CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.--Jack Fisher saddled two winners and a second placed horse at Foxfield Fall Races on Sunday, Oct. 6 and moved into the lead in Trainer, Money Won and into a tie in Trainers, Races Won.
As most expected, Fisher trained the winner of the featured, G3, $75,000, 2 1/8 mile Mariann De Tejeda Hurdle Stakes, but he didn't win it with the horse most people had expected it to be.
C and C Boultbee Brooks' Sebastopol (Ire), ridden by Parker Hendriks, won the Stakes by 1 3/14 lengths over Who's Counting, trained and ridden by Sean McDermott, while Snap Decision, trained by Fisher and the clear favorite in the race, finished third.
The going was very deep in places, going that Snap hates, plus he was giving anywhere from 12 to 20 pounds to the other five horses.
Snap Decision went straight to the start and led through much of the race until he was challenged by Who's Counting, who was then passed by Sebastopol.
"I thought he ran great," said Fisher. "This sets him up well for Far Hills. But he won't run there if it's soft."
Snap, who has won 15 hurdle races, most of them graded stakes, has been beaten at Far Hills for the past two years when the going was very deep and holding.
"If not Far Hills, it was a perfect set up for the Gold Cup," said Fisher.
"It was a really straight forward race," said Hendriks of his ride on Sebastopol. "I just followed the best horse, Snap. He jumped really nicely. I had ridden him in a schooling race at Shawan Downs. He's very nice horse, a very cool horse. Everyone in the barn loves him. Hopefully, I'll ride him back."
"ALL JACK said before the race was `Follow Snap,'" said Hendriks. "I don't think Snap liked the going. The ground on the lower half was very soft. My horse handled it really well."
"The way the race unfolded, Welshman kept Snap at it, so it set up perfectly for us," said Hendriks. "I never made a move until right at the end. On level weights it might have been different."
"Sebastopol came to me last fall from England," said Fisher. "He loved the ground. Where he goes next depends on Parker and whether he decides to ride him or another horse."
Fisher saddled Riverdee Stable and Ten Strike Racing's Jimmy Dan, ridden by Graham Watters, to win the $40,000 Ratings Handicap by 4 1/4 lengths over Foxy Walk (Ire), trained by Leslie Young, and Lydford (GB). trained by Tom Garner.
"I wanted Jimmy Dan when he was a 3-year-year old, but they wouldn't sell him," said Fisher. "He was claimed for $12,500 and then Riverdee bought half of him. He'll probably run in the novice at Far Hills. Then you'll probably see him over timber in 2006."
Anzio, owned by Mrs. S.K. Johnston Jr., trained by Sandra Webb and ridden by Teddy Davies, won the first race on the card, a $20,000 Maiden Claiming Hurdle.
Anzio won by 4 1/4 lengths over Pavoni, trained by Fisher, and Can't Catch Camacho, trained by Young.
"I thought we'd win the first race, but Anzio was too much for us," said Fisher.
With his two wins, Fishe ris now tied with Young for Trainer, Races Won, with 21 races each, and now leads in Trainer, Money Won, with $860,00 to Young's $842,750.
"I just care about the Money Won," said Fisher. "I need o get over $1 million. That's the goal, and it's gettable."
Hendriks rode Rolling Tides' Easy Squeeze (Fr), trained by Doug Fout, to win the $35,00 Filly and Mare Maiden Hurdle by 9 lengths over Belle Wish (Ire), trained by Leslie Young, and Madaket's Arrow, trained by Kate Dalton.
"She's quite a nice filly," said Hendriks. "She won really easily. She fell with me at Old Dominion, and I broke my back, so she paid me back with that win."
Mark Beecher saddled South Branch Equine's I Can Only Imagine, Ridden by Dan Nevin, to win the $40,000 Maiden Hurdle by 4 3/4 lengths over Harrenhal (Ire), trained y Ricky Hendriks, and Pebb;y Pour Toi (Ire), trained by Fout.
Sean McDermott trained and rode Vivian Rall's Icandothat to win the $30,000 Ratings Handicap Hurdle by 5 1/4 lengths over Clara Belle, trained b Keri Brion, and Penicillin Success, trained by Fisher.