CHRISTIANA, Pa.--Bernie Houghton, whose farm, Rosedale, as well as his mother's farm, Sylmar, are both in Christiana, has had four thoroughbred winners at two different tracks, a son who has won two pony race winners and a daughter who has won championships at HITS Horse Shows in jumpers and also ran a hunter horse show over the past few weeks.

Bernie, Betsy and Thomas HoughtonHoughton started his skein of racetrack wins with Traders Luck, owned by his mother Betsy's Sylmar farm and bred by his mother, in a $31,800, 6 furlong Allowance race at Penn National on July 27.

"Traders Luck is a very fast horse with mental problems," said Houghton of the 3-year-old gelding by Weigelia. "He's very tough to deal with. He's had issues in the gate. He's nervous, and he tries to run off. He's very hard to work in the mornings. But he won wire to wire."

Traders Luck, who won by 3//4 of a length, has now won two races from four starts, all this year after, winning a maiden special weight in May and then finishing fourth and sixth in allowance races.

Houghton won two races at Penn National on July 28.

He won the first race, an $18,500, 6 furlong Claiming race with Beyond the Bend. a 4-year-old by Jump Start that he owns with his mother but who races under the ownership of his WMT Stables.

He ran good," said Houghton," He's won four races for us now."

Beyond the Bend, who won by a nose, has two allowance wins among his four wins and a second from 11 starts.

 

HOUGHTON then won the fourth race that night with James Eshelman's Swan Point in a $27,100, 1 mile and 70 yards Maiden Special Weight on the turf.

"Actually, she's owned and bred by Kim Eshelman, who has worked for us for about 40 years," said Houghton. "That was her first time on grass."

Swan Point, who won by a head, now has one first and one third from five starts.

Houghton then won with Barlar Farm's homebred 5-year-old mare Witch in a $24,000, 1 1/16 mile Starter Optional Claiming race on the turf at Delaware Park on Aug. 5.

"She's a good, hard hitting little filly on the grass," said Houghton.

Witch, who won by a neck, now has five wins, five second and two thirds from 19 stars.

In between training and winning with flat race horses, Houghton's son Thomas won two Large Pony races, one at Timonium on July 31 and one at Penn National on Aug. 6.

His 16-year-old daughter Madison, who rides jumpers, a scored a couple of big wins at HITS Horse Shows in Saugerties, N.Y..

Then on Aug. 7, Houghton ran a horse show at his farm for hunters at which Madison coached some riders.

"We have four horse shows a year here," said Houghton. "This was an all hunter show, and we had about 150 people."

GRAHAM MOTION had two winners in maiden races.

On July 31, he saddled Alex G.Campbell's homebred 4-year-old Close Shave to win a $38,000. 6 furlong Maiden Special Weight at Delaware Park.

Close Shave dueled outside through the stretch and edged away to win by 1 3/4 lengths.

On Aug. 7, he had Richard L. Golden's Fire in the Hole win a $50,115, 1 1/16 mile Waiver Maiden Claiming race at Pimlico.

Fire in the Hole settled off the pace, raced four wide into the stretch and won by 1 3/4 lengths.

RICKY HENDRIKS saddled Debra E. Kachel's Voting Control to win a $21,200, 1 mile Allowance race at Mountaineer on Aug. 1.

Although Voting Control races in the name of Kachel, he is actually owned by Kachel, Hendriks and his mother Wendy Hendriks.

Voting Control raced four wide into the stretch and then dueled inside to win by a neck.