Roger O’Byrne’s Tizsilk maintained his perfect record over fences when he won the $20,000 Sandhills Cup, the featured race of the 60th annual Stoneybrook Steeplechase at the Carolina Horse Park in Raeford, N.C., on Saturday, April 9.
Trained by Tom Voss and ridden by Paddy Young, the six-year-old Tiznow gelding prevailed by 4 3/4 lengths over Silverton Hill LLC’s Chestermite, who is trained by the winning jockey’s wife, Leslie Young. Irvin S. Naylor’s Twister Crossing finished third in a field of five.
Tizsilk ran the 2 3/8 miles of the Sandhills Cup, an allowance race, in 4:58.80 on a turf course rated as firm.
The Sandhills Cup was the second straight victory over fences for Tizsilk. He won his steeplechase debut at the Montpelier Hunt Races in Virginia on Nov. 6 after a respectable career on the flat.
Young, the reigning champion jockey, won three of the five races on the Stoneybrook program. For his wife, he rode Hickory Tree Stables’ Slaney Rock to victory in the $15,000 Stoneybrook Cup, a maiden hurdle race, and Voss put him in the saddle for a win aboard Trillium Stable’s Mischief in the $10,000 Stoneybrook Chase, a maiden claiming race.