A well matched field is entered in the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup

Details: October 29, 2019; By Staff Writers

UNIONVILLE, Pa.--Stand Down and Super Saturday, the first two finishers in last year’s Pennsylvania Hunt Cup, will meet again on Sunday, Nov. 3 in the 85th edition of the $40,000 timber classic in Unionville.

aboutbutton Post time for the first race is 1:30 p.m. for the four-race program.

Frank A. Bonsal Jr.’s Stand Down will be seeking his first win since finishing 7¾ lengths ahead of Super Saturday in the 2018 Pennsylvania Hunt Cup.

He most recently finished fourth in the Genesee Valley Hunt Cup on Oct. 12.

Trainer Joseph G. Davies named Eric Poretz to ride the 7-year-old Irish-bred as usual.

Irv Naylor’s Super Saturday will be coming back on a week’s rest to contest the four-mile Pennsylvania Hunt Cup, the year’s final timber classic.

THE ANY Given Saturday gelding finished third in the International Gold Cup on Oct. 26 after a second-place effort in Virginia Fall’s National Sporting Library and Museum Cup.

Trainer Kathy Neilson named Gerard Galligan to ride the 10-year-old again.

Neilson also entered It’s Nothing and Awesome Adrian.

Owned by Move-Up Stables and Sally Reed, It’s Nothing won a Shawan Downs timber allowance on Sept. 28 before finishing fifth in the Genesee Valley Hunt Cup, and Skylar McKenna, the trainer’s daughter, again will ride the 6-year-old Congrats gelding.

Nancy Reed’s Awesome Adrian won a Willowdale Steeplechase maiden timber race on May 12 and most recently was seventh in Fair Hill’s novice timber race on May 24, and Poretz has a second call.

The Pennsylvania Hunt Cup’s early pace very likely will be set by Armata Stables’ Grand Manan, who finished third in the Genesee Valley Hunt Cup.

Archie Macauley will ride for trainer Billy Meister.

Trainer Todd McKenna entered Upland Partners’ Mystic Strike, to be ridden by Mark Beecher, and Keystone Thoroughbreds’ Be Great, who will be ridden by Brian Linehan..

Mystic Strike began the year with a victory in the My Lady’s Manor and was pulled up in the Genesee Valley.

Be Great finished fifth in last year’s Pennsylvania Hunt Cup and in his most recent start was fifth in a Willowdale timber allowance.

Paul O’Neill will be on Blair Wyatt’s Witor, who finished third in the National Sporting Library on Oct. 12.

Trained by Todd Wyatt, the owner’s husband, the German-bred was second in the My Lady’s Manor and fourth in the Willowdale Steeplechase.