Post-Race Analysis:
Far Hills, New Jersey - October 17, 2009: Your Sum Man (Ire) won
the $250,000 Grade I Grand National defeating General Ledger (Ire)
by 3 3/4-lengths as the only two Irish-bred horses in the race,
each of whom was making their American debut, claimed the top-two
spots. Tax Ruling finished third. Your Sum Man covered the 2 5/8ths
miles over a soft course that included 14 fences in 5:39.78, well
off the stakes record of 4:53.80 established by All Gong in 2000.
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Your Sum Man (right) battles General
Ledger through the stretch in the Grade I Grand National.
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Red Letter Day set the pace for most of the race while being pressured
by second-place finisher General Ledger. The winner and third-place
finisher Tax Ruling also raced near the front of the pack for much
of the race, as the notoriously soft going at Far Hills made it
difficult for horses to close ground from off the pace. Scandinavian
invader General Ledger assumed the lead around the far turn and
was challenged by Your Sum Man approaching the last fence. Those
two jumped the final fence together, with Your Sum Man gradually
pulling away from General Ledger through the stretch to win going
away.
Your Sum Man was imported to the United States by the Fields Stable
in May of this year after having been soundly beaten in his two
previous starts in Ireland. Trainer Tom Voss took his time with
the 7-year-old son of Pistolet Bleu (Ire) and that approach paid
huge dividends as he earned $150,000 and more than tripled his career
bankroll to $217,307.
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General Ledger (left) and Your Sum Man
both jumped poorly at the last fence of the Grand National.
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"I got him in May but he wasn't ready for Saratoga," said a jubilant
Voss after the race." We ran him in a flat race at Morven Park last
week just to get a line on him, and he ran very well to finish third
behind a pair of Grade II winners. He got blocked a little bit and
would have won if he could have gotten out from behind horses, so
we decided to take a shot and run him here. Sometimes that works
out, and it sure worked today!"
Jockey Ross Geraghty, who recently moved his tack across the pond
from Ireland, rode the winner:
"I had seen him [Your Sum Man] run a few times back in Ireland,
and I always thought he was a very nice horse, but today was the
first time I rode him in a race. He hadn't shown much while training
at Tom's farm, but he really impressed Tom in that flat race at
Morven Park last week. I rode the winner in that flat race [Always
First], and he was very impressive."
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Early pace setter Red Letter Day leads
second-place finisher General Ledger (in blinkers), the gray
Sweet Shani , third-place finisher Tax Ruling (obscured) and
winner Your Sum Man at the 10th fence of the Grand National.
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The course had been softened by rain that fell earlier in the week
and again on the morning of the race, causing the jockeys to ride
at a deliberate pace.
"The pace was a bit slow but it was an honest pace given the course
conditions," Geraghty said. "The ground was a bit soft, and it is
deep down the backstretch, so we couldn't go too fast. I had loads
of horse and he went right by the leaders when I asked him to quicken,"
Geraghty continued. "I missed the last fence but he recovered quickly
and won easily."
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Tax Ruling leads (right-to-left) Sweet
Shani, Your Sum Man, Swagger Stick, Best Attack, Pierrot Lunaire
and Arcadius at the fifth fence of the Grand National.
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International globetrotter General Ledger was particularly impressive
in defeat. The 7-year-old son of Alderbrook had made nine starts
over fences this year prior to the Grand National: two of those
starts were in England, three starts in both Sweden and Norway,
and one start in France. General Ledger won two of those starts:
the Sweish Champion Hurdle in June and the H. M. Konungens, also
in Sweden, last month. He is based in Sweden where trainer Hanne
Bechmann conditions him for owner Morten Buskop. They shipped their
charge to America last week and almost scored a victory in this
country's richest steeplechase race.
Holy overflow field Batman, where did all these entries come
from? After small fields comprised of only 6 or 7 horses
contested the first four Grade I races this year, it was great to
see a full field of 12 horses face starter Barry Watson today in
the Grand National. It was unfortunate that only 6 horses went to
the post in both of the Grade I races held at Saratoga this summer,
and that only 7 ran in the Grade I Lonesome Glory at Belmont 4 weeks
ago. Where were all of these horses when steeplechasing was trying
to put its best foot forward this summer in New York?
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Your Sum Man and Ross Geraghty return
to the winner's circle after winning the Grand National.
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Eclipse Award Wide Open: There have been five Grade
I steeplechase races run in the United States so far this year,
and a different horse has won each one: Pierrot Lunaire won the
Iroquois, Mixed Up won the Smithwick, Spy in the Sky won the New
York Turf Writers' Cup, Red Letter Day won the Lonesome Glory and
Your Sum Man (Ire) won the Grand National. A victory by one of those
five horses in the Grade I Colonial Cup on November 21st would secure
the Eclipse award honors as steeplechase champion for 2009.
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Jockey Ross Geraghty won both Grade I
races contested at Far Hills in 2009.
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JUMPING AROUND: Voss, Geraghty and The Fields Stable doubled
on the day as they also won the other Grade I race on the card,
the $100,000 Foxbrook Novice Hurdle with Left Unsaid.....Jack Fisher
also notched a double at Far Hills winning the $50,000 maiden race
with Ambersham and the $50,000 3-year-old stakes race with Hope
For Us All.....Other Far Hills winners were Confined in the $50,000
filly & mare stakes race and Dictina's Boy in the $50,000 Appleton,
giving trainer Tom Voss three winners on the day.....This year was
the 88th renewal of the Far Hills Races.....Proceeds from today's
races benefited the Somerset Medical Center in Somerville, New Jersey.
The complete order of finish for the Grand National is set forth
below.
Results:
|
FP
|
Horse
|
lbs
|
Jockey
|
Trainer
|
Owner
|
|
1
|
Your Sum Man (Ire) |
156
|
Geraghty |
Thomas H. Voss |
The Fields Stable |
|
2
|
General Ledger (GB) |
156
|
McKeown |
Hanne Bechmann |
Morten Buskop |
|
3
|
Tax Ruling |
156
|
Dowling |
Desmond Fogarty |
Irvin S. Naylor |
|
4
|
Red Letter Day |
156
|
Dalton |
Janet Elliot |
Gregory D. Hawkins |
| 5 |
Pierrot Lunaire |
156
|
C. Miller |
F. Bruce Miller |
Calvin Houghland |
| 6 |
Best Attack |
156
|
Petty |
F. Bruce Miller |
Sarah J. Radcliffe |
| 7 |
Sweet Shani (NZ) |
156
|
Aizpuru |
Jonathan Sheppard |
Calvin Houghland |
| 8 |
Swagger Stick |
156
|
Young |
Jack Fisher |
Mrs. S.K. Johnston, Jr. |
| PU |
Arcadius |
156
|
R. Walsh |
Jonathan Sheppard |
Hudson River Farms |
| PU |
Sermon of Love |
156
|
Mackenzie |
Jonathan Sheppard |
Calvin Houghland |
| PU |
Three Carat |
156
|
Hodsdon |
Jonathan Sheppard |
Jonathan Sheppard |
| PU |
Triple Dip |
156
|
Boucher |
Jimmy Day |
Joseph W. Henderson III |
| Scr |
Mixed Up |
156
|
|
Jonathan Sheppard |
William L. Pape |
|
Scr
|
Spy in the Sky |
156
|
|
James M. Day |
Randleston Farm |
back to top
Pedigree of Winner:
Click
here for Your Sum Man's 5-cross pedigree.
Pedigrees compliments of PedigreeQuery.com
Previous Winners:
|
YEAR
|
FIRST (Age) |
JOCKEY |
lbs. |
SECOND (Age) |
lbs. |
THIRD (Age) |
lbs. |
|
2008
|
Good Night Shirt |
Dowling |
156 |
Be Certain |
156 |
Best Attack (7) |
156 |
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2007
|
McDynamo (10) |
Petty |
156 |
Sweet Shani (7) |
156 |
Best Attack (6) |
156 |
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2006
|
McDynamo (9) |
Petty |
156 |
Chivite (Ire) (7) |
156 |
Mixed Up (7) |
156 |
|
2005
|
McDynamo (8) |
Petty |
156 |
Three Carat (5) |
156 |
Hirapour (Ire) (9) |
156 |
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2004
|
McDynamo (7) |
Thornton |
156 |
Hirapour (Ire) (8) |
156 |
Sur La Tete (6) |
156 |
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2003
|
McDynamo (6) |
Thornton |
156 |
Pelagos (FR) (8) |
156 |
Mullahen |
156 |
|
2002
|
Flat Top (9) |
Massey |
156 |
Tres Touche (5) |
156 |
All Gong (GB) (8) |
156 |
|
2001
|
Quel Senor (Fr) (6) |
Murphy |
156 |
Lord Zada (8) |
156 |
Praise The Prince (6) |
156 |
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2000
|
All Gong (GB) (6) |
B. Miller |
156 |
Popular Gigalo (6) |
156 |
Allgrit (5) |
156 |
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1993
|
Lonesome Glory (5) |
B. Miller |
156 |
Highland Bud (8) |
156 |
Mistico (7) |
156 |
|
1992
|
Highland Bud (7) |
Dunwoody |
156 |
Mistico (6) |
156 |
Sassello (5) |
156 |
|
1991
|
Morley Street (7) |
Frost |
156 |
Declare Your Wish (5) |
156 |
Cheering News (4) |
146 |
|
1990
|
Morley Street (6) |
Frost |
156 |
Summer Colony (7) |
156 |
Moonstruck (7) |
156 |
|
1989
|
Highland Bud (4) |
Dunwoody |
146 |
Polar Pleasure (7) |
156 |
Victorian Hill (4) |
146 |
|
1988
|
Jimmy Lorenzo (6) |
McCourt |
156 |
Kalankoe (7) |
153 |
Polar Pleasure (6) |
156 |
|
1987
|
Gacko (6) |
Duchene |
156 |
Inlander (6) |
156 |
Gateshead (8) |
156 |
|
1986
|
Census (8) |
Teter |
156 |
Kesslin (6) |
156 |
Pont du Loup (6) |
156 |
Post-Race Analysis | Results
| Pedigree of Winner | Previous
Winners
