Riverdee Stable's Snowie Hill won Colonial Downs' Randolph D. Rouse Handicap on Sept. 7. (Coady Photography)
Far Hills Races’ $75,000 Peapack Stakes for fillies and mares attracted 11 nominees, including two highly rated competitors who would be making their first Stateside starts for their American owners on Oct. 19.
Top Irish trainer Willie Mullins nominated Bruton Street-US’s Pravalaguna, who also was nominated to the Grand National (Gr. 1). The seven-year-old French-bred mare most recently finished fifth in the three-mile Guinness Kerry National Steeplechase at Listowel on Sept. 11. Before that, she won an allowance steeplechase at Cork in early August.
Leading American owner Irv Naylor nominated Bercasa, winner of Galway’s Tote Account European Breeding Fund Hurdle on July 31. She came back three days later and lost her rider in Galway’s Guinness Galway Tribe Handicap Hurdle. The four-year-old filly now is trained by Kathy Neilson.
Trainer Elizabeth Voss nominated The Fields Stable’s multiple stakes winner Sarah Joyce, who most recently finished second in Fair Hill’s Iris Coggins Memorial on May 25.
Riverdee Stable’s Snowie Hill, winner of Colonial Downs’ Randolph D. Rouse Handicap in her most recent start, and her older full sister Get Ready Set Goes were nominated by trainer F. Hill Parker. Get Ready Set Goes, the 2016 Peapack winner who was the female and novice champion that year, finished seventh in the Rouse on Sept. 7.
Several other members of the Rouse field were nominated to the Peapack. Owner-trainer Bethany Baumgardner’s Mavourneen finished second, beaten 3 ½ lengths, and KMSN Stable’s Inverness took the third spot.
Also coming out of that race were Beverly Steinman’s Bullet Star, who was fifth, and Riverdee’s sixth finisher Down Royal.
Here are the 11 nominees to the $75,000 Peapack Stakes at 2 1/8 miles. Their ratings are in parentheses at the end of their profiles.
Bercasa (Ire). 2015 ch. f., Casamento—Berocco, by Danehill Dancer (Ire). Owner: Irvin S. Naylor. Trainer: Kathy Neilson. Breeders: Old Carhue and Graeng Bloodstock (Ire). 2019 NSA record: No starts. Lost rider in Galway’s Guinness Galway Tribe Handicap on Aug. 2, two days a victory in Galway’s Tote Account EBF Hurdle. (130)
Bullet Star. 2014 dk. b. or br. m., Bullet Train (GB)—Ptarmigan, by Unbridled Jet. Owner: Beverly R. Steinman. Trainer: Doug Fout. Breeder: Magalen O. Bryant (Ky.). 2019 NSA record: 3-0-0-2, $11,000. 2018 record: 3-1-0-0, $14,000. Finished fifth in Colonial Downs’ 2019 Randolph Rouse Handicap. Finished third in Saratoga’s 2019 Mrs. Ogden Phipps after third in Daniel Van Clief Memorial. Finished fifth in Fair Hill’s 2018 Iris Coggins Memorial. Her dam was champion steeplechase female in 2010. (104)
Ciboure (Fr). 2013 b. f., Sir Percy—Amou Darla, by Kendor. Owner: Hudson River Farms. Trainer: Jonathan Sheppard. Breeders: Eric Puerari and Oceanic Bloodstock (Fr). 2019 record: No starts. 2017 NSA record: 2-0-2-0, $22,500. In first career jumps start after modestly successful flat career in native France, finished second in Iroquois Steeplechase’s 2017 Margaret Currey Henley, then finished second in Far Hills’ Peapack Stakes. Won maiden victory at provincial track in August 2016. (No rating)
Down Royal. 2014 gr. or ro. m., Alphabet Soup—Miss Crown, by High Yield. Owner: Joseph F. Fowler Jr. Trainer: Kate Dalton. Breeders: Bernard and Kate Dalton (N.Y.) 2019 NSA record: 3-0-2-0, $23,500. 2018 record: 3-0-1-2, $13,400. Finished second in Iroquois Steeplechase’s 2019 Margaret Currey Henley and Saratoga’s Mrs. Ogden Phipps Stakes, then was sixth in Colonial Downs’ Randolph Rouse Handicap. Awarded second place in Far Hills’ 2017 Gladstone Stakes after sustaining interference from first finisher, then won a Charleston allowance hurdle. (111)
Get Ready Set Goes. 2012 ch. f., Run Away and Hide—Ready to Goes, by Lord Avie. Owner-trainer: F. Hill Parker. Breeder: Frances Hill Myers (Ohio). 2018 record: 2-0-0-0, $2,500. 2017 record: 2-0-0-0, $4,500. Champion, novice and female, 2016. Finished seventh in Colonial Downs’ 2019 Randolph Rouse Handicap. Finished seventh in Carolina Cup’s 2018 Life’s Illusion Stakes, then was fourth in in Iroquois Steeplechase’s Margaret Currey Henley. Reigned as 2016 female champion after winning Saratoga’s Mrs. Ogden Phipps Stakes and Far Hills’ Peapack Stakes, and also seized novice title by earnings. (110)
Inverness. 2014 dk. b. or br. f., Giant’s Causeway—Fareena, by Point Given. Owner: KMSN Stable. Trainer: Keri Brion. Breeder: Spirit Lake Enterprises (Pa.). 2019 record: 6-1-1-2, $27,800. 2018 NSA record: 4-0-1-2, $17,500. Scored maiden victory at 2019 Foxfield Fall meet. Finished third in Colonial Downs’ Randolph Rouse Handicap after close second in Colonial maiden hurdle. Finished seventh in Iroquois Steeplechase’s Margaret Currey Henley.Maiden winner on flat at Penn National. (107)
Mavorneen. 2019 ch. m., Langfuhr—Rowdy, by Malibu Moon. Owner-trainer: Bethany Baumgardner. 2019 record: 4-0-2-1, $7,000. 2018 record: 3-2-0-0, $27,000. Finished second in Colonial Downs’ 2019 Randolph Rouse Handicap. Ran solid race to be second in 2019 Daniel Van Clief Memorial at Foxfield Spring, then was fourth in Iroquois Steeplechase’s Margaret Currey Henley and third in Fair Hill’s Iris Coggins Memorial. Closed 2018 season with back-to-back wins in Foxfield Fall maiden hurdle and Montpelier allowance hurdle. (111)
Paris Lady. 2015 ch. f., Get Stormy—Vente, by Dynaformer. Owner: Beverly R. Steinman. Trainer: Doug Fout. Breeder: Beverly R. Steinman (Ky.) 2019 NSA record: 2-0-1-1, $6,600. Finished second in 2019 Foxfield Fall maiden hurdle after third in similar race at Colonial Downs. (No rating.)
Pravalaguna (Fr). 2012 b. m., Great Pretender (Ire)—Arnette (Fr), by Denham Red (Fr). Owner: Bruton Street-US. Trainer: Willie Mullins. Breeder: Philip Gueret (Fr). 2019 NSA record: No starts. Won an allowance hurdle in August between seventh-place finish in the thetote.com Galway Plate Steeplechase and fifth in the Guinness Kerry National Steeplechase. (141)
Sarah Joyce (Ire). 2012 b. m., The Carbon Unit—The Real Thing, by Traditionally. Owner: The Fields Stable. Trainer: Elizabeth Voss. Breeder: Thistle Bloodstock (Ire). 2019 record: 2-0-1-1, $14,000. 2018 record: 2-1-0-1, $34,000. 2017 record: 5-2-0-1, $57,250. Finished second in Fair Hill’s 2019 Iris Coggins Memorial after third in Iroquois Steeplechase’s 2019 Margaret Currey Henley. Scored game victory in 2018 Margaret Currey Henley after third in Life’s Illusion Stakes at Carolina Cup. Impressive winner of 2017 Margaret Currey Henley, then fourth in Fair Hill’s Irish Coggins Memorial. Finished third in Saratoga’s 2017 Mrs. Ogden Phipps and was sixth in Far Hills’ Peapack Stakes. Won 2017 debut in Queen’s Cup ratings handicap. (116)
Snowie Hill. 2015 b. f., Run Away and Hide—Ready to Goes, by Lord Avie. Owner-trainer: F. Hill Parker. Breeder: F. Hill Parker (Oh.) 2019 record: 4-2-0-0, $80,300. 2018 NSA record: 1-0-1-0, $3,600. Won Colonial Downs’ 2019 Randolph D. Rouse Handicap after maiden victory at Virginia track. Opened 2019 with fifth-place finish in The Cup Runneth Over maiden hurdle for females. Finished second in first start over fences, a 2018 maiden hurdle for three-year-olds at Shawan Downs. Full sister to Get Ready Set Goes, stakes-winning champion novice and female in 2016. Her name honors owner-trainer-breeder’s mother, Frances Snowden Hill Myers, the breeder of Get Ready Set Goes who died in 2014. (112)