Took in a little action at Piedmont Point-to-Point Saturday. James Wyatt won his first timber race aboard Be Counted. That was the highlight for me. Seeing a kid you’ve watched grow up go out and do something independently and successfully, that’s special.
Be Counted, a 11-year-old son of Gio Ponti, went to the lead early in the second division of the C. Thomas Reed Memorial, settled off Sam Cockburn and Gun For Success before rallying to win by 1 1/2 lengths.
“He jumped beautifully the whole time. Just went to the lead and then tucked in behind Sam after he passed me and got up in the inside at the end. Beautiful. He’s a great horse,” Wyatt said. “I’ve been watching these races for a while and I’ve always wanted to win a timber race. It’s great. Great.”
Owned by Sarah M. Jay, Be Counted won his debut for Augustin Stable and Graham Motion at Laurel Park in 2016, won twice over hurdles for Gillian Johnston before switching to timber.
Stephen Mulqueen returned with a roar, winning two at Aiken. Sidelined at the end of the season with a broken hand, Mulqueen guided Porte Jaune to win her American debut and Blue Creek to win the Imperial Cup.
Entry day today. We’ll enter Include It at Cheshire and a slew of horses at Green Spring. Time to get to work.
