Flying High. Taper Tantrum and Darren Nagle, foreground, lead Lachares over the last in the $75,000 Queens Cup. TOD MARKS PHOTO
Hudson River Farms’ Taper Tantrum took command of Saturday’s $75,000 Queen’s Cup MPC ’Chase on Brooklandwood Racecourse’s final turn and held off a late challenge by Lachares to win the featured novice stakes of the 23rd annual Queen’s Cup by 1 1/4 lengths.
Jacqueline Ohrstrom’s Lachares finished 4 3/4 lengths clear of Armata Stables’ third finisher New Member. DASH Stable’s Ice It, the 2017 Queen’s Cup winner, finished fourth in a field of eight.
Trained by Racing Hall of Fame member Jonathan Sheppard, Taper Tantrum always was in good position under 2017 champion jockey Darren Nagle and moved to the lead as the field turned toward the final fence.
Lachares and jockey Michael Mitchell attacked the leader but could not get past him. Taper Tantrum ran the Queen’s Cup’s 2 3/8 miles in 4:15 4/5.
Imported after a 2017 campaign in England where he was often second but never reached the winner’s circle, Irish-bred Taper Tantrum finished fourth in the Carolina Cup for novices in his first U.S. start on March 31.
Hudson River Farms, Sheppard, and Nagle combined to win the following race, a maiden timber race, with Codrington College. The two wins maintained Sheppard’s lead in the trainer standings by both victories and purse earnings.