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By Betsy Parker
Times-Democrat StafT Writer
WASHINGTON, Va. — Rappahannock placing judges got quite a workout, using video replays and exhaustive consultation to determine winners in five of Saturday’s eight races. Indeed, even the camera could not separate one set of winners, resulting in an unusual “dead heat” finish in the foxhunters’.
Weather came up fair and footing at the March 5 Rappahannock Hunt Point-to-Point, rated good to soft all across the Bleu Rock Inn course, with “a bigger turnout of horses than we’ve had in 10 years,” according to race chairman and hunt master Oliver Brown. Entries were strong, considering a snow storm on nomination day, Monday. A midweek warming spell helped dry the course, Brown said, and the yielding footing helped limit speed. In five races over timber, there were no falls.
Just three contested the featured open timber, yet it turned out to be one of the day’s most competitive races. The trio ran as a team for much of the 2 172 miles, with the pair of Bad Dog Press and Cat Walkin drawing clear landing off the third last on the backstretch. Though Jeff Murphy kept Cat Walkin in touch, Michael Cooney won on the nod with Bad Dog Press, by a nose at the wire.
Winning trainer Dot Smithwick said she was particularly pleased for the gelding’s owner, Tom Hulfish. “We’ve had this horse for four years now. He’s won on the flat, over hurdles and over timber,” she said.
Hulfish is an avid foxhunter, with the Fairfax Hunt, and a rated polo player. He works in real estate from his Alexandria office.
Bad Dog Press won last fall at the National Steeplechase Association-sanctioned Genesee Valley Races in New York. He prepped for Rappahannock by finishing fourth in the jumpers’ flat last Sunday at the Casanova meet.
Smith wick’s Sunnybank Farm in Middleburg sent out three winners on the day, also rooting home jumpers’ flat winner Ghost Fever. Winning owner Ray Moffett also shares ownership of maiden flat winner Rescigno. Irish pro Jeff Murphy handled the duties on both of Smithwick’s flat starters.
Leading trainer Don Yovanovich added another pair of wins, notching the ladies’ timber with rider Molly Forlano and his own Bavario. In the foxhunters’ timber, Yovanovich’s Colonial Relay, Rachel Gray up, could not quite shake a late challenge from Kansas-based foxhunter Ralph Trail aboard Recanting. After lengthy consultation with finish line videos, the placing judges called it a tie and awarded dead-heat victory to both Colonial Relay and Recanting.
Video replay was also needed to separate first and second in the maiden timber, as Class Crimson and Nowush crossed the finish as a team. Mede Cahaba Stable’s homebred Class Crimson was eventually deemed victor, by a head, giving young Remy Winants her third lifetime jump victory.
Winants steered Class Crimson to his maiden victory last week at Casanova. She is daughter of area amateur rider Woods Winants and granddaughter of former Chronicle of the Horse publisher Peter Winants. Her
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