UNIONVILLE, Pa.--Charlie Fenwick scored another victory in the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup, this time as an owner, when his Royal Ruse, trained by Sanna Neilson and ridden by Gerard Galligan won on Sunday, Nov. 5.
Royal Ruse over a fence early in the Hunt Cup (Photo by Tod Marks)Royal Ruse won the $35,000, 4 mile Hunt Cup impressively by 24 3/4 lengths over Awesome Adrian, trained by Kathy Neilson, with Shootist another 17 lengths back in third.
Royal Ruse finished in the very fast time of 7:33 2/5, just a few seconds off the track record.
Monbeg Stream (Ire) fell heavily over the second to last fence but got up after a while and, according to the announcer on the live stream both horse and rider were okay, while Renegade River was pulled up and according to Equibase had to be vanned off.
The Neilson sisters have now placed first and second in this year's two biggest timber races, with Kathy saddling Withoutmoreado to win the Maryland Hunt Cup over Royal Ruse.
Fenwick has now won the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup as a rider, a trainer and an owner, and three generations of his family have now won the Hunt Cup.
"My grandfather Howard Bruce won the race in 1927 with Billy Barton, and my Mother, Rosalie Culver, owned Dosdi, who won it three times in the late 70s," said Fenwick. "For 96 years and three generations my family has had the same colors. My Mother inherited the colors from her father, my grandfather, and I inherited them from her."
"Billy Barton went on to win the Maryland Hunt Cup in 1928," said Fenwick. "There were 66 starters, according to family lore, and only two finished, and Billy Barton got his picture on the cover of Time Magazine."
FENWICK rode Dosdi to his three wins, trained and rode Sam Son of a Gun to win in 1980 and 1981 and then trained Buck Jakes, ridden by Anne Moran, who won in 1995 and 1996
"Royal Ruse jumped brilliantly," said Fenwick. "He was tired but proud at the end. We were all proud. Gerard gave him a perfect ride. He only got on him Saturday after Parker Hendriks was hurt, but he had ridden him once a few years ago."
"Royal Ruse has certainly given us a lot of fun," said Fenwick. "He's shown up at the biggest and best races. It's been good fun. That's just what racing is supposed to be about."
"I saw 18 people who'd won the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup there on Sunday," said Fenwick. "The spectators were a group of people that love timber racing."
Royal Ruse was second in the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup last year and then was second in the Maryland Hunt Cup earlier this year.
He has consistently hit the board in all his races since starting over fences in 2018, placing first second or third in 19 of 26 starts.
"I bought Royal Ruse from Jonathan Sheppard in 2018 as a 4-year-old, and he's 9 now," said Neilson. "He broke his maiden at the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup and also won the allowance race there. He seems to like the place."
"He's a lovely horse," she said. "He's quirky and opinionated. He likes me, but he doesn't like the blacksmith or the vet, and he doesn't like new people."
"He's not an overly big horse, he's not your typical big, massive timber horse," said Neilson. "I have hunted him, but I don't hunt him too much because he'd get too lean. But he's a good hunter."
Sanna's son Parker Hendriks was scheduled to ride Royal Ruse, but was replaced by Galligan the day before the race.
"Parker had a fall at the Gold Cup," said Neilson. "He thought he was okay, and rode at Monpelier. The first horse he rode wasn't a puller, so he still thought he was okay, but then the next hose he rode was a puller and he realized his shoulder really hurt, so he's going to the doctor tomorrow. He was really disappointed not togettoride Royal Ruse. He's been looking forward to it."
"Royal Ruse is going to have a little vacation," she said. "He'll go to Charlie's to be turned out, and then he'll come back to me in January and we'll take another crack at the Maryland Hunt Cup next spring."
"It was a nice race to win, and nice to win at home," said Neilson.
Emily Hannum saddled Adlestrop Hill's Paddy's Crown, ridden by Teddy Davies, to win the $15,000 Maiden Timber by 1/2 length over Mekong, trained by Mark Beecher, and Todd McKenna saddled Upland Partners' Rhythmia to win the $20,000 Allowance Timber by 10 1/2 lengths over Brooklyn Speights, trained by Beecher.
Ricky Hendriks saddled both first and second in the first division of the Training Flat race, with Del Rio Racing's Get Khozy winning over Prophet's Voice, and Leslie Young saddled Kenilworth King Syndicate's Kenilworth King to win the second division of the Training Flat by 12 length over Exuma, trained by Beecher.
