CHARLETTESVILLE, Va.--Ricky Hendriks saddled three of the five winners at the Foxfield Spring Races on April 28, including the winner of the featured allowance race, to move within two races of Jonathan Sheppard in the Trainer - Races Won category.
His first win came in the $20,000 Filly & Mare Maiden Hurdle with Eve Ledyard's Quarla, ridden by Ross Geraghty, who won by a neck over Mike Dalton's Etched in Time, trained by Lilith Boucher and ridden by Gerard Galligan.
"We've had Quarla for about a year and a half," said Hendriks. "She won a point-to-point race at Warrenton last year, and then she got bitten by a spider on her hind leg. The leg blew up. It was really bad."
With that injury, Quarla was out for about a year.
"She ran third in her first race this year, a flat race at the Elkridge-Harford Point-to-Point, and Foxfield was her first start under rules (a race sanctioned by the National Steeplechase Association)," said Hendriks.
Both of Hendriks' next two wins were for George Mahoney's Rosbrian Farm.
Officer Sydney (Ire), ridden by Geraghty, won the $30,000 Allowance Optional Claiming Hurdle by 2 lengths over Irvin Naylor's Lake Champlain, trained by Cyril Murphy and ridden by Graham Watters.
"He's a 7-year-old," said Hendriks, but he's had problems. There have been long gaps between his races. He only ran once last year, and won once. He ran at Atlanta earlier this year and was second. We bought him in Ireland."
Cheers to Us won the $15,000 Maiden Claiming for Hendriks and Rosbrian Farms, ridden again by Geraghty, beating Riverdee Stable's Ebullience, trained by Jonathan Sheppard and ridden by Galligan, by 5 lengths.
"We bought Cheers to Us this winter from a friend of mine," said Hendriks. "He won at Cheshire Point-to-Point and then finished second at Atlanta."
Naylor, Murphy and Watters teamed up to win the $30,000 Sport of Kings Maiden Hurdle by 1 1/2 lengths over Christine Murphy's Foxhall Drive, trained by Jimmy Day and ridden by Paul O'Neill.
Holiday Mpusse, owned by William Russell, trained by Neil Morris and ridden by Barry Foley, won the $20,000 Condition Claiming Hurdle by 4 1/4 lengths over Sara Collette's Balistes, trrained by Morris and ridden by Shane Crimin.