CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.--Sean McDermott trained and rode Who's Counting to win the featured $35,000,2 1/4 mile Ratings Handicap Hurdle by 6 3/4 lengths at the Foxfield Fall Races on Sunday, Oct. 1.

Who's Counting, trained and ridden by Sean McDermottSouth Branch Equine's 5-year-old gelding ran second for much of the race and moved into the lead to win comfortably.

Leslie Young had two winners over fences plus the training flat winner to increase again her lead in Trainer, Races Won.

"We got Who's Counting as an unbroken colt," said McDermott. "I guess he'd been ridden, but he didn't know anything. We gave him a few flat races to give him experience."

"I keep switching him from flat to jump races," said McDermott. "Horses like the switch, they enjoy the change. We do that in Ireland quite a lot,"

"He's won three flat races now," said McDermott. "He was unlucky in a few or he'd have won more. He's a really good horse. In 2022 he was placed in every race he ran."

"This year a lot of turf races were taken off the turf," he said."At least in steeplechasing they run soft or hard going. Flat races are harder on them. They're asked to run hard all the way. Steeplechasing is more forgiving, they can take a breather. they can run more in their comfort zone."

 

"THAT WAS a tough field," said McDermott of the Foxfield race. "He was coming in fit and ready from running on the flat. A lot of horses were coming off a long time off. The horse that ran second hadn't run in a year."

"If his rating doesn't go up too much he'll go to Far Hills," he said. "He's also nominated for a Maryland Million race at a 1 1/8 miles."

Leslie Young saddled the winners of three races, two over fences, to increase her lead in Trainer, Races Won to 27 wins to Jack Fisher's 13, and Arch Kingsley and Ricky Hendriks have eight each.

Leipers Fork Steeplechasers' Garrison Forest (Ire), ridden by Freddie Procter, won the $30,000, 2 1/8 mile Maiden Hurdle over Active Duty, trained and ridden by Tom Garner.

"We had high hopes for him at the beginning of the season," said Young. "But the he had a little set-back. He bit his tongue, and we had to give him some time off.  He needed this race to get some experience. He's a brilliant jumper. He's a Walk in the Park. Andi'amu was by Walk in the Park. We like the ones by Walk in the Park."

Charlie Fenwick's Arrowheart, ridden by Procter, won the $25,000, 2 1/4 mile Ratings Handicap Hurdle by 9 3/4 lengths over Baltimore Kid (Ire), trained by Keri Brion.

"He's a New York-bred," said Young. "He was running on the flat trained by John Kimmel. We approached Charlie and suggested we put him over fences. He ran last year, then we gave him some time off. Last year, he was jumping to the right. Here he jumped straight as a die."

A loose horse, pursued by two outriders, crossed behind the second to last fence as the field was approaching it, and then the loose horse turned and ran between  a couple of horses as they approached the fence.

Luckily, no one was hurt.

Michael Smith's The Hero Next Door, ridden by Mikey Hamill, won the Training Flat by 2 1/4 lengths over Welshman, trained by Fisher.

"He's probably one of the nicest horses I've ever trained," said Young. We want to be patient with him. We just prepped him on the flat. Hopefully, he'll run next at Far Hills."

Julie Gomena saddled Stonelea Stables' Afraid Not to win the $30,000 Filly and Mare Maiden Hurdle by 3 1/4 lengths over Lacey Underall, trained by Brion.

Lawrence Smith saddled Eye of Gunfighter, ridden by Virginia Korrell, to win the $20,000 Maiden Claiming Hurdle.