Two wins. Two seconds. Two thirds. Two countries.
In six starts.
What a day. Rupert The Prince started it the day with a third in a 2-mile flat race at Ripon. And, yes, I watched it from the Sheetz parking lot. A solid effort and a big improvement from a disappointing hurdle debut back in January. Gradual steps. The son of Golden Horn will go back over hurdles at some point. We are heading in the right direction.
Roja Redemption trounced a field of 115 handicappers to start the day off right at Foxfield. Graham Watters let the free-running son of Flintshire bowl along and he cruised home by 9 1/2 lengths. Great to see the 6-year-old bounce back from a scary bout of heat stroke at Saratoga last summer. With patient partners, we put him away after that blip and aimed at the first 115 handicap in Virginia. Job done. Four wins, three seconds and three thirds in 10 starts for Riverdee, Roja has now earned $101,705 since joining the stable.
Vintage Year settled well off the pace and easily collected the $6,300 second-place prize behind Roja. The son of Point Of Entry hadn’t run since Foxfield in the fall. Plenty of options for both horses ahead.
Two races later, we went 1-2 again, this time in the Daniel Van Clief. Cyber Ninja rallied late and last to nab Rocket One near the wire of the $75,000 novice stakes. It was a Bill Mott exacta as both horses hailed from the Hall of Famer’s barn.
Jamie Bargary guided Cyber Ninja to his third win in four starts since going over hurdles last summer.
“Class. Class got him through,” Bargary said. “He was good and clever going down to the last and I was always getting him up the run in. He’s pretty nice.”
Watching it from the Foxfield owner’s tower, the half-length win didn’t look so certain. Phew and whew.
Rocket One returned from a nearly two-year layoff and looked home free after rounding past the field and opening up after the last. Bernie Dalton, deputizing for Stephen Mulqueen who took off his mounts after a fall in the first, guided the son of Into Mischief. Campaigning for Riverdee and Ten Strike Racing, the 7-year-old has now produced two wins and five seconds in eight hurdle starts.
Welshman settled well off the pace in the Good Night Shirt, gradually worked his way into contention and finished third in the $50,000 handicap hurdle. Solid run from a solid horse.
The horses earned $92,847 on the day. Now if you could just do that every day.
We entered De La Cruz, Jhirsch, Welshman, Pudding Lane and Mortal Sin at the Virginia Gold Cup Saturday. Not sure we’ll run all of them. We nominated Rocket One, Cyber Ninja and Zabeel Champion at the Iroquois.
Watch the replay of the full card at Foxfield.
