MALVERN, Pa.--Mark Beecher saddled Frontline Citizen (Ire) to win the featured $35,000, 2 1/8 mile National Hunt Cup Allowance Hurdle at the Radnor Hunt Races on a misty, rainy Saturday, May 18.

Frontline Citizen, right, and Rocket One over the second to last jump in the National Hunt Cup (Photo by Tod Marks)
Straylight Racing's Frontline Citizen, ridden by Evan Dwan, went to the lead over the second to last hurdle and battled to the finish to win by a neck in 3:57 4/5 over Rocket One, trained by Jack Fisher.

"I've had him about three years," said Beecher. "He's a nice horse. I bought him for his owner, Alex Leventhal, to ride. Alex rode him to break his maiden at Pine Mountain in 2021, and then he lost a year to an injury."

"Alex stopped riding this year," said Beecher. "He was fourth at Aiken, then third in an allowance at the Gold Cup."

"It wasn't pouring rain, but there was a steady drizzle," said Beecher. "There was still a good crowd. There were a lot of tents for them to be in. The course was in good shape, but it was a little on the soft side. I had another Irish bred, Exuma (Ire), that liked the soft going, but I scratched an American bred horse in the last race who wouldn't have liked the going."

"Frontline Citizen will probably have the summer off and then have a fall campaign," said Beecher. "He'll like the park courses in the fall that have a little undulation in the ground."

 

CYRIL MURPHY saddled Irv Naylor's Travesuras, ridden by Gerard Galligan, to win the first division of the $30,000 Maiden Hurdle by 6 1/4 lengths in 4:05 3/5 over Mischief Afoot, trained by Kathy Neilson.

Richard Valentine saddled Mrs. George Ohrstrom's Blue Nile, ridden by Virginia Korrell, to win the second division of the $35,000 Maiden Hurdle by 3/4 length over Royne, trained by Keri Brion.

The only timber race of the day, the $25,000, 3 1/4 mile Radnor Hunt Cup Allowance Timber, was won by Court Ruler (Ire), owned by Leipers Fork Steeplechasers, trained by Leslie Young and ridden by Conor Tierney.

Court Ruler won by 3/4 length over Mystic Strike, trained by Todd McKenna.

Neilson saddled Naylor's Westerland, ridden by Jack Power, to win the first division of the $15,00 Optional Maiden Starter/Maiden Claiming Hurdle by 5 3/4 lengths in 4:03 1/5 over Exuma (Ire), trained by Beecher, and Fisher saddled Riverdee Stable's Penicillin Success, ridden by Steve Mulqueen, to win the second division by 4 1/4 lengths in 4:11 3/5 over Department of War, trained by Neilson.