CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.--Lydford (GB) won the $100,000, G2 Mariann De Tejeda Memorial Hurdle Stakes at the Foxfield Fall Races on Sunday, Oct, 4.

Lydford (Photo courtesy of Tom Garner)Owned by Maranto Manor, trained by Tom Garner and ridden by Evan Dwan, Lydford won after Two Past Eight (GB), trained by Leslie Young, who actually won by a head, was disqualified.

"It's never nice to win like that, but I think we deserved it," said Garner. "The other horse bumped us and we just lost by a nose."

"We bought him from a sale in England," said Garner. "He's had his problems. He had a tendon, but my wife and sister-in-law who own him have been very patient."

"Leslie trained him in his first two races while I  was still riding for her," said Garner. "He bowed after the Walsh Novice Stakes at Saratoga and was out for two years."

Since 2024, Lydford, trained by Garner, has run nine times with three wins, that include also winning the Good Night Shirt Stakes at Foxfield Spring Races earlier this year,  two seconds and a third.

 

"IT MIGHT be a strong statement to say that he's improving at age 9, but I think he's just coming into himself," said Garner.

"He'll go to the grade 3 at the Gold Cup next," said Garner.

"We were disqualified for bumping n the stretch," said Young. "Two Past Eight had led all the way.  Lydford bumped him first. My jockey corrected but they took us down."

Young has  been stabled at what was Jonathan Sheppard's barn with a training track in West Grove, Pa., but according to Young, that farm has been sold to Dixon Stroud, and she is s now looking for a new barn.

"Trying to find a barn for 20 horses in Unionville is really hard," she said.

Garner had a second winner in Metahorse Racing's Lightup Lightup, ridden by Dwan, who won the $20,000 Maiden Claiming Hurdle by 15 lengths over Basic Miles, trained by Mark Beecher, and Righthere Rightnow, trained by Barry Foley.

Beecher also had two winners, including Armata Stables' Asleep In Court (Ire), ridden by Freddie Procter, who won the $40,000 Maiden Hurdle by 7 3/4 lengths over My Kinda Ghaiy (Ire), trained by Foley, and Vienna Storm (GB), trained by Jack Fisher.

Beecher also saddled Whiskeyinthejaro, ridden by Dan Nevin, to win the $30,000 Ratings Handicap Hurdle by a neck over Jhirsch, trained by Laird George, and Bright Eyed Eagle, trained by Kathy Neilson.

Lilith Boucher saddled Wyn Not Racing's Path to Victory to win the $30,000 Filly and Mare Maiden Hurdle by 1/2 length over Loving Look (GB), trained by Foley, and Jolie Etoile (Fr), trained by Cyril Murphy.

Neil Morris saddled One O Two Racing's Walk the Warrior (Ire), ridden by Graham Watters, to win the $40,000 Ratings Handicap Hurdle by a neck over King of the Kids, trained by Murphy, and King of Tsavo (GB), trained by Young.

Ricky Hendriks had both the first and second placed horses in the Training Flat, winning with Runnymoore Racing;s Highwayman, ridden by Jamie Bargary, who won by 1 1/4 lengths over Blue Waters (Ire), while Fleetfoot (Ire), trained by Foley, was third.