Schoodic jumped the last fence of the Iroquois Steeplechase's Mason Houghland Memorial and drew away to a 16 3/4-length victory. (Tod Marks photo)
Trainer Jack Fisher’s wondrous spring season continued Friday when he won both sanctioned races on the Fair Hill Spring Races’ twilight program.
The four-race card, two training flat races that do not count in the standings and the two timber races, kicked off Fair Hill’s 85th annual racing season. No betting was conducted on the Friday card, and Saturday’s program will have pari-mutuel wagering on all six races. First post time is 1 p.m.
Fisher, the reigning champion trainer, collected his 20th win of the season when Dolly Fisher’s Schoodic cruised through the stretch under Michael Mitchell and won the featured $25,000 novice timber race by 6¼ lengths over Charles Fenwick’s Royal Ruse. Black and Blue Stables’ Fletched finished third in a field of 12.
A Grade 2 winner over hurdles for his breeder and former owner, Edith Dixon, Schoodic now races in the silks of the trainer’s mother and is undefeated over timber. He won his maiden timber start at My Lady’s Manor on April 13 and crushed his opponents in the Iroquois Steeplechase’s Mason Houghland Memorial on May 11.
Mitchell settled the Tiznow gelding in midfield for much of the three-mile race. Fletched and Renegade River set the pace much of the way before Mitchell tipped out his mount in the stretch and cruised to victory.
Schoodic ran the race for novices, horses in their first seasons of timber racing, in 5:56 4/5 on firm turf.
Two races earlier, Fisher went to the winner’s circle with Woodslane Farm’s Overwhelming, another Grade 1-placed member of Fisher’s stable who has successfully transitioned to timber racing. Brett Owings rode Overwhelming, who won by a length over Beidermeier. Monstaleur finished third in a field of seven.
Overwhelming ran the three miles in 6:09 4/5.