MIDDLEBURG, Va.--Sean McDermott trained and rode two winners, including the winner of the featured 3-Year-Old Hurdle Stakes, at the Virginia Fall Races in Middleburg on Saturday, Oct. 12.
Vivian E Rall's homebred Super Chunk, trained and ridden by McDermott, won the $50,000 ,2 1/8 mile Three-Year-Old Hurdle Stakes by 7 1/2 lengths over Not Listening, trained by Kate Dalton, and Brie's Mission, trained by Jack Fisher.
"He is a chunk," said McDermott."He has huge feet and a huge head. He's a homebred of Vivian's, and I have his half-brother in the barn."
"He still doesn't know what he's doing, so it's encouraging that he finished so well in Middleburg," said McDermott."When we got him, he'd been handled but not broken. We got him broken and sent him home. We got him back this spring,
"He ran a lovely race on the flat at Laurel under the instructions to give him gentle handling, But then he got a bang on the shin and missed some time. We ran him at Shawan. He wasn't fit enough, so I gave him an educational race. It was deep going.
"Now we just have to keep his pot full, he loves to eat, We''ll freshen him again, then there's a 3-year-old stake at Colonial. We'd love to run him back on the flat. We wanted to run him for the breeders' awards as he's a Md-bred," said McDermott.
McDERMOTT also trained and rode Metahorse Racing's Praghas Ceart (Ire) to win the first race on the card, the $40,000 Maiden Hurdle.
Praghas Ceart won by 3 1/2 lengths over Fouroneohsmokesh, trained by Keri Brion, and Dynamite Dan (Ire), trained by Tom Garner.
"Praghas Ceart means Price is Right in Irish," said McDermott."He came from Keri. His owners have been very patient. He really takes individual training."
McDermott got him in the summer of 2023, and he ran five times after that before winning.
"It's taken him that long to come around," said McDermott. "The owners were deserving of that win with all their patience. He'll run in a ratings handicap or a non-winner of two next."
Todd Wyatt also trained two winners in Middleburg.
He saddled Rverdee Stable's King Tsunami, ridden by Steve Mulqueen, to win the $30,000 Optional Maiden Starter/Maiden Claiming hurdle, second division, by 4 3/4 lengths over Thatsmyboxeer, trained by Neil Morris, and King of the Kids, trained by Cyril Murphy.
Wyatt also saddled Genet Raving's Wicked West, ridden by Dan Nevin, to win the $20,000 Steeplethon by 2 1/2 lengths over Court Ruler (Ire), trained by Leslie Young, and Fashion Line, trained by Kathy Neilson.
Lillith Boucher saddled Why Not Racing's Low Country to win the $30,000 Optional Maiden/Maiden Claiming Hurdle by 6 1/2 lengths over Department of War, trained by Neilson,, and Laker Mamba, trained by Morris, while Keri Brion saddled Carloun (Ire), owed by Paul and Molly Willis and ridden by Mulqueen, to win the $35,000 Ratings Handicap Hurdle by 3 3/4 lengths over Decisive Triumph, trained by Mark Beecher, and Quick Master, trained by Fisher.
Todd McKenna saddled Upland Partners' Mystic Strike to win the $50,000 Timber Stakes by 2 1/4 lengths over Hard Strike, also trained by McKenna, and Royal Ruse, trained by Sanna Neilson.
Morris saddle Sherry Fenwick's Anticipating, ridden by Evan Dwan, to win the $20,000 Maiden Timber by 2 lengths over Bet the Pot, also trained by Morris, and Potus, trained by Fisher.