UNIONVILLE, Pa.--On a muddy and deep course soaked by four days of rain, Mystic Strike, owned by Upland Partners, trained by Todd McKenna and ridden by Tom Garner, won by eight lengths over an outstanding field of 10 starters in the $25,000, 4 mile Pennsylvania Hunt Cup on Nov. 1
Rebecca Shepherd's Curve of Stones, trained by David Bourke and ridden by Barry Foley was second over Stand Down, Joshua G and Just Wait and See.
Le Chevalier fell midway through the race and Jeffrey G, Hanno, Grand Manan and Super Saturday were pulled up.
"I jumped off at the start about halfway back through the pack," said Garner.
Garner said that Mystic Strike was a little too strong at the beginning.
"He needed to relax," said Garner, who is from Ireland. "He needed to conserve his energy because I knew it would be a war of attrition. The going was very soft. It was like riding at home, so I was used to it."
"HE TRAVELED and jumped great," said Garner. "He would be a nice handicap horse overseas."
Garner had ridden Renegade River in the previous race, who had slipped and fallen on a turn, but he said he hadn't been worried about Mystic Strike slipping.
"I wasn't concerned with that," said Garner. "They had moved the beacons out before the Hunt Cup. But the going wasn't ideal for these horses. They're not used to this."
Mystic Strike went to the lead at the third to last fence and held off challengers to win comfortably.
Garner had ridden Mystic Strike twice before, at Shawan Downs and at Middleburg, where Mystic Strrke had borne out in the stretch, allowing Curve of Stones to slip through on the rail and beat him.
"He wouldn't have been beaten in Middleburg except that he bore out," said Garner. "I was my fault. He's a nice horse."
Curve of Stones had won two timber stakes, at Middleburg and the International Gold Cup, before the Hunt Cup.
"We're over the moon," said Bourke of Orange, Va.. "He's run three times in four weeks and won twice and been second. He's represented himself well each time."
Bourke said that his connections are thinking about running him either in the Maryland Hunt Cup next spring or sending him to England for the Grand National.
"This was my first time at the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup," said Bourke. "I walked the course with my son. The fences have no ground lines, and they have more space between the rails than in Virginia. But he handled the fences well."
"He's a very athletic horse," said Bourke. "That's why we're thinking of doing something different like the Maryland Hunt Cup or the Grand National. He relishes a course changing."
"He gets tired of the same thing," said Bourke. "He needs a change of scenery or he never picks up the bit. He needs different jumps to keep his mind in the game."
POCKET TALK, owned by Kinross Farm, trained by Joe Davies and ridden by Eddie Keating, won the first race, the $10,000, 3 mile Lewis C. Ledyard Maiden timber by 11 1/2 lengths after leading all the way.
Four horses in the nine horse field finished, with Shootist finishing second and First Friday third.
Royal Ruse, owned by Charles C. Fenwick, trained by Sanna Neilson and ridden by Neilson's niece Skylar McKenna, won the $15,000, 3 miles Arthur A. Choate Memorial Allowance race by 35 1/4 lengths over Awesome Adrian and Vintage Vinnie, the only finishers in the filed of eight, with Renegade River slipping and falling and the rest pulling up.
Courtney Dankanich scored her second ever win on Pony Up, owned by Emily Amber and trained by Ricky Hendriks, in the Apprentice Rider Training flat race, scoring by 3 3/4 lengths over a field of 10.
In the second division, Parker Hendriks, who had just won for the first time under rules at the Gold Cup, rode Sherry Fenwick's Forgiving, trained by Jonathan Sheppard, to win by 2 3/4 lengths over a file of nine.