Post-Race Analysis:
Camden, South Carolina - April 1, 2006: Top Of The Bill won the
$75,000 Grade II Carolina First Carolina Cup defeating The Next
Man (Ire) by 1 1/2 lengths in a powerful performance. Early pace
setter Good Night Shirt stayed on well to finish third. The winning
time for the 2 1/8 mile test over 10 fences at the Springdale Race
Course was 4:00 flat.
Randleston Farm's Top Of The Bill moved into contention around
the final turn, splitting horses as he found a norrow seam between
Good Night Shirt and The Next Man. Those three battled it out until
the last fence when Top Of The Bill seemed to find another gear
with a burst of speed that earned him the victory. The 5-year-old
son of Lear Fan (by Roberto) is trained by Jimmy Day and was ridden
by Carl Rafter, an English veteran who picked up his first American
stakes win.
"I was running on to heels coming into the turn and I thought about
going inside, but it was probably best I didn't," Rafter told the
National Steeplechase Association (NSA). "It got a little bit tight,
but they separated just abit and gave me an opportunity to go up
in there. He likes that, he's a tough little horse and he responded
when I asked him. It was a good feeling."
Acceleration made the difference, as Top Of The Bill shook just
off the stout early pace of a strong Good Night Shirt and conserved
enough energy to outrun the leader and The Next Man in the stretch.
"He's a little horse, but he's all heart," Rafter continued. "My
horse does usually go up on the pace, but the plan was to drop him
in a little bit. I was happy where I was because he was settled
and comfortable. He can stay close and still quicken so I liked
where I was."
Randleston Farm's Jim and Melinda Carter purchased Top Of The Bill
from Gainsborough Farm and have seen the horse win two of three
starts and earn $59,400. He made his steeplechase debut last fall,
winning a maiden hurdle race at Montpelier, Virginia.
A retired executive at Exxon/Mobil, Jim Carter grew up in nearby
Chester County, South Carolina and attended the Carolina Cup as
a fan long before venturing into thoroughbred racing five years
ago.
"My wife and I had one of our first dates right over there in the
infield," Carter told the NSA. "We looked across the track then
and wondered what this would be like and I'm going to tell you what:
it's fantastic."
The Carolina Cup, run for the 74th time, was installed as the first
leg of the Steeplechase Triple Crown this year and hosted a field
of nine novice hurdlers. The novice races are for horses in their
first and second years of steeplechasing, and reward new horses
and owners with lucrative purses.
A complete list of entries for the Carolina Cup is set forth below.
The Steeplechase Triple Crown continues with the Temple Gwathmey
at Middleburg, Virginia April 22nd and concludes with the National
Hunt Cup at Radnor, Pennsylvania on May 20th.
JUMPING AROUND: In other action at Camden, last year's steeplechase
Eclipse award champion McDynamo defeated Sur La Tete in a training
flat race. Both horses are pointing for the $150,000 Grade I Royal
Chase at Keeneland on April 21st....Other winners on the day were
Kinross Farm's No Fast Moves (Chris Read) in the allowance timber
race for trainer Neil Morris, Bill Pape's Teepee Tot (Richard Boucher)
in the filly/mare allowance race for Jonathan Sheppard, Gil Johnston's
Mulahen (Robbie Walsh) in the starter allowance for Kathy McKenna,
and Sarah Lyn Stable's Quem Se Atreve (Xavier Aizpuru) in the maiden
hurdle for Jack Fisher.
SHEPPARD REACHES MILESTONE: Hall of Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard,
who has accomplished much in his storied career - training such
stalwarts as With Anticipation, Storm Cat, Flatterer, Highland Bud,
Cafe Prince and more on the flat and over jumps - notched his 900th
career steeplechase victory when Deb's Delight won an allowance
hurdle race at Aiken, South Carolina last Saturday.
The career National Steeplechase Association leader in terms of
victories and total purses earned (more than $15.7 million), Sheppard
started training jumpers in 1966 and has won 22 NSA seasonal championships.
The 65-year-old English native came into 2006 with 897 wins and
took down a double at Little Everglades, the first meet of the year.
"How long do I have to live to get to 1,000?" Sheppard asked when
informed of his numbers. "It's an achievement and it makes you think
back on all the horses that have come through my barn. They are
the ones who won the races, so they deserve the credit."
Edited from NSA press releases.
Results:
|
FP
|
Horse
|
lbs
|
Jockey
|
Trainer
|
Owner
|
|
1
|
Top Of The Bill |
148 |
Rafter |
James Day |
Randleston Farm |
|
2
|
The Next Man (Ire) |
148 |
Massey |
Ricky Hendriks |
Barracudu Stable |
|
3
|
Good Night Shirt |
151 |
Aizpuru |
Jack Fisher |
Harold A. Via, Jr. |
|
4
|
Bonfo |
148 |
Hodsdon |
Jonathan Sheppard |
Timber Bay Farm |
|
5
|
South Of Fifty |
138 |
McCarron |
Neil Morris |
Kinross Farm |
|
6
|
Bon Fleur |
151 |
Dalton |
Jonathan Sheppard |
Marablue Farm |
|
PU
|
Latino (Per) |
148 |
Dowling |
Jack Fisher |
Mrs. Henry F. Stern |
|
PU
|
Meet At Eleven (Ire) |
151 |
Walsh |
Kathy McKenna |
William C. Lickle |
|
PU
|
Ginz (S) |
138 |
Murphy |
Thomas H. Voss |
Fitzhuh, LLC |
|
Scr
|
Hip Hop |
151 |
C. Miller |
John K. Griggs |
John K. Griggs |
back to top
Pedigree of Winner:
Click
here for Top Of The Bill's 5-cross pedigree.
Pedigrees compliments of Del
Mar Pedigree Query
Previous Winners:
| YEAR |
FIRST (Age) |
JOCKEY |
lbs. |
SECOND (Age) |
lbs. |
THIRD (Age) |
lbs. |
|
2005
|
Sur La Tete (7) |
Read |
158 |
Hirapour (Ire) (9) |
158 |
Preemptive Strike |
158 |
|
2004
|
Preemptive Strike (6) |
Walsh |
146 |
Hirapour (8) |
146 |
Al Skywalker (11) |
158 |
|
2003
|
Al Skywalker (10) |
Foley |
150 |
Tres Touche (6) |
142 |
Turkish Corner (7) |
142 |
|
2002
|
Canta Ke Brave (6) |
Massey |
146 |
Al Skywalker (9) |
154 |
Lord Zada (9) |
154 |
|
2001
|
Al Skywalker (8) |
Foley |
142 |
Campanile (7) |
150 |
Assurance (9) |
146 |
|
2000
|
Invest West (6) |
Kingsley |
154 |
Snuggle (NZ) (8) |
142 |
Darn Tipalarm (7) |
146 |
|
1999
|
Lonesome Glory (11) |
B. Miller |
154 |
Assurance (7) |
154 |
Romantic (7) |
154 |
|
1998
|
Master McGrath (11) |
Kingsley |
146 |
Brigade of Guards (6) |
146 |
Fifth Creek (8) |
142 |
|
1997
|
Lonesome Glory (9) |
B. Miller |
154 |
Hudson Bay (7) |
154 |
Prime Legacy (8) |
154 |
|
1996
|
To Ridley (6) |
Clancy |
146 |
Eskimo Cove (8) |
146 |
Leandro (7) |
140 |
|
1995
|
Mr. Yankee (8) |
Delozier |
140 |
Mistico (9) |
166 |
Victorian Hill (10) |
154 |
|
1994
|
Moonstruck (11) |
Thornton |
151 |
Castleworth (8) |
144 |
Victorian Hill (9) |
156 |
|
1993
|
Mistico (7) |
Thornton |
160 |
Victorian Hill (8) |
158 |
Woodlast (8) |
145 |
|
1992
|
Castleworth (6) |
Clancy |
139 |
Timely Encounter (9) |
141 |
Moonstruck (9) |
154 |
Post-Race Analysis | Results
| Pedigree of Winner | Previous
Winners
