Post-Race Analysis:
Unionville, Pennsylvania - November 2, 2008: Move West won the
74th running of the $35,000 Pennsylvania Hunt Cup holding off Patriot's
Path by a length at the wire in an exciting blanket finish that
saw the four horses that completed the course separated by 3 1/4
lengths. It was another 1 1/4 lengths back to Erin Go Bragh (NZ)
who bested Western Fling by one length; all eight starters carried
165 pounds. Move West covered the four miles that included 22 fences
in 10 minutes and 12 seconds, several minutes off the stakes record
of 7:32 established by Jamaica Bay in 1994.
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Move West leads (left-to-right) Patriot's
Path, Western Fling and Erin Go Bragh at the finish of the
Pennsylvania Hunt Cup.
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Restricted to amateur riders in its last two runnings,
The Pennsylvania Hunt Cup was open to professional jockeys this
year and drew a large field of eight horses as a result, including
this year's leading earner over timber, Bubble Economy, and Erin
Go Braugh, who defeated last year's timber champion Irish Prince
in the New Jersey Hunt Cup two weeks ago.
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Move West leads (left-to-right) Patriot's
Path, Erin Go Bragh and Western Fling at the 18th fence of
the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup.
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Apprentice rider Will Haynes sent A Fine Story (GB) to the early
lead and held that position until the third fence when his horse
refused, veering sharply to the left causing Haynes to come off.
Bubble Economy followed suit under jockey Robbie Walsh as that pair
also parted company while refusing the third fence. Bubble Economy
crossed the path of Woodmont while in the process of refusing causing
the later to lose rider Jeff Murphy. Move West, who was able to
avoid all the commotion at the third fence, assumed the lead at
this point of the race and was never headed thereafter. The 7-year-old
son of Gone West jumped all 22 fences on the course beautifully
but stumbled upon landing over the 17th fence (see photo below),
and almost dislodged jockey Jody Petty, who showed spectacular balance
in re-gaining his seat.
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Move West stumbled upon landing over
the 17th fence and almost dislodged jockey Jody Petty, who
showed spectacular balance in re-gaining his seat.
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Owned by Augustin Stables and trained by Sanna N.
Hendriks, Move West picked up a pair of hurdle wins in 2005, including
a 10-length score in the $100,000 Grade I Foxbrook Novice at Far
Hills over current super horse Good Night Shirt, but missed all
of 2006 with a tendon injury. He reappeared over timber in May 2007,
winning first out at Winterthur, and finishing third in the Radnor
Hunt Cup. He started this year's campaign inauspiciously, finishing
second in an amateur highweight, falling in an allowance at Grand
National and running fifth in a contentious Virginia Gold Cup in
May. He returned to post a dominating 19 1/4-length allowance victory
at Morven Park October 11th.
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Move West and jockey Jody Petty show
perfect form while leading Professor Maxwell at the 8th fence
of the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup.
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Bubble Economy entered the race as the favorite. Owned
by Arcadia Stable, the 2004 timber champion wrapped up the 2008
money title two weeks ago courtesy of his win in the International
Gold Cup. With earnings of $98,250 this season, the Jack Fisher
trainee stands just $3,750 short of the record set last year by
Irish Prince. A consistent performer, Bubble Economy has hit the
board in 19 timber races and is now 2-for-7 in 2008. The 9-year-old
has made his victories count; he took the $100,000 Virginia Gold
Cup, the world's richest timber stakes, in May and returned to the
Great Meadow course last month to take the $50,000 International
Gold Cup.
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Jody Petty was all smiles after capturing
the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup on Move West.
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Brigadoon Stable's Erin Go Bragh had a win on the
flat and four over hurdles before taking to the timber last year
for trainer Doug Fout. After notching two timber wins in 2007, including
one the undercard at last year's Pennsylvania Hunt Cup, he endured
a frustrating start to his 2008 campaign: he was disqualified from
first and placed second in the My Lady's Manor before finishing
sixth in the Virginia Gold Cup and fourth in the Radnor Hunt Cup.
The 9-year-old returned with a strong second in the National Sporting
Library Chronicle Cup October 4th at Middleburg, which primed him
for a big score at Far Hills where the New Zealand-bred won the
$50,000 New Jersey Hunt Cup over Irish Prince.
JUMPING AROUND: Jack Fisher become the first trainer
in NSA history to break $1 million in seasonal earnings Saturday
when Shiny Emblem won the first race at Callaway Gardens . . . Fisher
(23 wins) holds a one-win margin over Tom Voss in the race for the
training title . . . Despite being blanked this weekend Xavier Aizpuru
(20 wins) is well-placed to pick up his second straight riding title,
as he enjoys a six-win cushion over 2005 riding champ Jody Petty
with only two more race meets on the NSA schedule. . . Peggy Steinman's
Dark Equation, winner of the Grade I New York Turf Writers at Saratoga
this summer, prepped for a potential start in the Grade I Colonial
Cup November 16th with a 2 1/4 length victory in a 1 1/2-mile training-flat
race yesterday at Montpelier. The 7-year-old son of Polish Numbers
has been freshened by Doug Fout since finishing fifth in Lonesome
Glory at Belmont Park in September.
Edited from NSA press release.
The complete order of finish for the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup is set
forth below.
Results:
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FP
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Horse
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lbs
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Jockey
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Trainer
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Owner
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1
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Move West |
165 |
Petty |
Sanna N. Hendriks |
Augustin Stables |
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2
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Patriot's Path |
165 |
Nagle |
Desmond Fogarty |
Irvin S. Naylor |
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3
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Erin Go Bragh (NZ) |
165 |
Young |
Doug Fout |
Brigadoon Stable |
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4
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Western Fling |
165 |
Slater |
Katherine N. McKenna |
Stewart Strawbridge |
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LR
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Woodmont |
165 |
Murphy |
Ted Thompson |
Jubilee Stables |
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LR
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Professor Maxwell |
165 |
Hundt |
Lucy Stable |
Richard L. Valentine |
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Ref
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A Fine Story (GB) |
165 |
W. Haynes |
Barbara McWade |
Cary W. Jackson |
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Ref
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Bubble Economy |
165 |
Walsh |
Jack Fisher |
Arcadia Stable |
back to top
Pedigree of Winner:
Click
here for Move West's 5-cross pedigree. Note that Move West is
in-bred 4x5 to the blue hen Mixed Marriage.
Pedigrees compliments of PedigreeQuery.com
Previous Winners:
Click
here for a history of the previous winners of the Pennsylvania
Hunt Cup.
Photos of Other Races
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Shady Valley won the Aurther O. Choate
Memorial defeating (right-to-left) Major Frank, Greyhame,
Ice Is Nice & Twill Do.
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Shady Valley leads (left-to-right) Twill
Do, Ice Is Nice, Greyhame, Major Frank & The Other Me
at the last fence of the Aurther O. Choate Memorial.
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Profowens battles Shady Valley for the
lead at the 6th fence of the Aurther O. Choate Memorial.
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Dr. Ramsey leads Music To My Ears and
Sandyland at the finish of the Lewis C. Ledyard.
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Dr. Ramsey and Music To My Ears lead
Sandyland at the last fence of the Lewis C. Ledyard. Note
that the jockey on Music To My Ears (George Hundt) has lost
his irons.
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Forever Together, who won the $2 million
Breeders' Cup DisTurf eight days prior to the Pennsylvania
Hunt Cup for trainer Jonathan Sheppard and owner Augustin
Stables, was on parade between races at the Pennsylvania Hunt
Cup.
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Forever Together galloped through the
stretch under steeplechase jockey Danielle Hodsdon at the
Pennsylvania Hunt Cup.
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Michael and Anne Moran, co-chairmen of
the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup. Mrs. Moran won the Pennsylvania
Hunt Cup in 1986 while riding Tom Miller and again in 1995
& 1996 aboard Buck Jakes.
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The Pennsylvaia countryside was ablaze
with color.
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Charlie Fenwick won the Pennsylvania
Hunt Cup five times in six years from 1976-1981 aboard Dosdi
(1976, 1977 & 1979) and Sam Son Of A Gun (1980 & 1981)
while finishing second on Dosdi in 1978. Fenwick won consecutive
runnings of the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup as a trainer when he
tightened the girth on Buck Jakes in 1995 & 1996.
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Highcrest (center) won the Athenian Idol
defeating Best Attack (right) and Lunar Labor.
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Harry Walker aboard Rubie in the Pennsylvania
Pony Hunt Cup.
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Post-Race Analysis | Results
| Pedigree of Winner | Previous
Winners
