.
It's the fastest two minutes in sports, and this year the favorite is...?
It was supposed to be a big bay colt named Uncle Mo. He was undefeated and a prohibitive favorite in Saturday's Wood Memorial. Owner and entrepreneur Mike Repole kissed his Italian grandmother for luck, then settled in with 100 of his best buddies for the inevitable.
 |
| His Airness |
"Hey, ya know, it's like Michael Jordan used to score 50 a game and sometimes he'd score 15. Sometimes horses and athletes have bad days. This is a bad day," Repole said after the race.
That was not the case for another favorite, Toby's Corner. The chestnut colt came from sixth place to stun Uncle Mo and the rest of the racing universe. Before that race, his owners hadn't even considered a trip to the derby.
"I mean this, it was such a wonderful - to think this could happen - I can't stop laughing. It's such a wonderful feeling," said Diane Cotter, Toby's Corner's owner.
 |
| #6 Midnight Interlude |
Second favorite, Premier Pegasus, is out with a fractured canon bone. Jaycito went down with an abscess, though he could recover in time for the derby.
If Uncle Mo's camp is looking for solace they might consider this: the last big-time favorite to lose so badly at the Wood was a horse known as Big Red - Secretariat.
 |
| Secretariat |
Keep an eye on the Virginia Blog Cup and we will keep you up to date on all the probable Kentucky Derby starters. Look for a full update on Monday!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)