CAMDEN, S.C,--Swore, trained by Keri Brion, won the $75,000, 2 1/8 mile Carolina Cup Novice Hurdle Stakes over a field of seven at the Carolina Cup Races on Saturday,March 28.
Swore leads Chortal over the last in the Carolina Cup (Photo by Tod Marks)Owned by Stone Farm and Upland Flats Racing and ridden by Stephen Mulqueen, Swore won by 6 3/4 lengths over Chortal (GB) and Coutach (GB). both trained by Ricky Hendriks.
Swore now has four wins and a second, including two stakes wins, from six starts over fences.
"Swore was trained by Graham Motion," said Brion. "He was a nice horse but just a click below stakes quality. I'd been watching him for a while. Stone Farm bred him and still owned half of him. I said to Patrick Lewis that I thought he'd make a good steeplechase horse, and Patrick bought the other half."
"He's been in my barn since November of 2024," she said. "We taught him to jump and then turned him out for the winter. I'd noticed he sounded like he was making a noise, and in the spring it was worse, so he had a complete wind operation. That's why he didn't run until July, but that wind operation really helped him."
Later last year, Swore won the G1 Lonesome Glory Handicap and the G1 American Grand National Hurdle Stakes.
"HE'S A COOL horse," said Brion. "He's really classy. I always worry if I'm doing enough with him because he does everything so easily. I haven't had one like that since The Mean Queen."
"He's by Broken Vow and comes from a great turf family," Brion said. "He'll go next to the Grade 1 in Nashville. I think the distance will suit him. I think the farther he goes the better. I was worried the Carolina Cup might be a little too short for him. Then, God willing, he'll go to Saratoga."
Kate Dalton saddled St. Rita Racing's Pleasant Fantasy, ridden by Bernie Dalton, to win the $40,000 Maiden Hurdle by 5 3/4 lengths over Gray's Fable, trained by Brion, and Verbal, trained by Leslie Young.
Young then saddled King of Tsavo (GB), owned bu Sharon Sheppard and ridden by Evan Dwan,, to win the $35,000 Ratings Handicap115 by 2 1/4 lengths over Anoint, trained by Brion, and Outperform, trained by Neil Morris.
Todd McKenna saddled Keystone Thoroughbred's On the Couch, ridden by Jamie Bargary, to win the $35,000 Maiden Claiming Hurdle by 3/4 length over Beyond Reproach, trained by Arch Kingsley, and Ten Bucks a Glass, trained by Dalton.
Kingsley had the first second and third placed horses n the Training Flat with Hurricana Farm's Merry Maker, ridden by Tom Foley, winning by 8 lengths over Sweet Will (Ire) and Shiv.
