HUNT VALLEY, Md.--Jack Fisher dominated the races at Shawan Downs, winning three of the six races and finishing second in one and third in two others on Saturday, Sept. 27.
Keys Discount leads over the last in the Brown Advisory Stakes (Photo by Tod Marks)Fisher's three winners included Maiden and Allowance Hurdle winners and the winner of the Timber Stakes.
He saddled Keys Discount, owned by his mother, Mrs. John R.S.Fisher and ridden by Graham Watters to win the $25,000 3 1/8 mile Brown Advisory Timber Stakes by 4 1/4 lengths in 6:46 2/5 over Animal Kingston, trained by Neil Morris, and Queens Empire (Ire), also trained by Fisher.
"Keys Discount has stamped himself as the horse to beat," said Fisher. "It was the way he won it that was so impressive. He won it easily."
"He'll go to Middleburg next," he said.
Keys Discount has now won three hurdle stakes this year, beginning with the Virginia Gold Cup and then the Middleburg Hunt Cup and now at Shawan Downs.
Fisher's horses finished first and second in the first race on the card, the $20,000 Maiden Three Year Old Hurdle.
RIVERDEE Stables' beautifully bred Ethics, sired by Hard Spun out of a Blame mare, and ridden by Freddie Procter, won the $20,000, 2 mile Maiden Hurdle by 3 1/4 lengths in 3:49 over Scorpius, also trained by Fisher, and Ten Bucks a Glass, trained by Kate Dalton.
"I ran him on the flat at Colonial, and I thought he was going to win," said Fisher. "But he ran a bad race, and I was very disappointed."
This was Ethics first race over fences.
"He'll run next a Middleburg," said Fisher.
Fisher's third winner was Riverdee Stables' Cyber Ninja, who won the $40,000 Allowance Hurdle by 1 length in 3:39 3/5 over St. James the Great, trained by Keri Brion, and Dynamite Dan, trained by Tom Garner.
Cyber Ninja has been running on the flat, and then he won his first race over fences at Colonial on July 17.
"He ran okay," said Fisher. "He'll go to Far Hills next."
Tom Garner saddled Irv Naylor's Max D Out (Ire), ridden by Evan Dwan, to win the $30,000 Maiden Hurdle by 5 1/4 lengths in 3:56 2/5 over Marcilly, trained by Ricky Hendrks, and Big George, trained by Fisher.
Leslie Young had the first and second placed horses in the $30,000 Handicap Hurdle, winning with Sharon E. Sheppard's Rucker Road (Ire). ridden by Mell Boucher, who won by 3 lengths in 3:44, and Artistic Choice (Ire), who was second, with Bright Eyed Eagle, trained by Kathy Neilson. third.
Young also saddled The Hero Next Door, owned by Michael A. Smith and ridden by Jamie Bargary, to win the $15,000 Maiden Timber by 20 3/4 lengths in 6:44 1/5 over Sorolla, trained by Kevin Boniface, and Andy Dufresne (Ire), trained b y Hendriks.
