Welcome Here Farm’s Be Great, winner of last year’s $30,000 Genesee Valley Hunt Cup, has been nominated to a return engagement in the featured timber race of the Genesee Valley Hunt Races in Geneseo, N.Y., on Saturday, Oct. 8.
In all, 10 timber specialists were nominated to the three-mile race. Be Great was Welcome Here Farm’s second consecutive Genesee Valley Hunt Cup winner, after Serene Harbor in 2015, and trainer Todd McKenna will be going for his fourth consecutive Genesee Valley Hunt Cup victory. He won in 2014 with Keystone Thoroughbreds’ Crossing Again.
Be Great, 9, finished third in the Winterthur Bowl in his only 2016 outing.
Leading owner Irv Naylor nominated division leader Ebanour and Almarmooq. Ebanour, who also is nominated to Virginia Fall’s National Sporting Library & Museum on the same day, won the My Lady’s Manor and Virginia Gold Cup for trainer Cyril Murphy.
Kathy Neilson trains Almarmooq, the 2015 Pennsylvania Hunt Cup victor who finished seventh in the My Lady’s Manor, the first race of the Maryland timber triple crown in mid-April.
Leading trainer Jack Fisher nominated Bruton Street-US’s Drift Society, winner of the John D. Schapiro amateur allowance timber race on the My Lady’s Manor program. Drift Society subsequently finished a good third in the Maryland Hunt Cup.
Billy Meister, a top timber trainer, nominated Donald Reuwer Jr.’s Grand Manan, dead-heat winner of the Willowdale Steeplechase in May.
Here are the 10 nominees to the $30,000 Genesee Valley Hunt Cup.
Almarmooq. 2007 dk. b. or br. g., Dynaformer–Tuscoga, by Theatrical (Ire). Owner: Irvin S. Naylor. Trainer: Kathy Neilson. Breeder: Stone Farm (Ky.). 2016 record: 2-0-0-0, $0. 2015 record: 4-1-0-0, $23,250. 2014 record: 6-1-3-0, $23,400. Finished seventh in 2016 My Lady’s Manor, then fell in Maryland Hunt Cup. Won 2015 Pennsylvania Hunt Cup. Finished sixth in Willowdale Steeplechase after late fall in Maryland Hunt Cup. Finished distant fourth in Grand National. Capped busy 2014 fall season with victory in Pennsylvania Hunt Cup’s Arthur O. Choate Jr. timber allowance.
Be Great. 2007 b. g., Gulch—Classic Ingrid, by Regal Classic. Owner: Welcome Here Farm. Trainer: Todd McKenna. Breeder: Equivine Farm (Pa.) 2016 record: 1-0-0-1, $2,500. 2015 record: 3-1-0-1, $22,000. 2014 record: 2-1-0-0, $9,000. Opened 2016 with third in Winterthur Bowl open timber. Won the 2015 Genesee Valley Hunt Cup. Finished fourth in 2015 Radnor Hunt Cup after third in Winterthur Bowl. Won maiden victory at Winterthur in 2014.
Carrickboy (Ire). 2004 b. g., Silver Patriarch—Alaskan Princess, by Prince Rupert. Owner: Morning Star Farm. Trainer: Ricky Hendriks. Breeder: B. and I. McClelland (Ire). 2016 record: 2-1-1-0, $11,700. 2015 record: No starts. 2014 NSA record: No starts. Won 2016 Winterthur maiden timber after second in John D. Schapiro amateur apprentice allowance race at My Lady’s Manor. Won at 2013 Cheltenham Festival.
Derwins Prospector. 2008 ch. g., Van Nistelrooy—Stringtown Sally, by Crafty Prospector. Owner: Gerry L. Brewster. Trainer: Joseph Davies. Breeders: Patricia Lagden and Devi Hall (Ky.). 2016 record: 2-0-0-0, $900. 2015 record: No starts. 2014 record: 3-0-0-0, $2,200. Finished sixth in 2016 Grand National, then lost rider in Maryland Hunt Cup. Finished fifth in 2014 timber allowance race at Willowdale after sixth at Grand National.
Drift Society (Ire). 2008 b. g., Jackson’s Drift—Tansey Yearwood (Ire), by Moscow Society. Owner: Bruton Street-US. Trainer: Jack Fisher. Breeder: Eleanor Bennett (Ire). 2016 record: 2-1-0-1, $19,000. 2015 record: No starts. 2014 record: 5-1-1-0, $14,000. Won 2016 John D. Schapiro amateur apprentice allowance at My Lady’s Manor, then finished good third in Maryland Hunt Cup. Finished second in 2014 Colonial Cup timber allowance race. Broke into the ranks of winners with a 1 1/2-length score in a Fair Hill novice timber race that year.
Ebanour (Ire). 2007 ch. g., Indian Ridge—Ebadilya, by Sadler’s Wells. Owner: Irvin S. Naylor. Trainer: Cyril Murphy. Breeders: Aga Khan’s Studs (Ire). 2016 record: 2-2-0-0, $78,000. 2015 record: 2-1-1-0, $31,800. 2014 record: No starts. Won 2016 Virginia Gold Cup after victory in My Lady’s Manor. Won New Jersey Hunt Cup with a powerful late rush. After missing the 2014 season, returned with a good second in John D. Schapiro Memorial amateur apprentice timber at My Lady’s Manor.
Grand Manan. 2009 b. g., Giant’s Causeway—Manoa, by Seeking the Gold. Owner: Donald Reuwer Jr. Trainer: William Meister. Breeders: Stuart S. Janney III and Phipps Stable (Ky.). 2016 record: 2-1-0-0, $10,950. 2015 record: 3-2-0-0, $31,050. 2014 record: No starts. Finished in dead heat for 2016 Willowdale Steeplechase win after fifth in My Lady’s Manor. Closed 2015 campaign with runaway victory in Pennsylvania Hunt Cup timber allowance. In first start in more than two years, won Fair Hill’s Valentine Memorial Novice Timber by seven lengths, then was sixth in Virginia Fall’s National Sporting Library & Museum Cup.
Joshua G. 2006 ch. g., Run Softly—Search for Reality, by Regal Search. Owner: Armata Stables. Trainer: Kathy Neilson. Breeder: Jason L. Cole (Pa.) 2016 record: 3-0-0-1, $3,000. 2015 record: 4-0-0-0, $5,750. 2014 record: 3-1-0-0, $10,400. Finished fourth in 2016 Grand National, then fell in Maryland Hunt Cup and finished third in Willowdale amateur allowance timber. Finished fourth in 2015 Pennsylvania Hunt Cup timber allowance race after fall in Genesee Valley Hunt Cup. Finished fifth and placed fourth in Maryland Hunt Cup.
Leffingwell Lion. 2003 dk. b. or br. g., Lion Hearted—Spruce Head, by Val de’Orne (Fr). Owner-trainer: Elizabeth C. Korrell. Breeder: Elizabeth Cousins-Korrell (Pa.) 2016 record: 2-1-0-0, $12,000. 2015 record: 3-0-0-0, $0. 2014 record: No starts. Won 2016 Benjamin H. Murray Memorial amateur allowance timber at Grand National, then was pulled up in Willowdale Steeplechase. Pulled up in 2015 Virginia Fall maiden timber race after seventh-place finish in Shawan Downs maiden timber.
Touchdowntony. 2009 b. g., Bluegrass Cat—Broad Queen, by Broad Brush. Owner: Irvin L. Crawford II. Trainer: Joseph Davies. Breeder: Carliwoods Farm (Ky.). 2016 record: 1-0-0-0, $750. 2015 record: No starts. 2014 record: 4-0-0-0, $0. Finished fourth in John Rush Streett maiden timber at 2016 My Lady’s Manor. Attempting a timber career after being pulled up in his four starts over hurdles in 2014.