Iroquois day is a fine spectacle. The horses—coats gleaming, muscles sleek—are handsome, the jockey silks colorful, the setting against the hills of Percy Warner Park lush life incarnate. It's also a big deal, if in a minor sport. The purses up for grabs total $345,000—one of the top cards of the year. And the $150,000 Iroquois Steeplechase is a Grade I event (that means top of the line) and draws some of the best horses in training.
Iroquois day is a fine spectacle. The horses—coats gleaming, muscles sleek—are handsome, the jockey silks colorful, the setting against the hills of Percy Warner Park lush life incarnate. It's also a big deal, if in a minor sport. The purses up for grabs total $345,000—one of the top cards of the year. And the $150,000 Iroquois Steeplechase is a Grade I event (that means top of the line) and draws some of the best horses in training.
But face it, fellow horse lovers. The majority of the 20,000 who show up for Iroquois day do so for the social scene, not the equines. Most hit the turf to meet and greet, to eat well and drink deep, to gossip about who's wearing the most outré hat and the newest facelift. The actual races are momentary interludes between the gourmet buffet and the toddies for the bodies that have been out too late the night before.
OK, there's no pari-mutuel betting to entice the general public with visions of sudden wealth via innate shrewdness—or random luck. And steeplechasing is upper crust Anglo territory peopled by names like Strawbridge and Smithwick, so its celebration can, I suppose, seem like a betrayal of currently fashionable principles of cultural diversity.
The horses, however, don't know any of this. Keep in mind that these equine athletes make no egregious salary demands, don't go on strike, are never arrested for rape and assault and battery—never bring dishonor to their sport. They just go out and give their all—literally risking life and limb, bone and sinew, heat exhaustion and heart attack—trying to be the fastest and stay the longest on the second Saturday in May. And they do this merely because their owners and trainers and jockeys ask them to; they don't get better feed if they win. So let's give the horses that are the occasion of this rite of spring a little marquee time of their own.
For the day's big race, the Iroquois, here's our handicapping: Fresh from second and third place finishes, respectively, in the $150,000 2.5-mile Royal Chase against Hirapour (who's not in this race) last month, Sur La Tete and McDynamo are clearly the class of the field. Knowledgeable handicappers make McDynamo the favorite here, perhaps due to his wins in the Breeders' Cup Steeplechases of 2003 and 2004 and his status as the 2003 Eclipse Award (the Oscars of horse racing) winner as champion steeplechaser. But Sur La Tete was the top money winner of 2004 as novice champion and outfinished McDynamo the last two times they met. Maybe McDynamo s past his peak?
Bow Strada seems promising but has never started against the top guns. A recent English import by Nashvillian Calvin Houghland, Bow Strada won at 2 1/8 miles last month by 3.5 lengths with a powerful late move. The 150-pound weight included Matthew McCarron, leading money-winning jockey so far this year. Houghland's best shot to own his fifth Iroquois winner.
Shady Valley has two seconds and a third to his credit this year. In the 2 3/8-mile Carolina First Block House on April 23, he finished ahead of Mon Villez with a 7-pound advantage in the weights. In March, he also finished second to Barzulu, (who's entered in the Marcellus Frost race) at 2 1/8 mile. Mon Villez is another Houghland entry whose third-place finish was his only start this year.
Finishing third to Bow Strada (see above) last time out, Challenge also has two seventh-place finishes to his credit this year: a 1 1/4-mile training race over the flat, and a 2 1/8-mile hurdle. Big surprise if he pulls this off.
Mr. Perkolator was pulled up in his most recent effort, North Carolina's Queen's Cup last month.
THE RACES
Percy Warner Park
Saturday, May 14
First race: 1 p.m.
Entries as of May 10 (entries for amateur and maiden races, as well as scratches, were unavailable at press time). Weight indicates how much the horse carries, including the jockey.
The Marcellus Frost
Purse $50,000. Two miles over national fences (for 4-year-olds and up).
AIROLO (142 lbs.)
Owner: Calvin Houghland; Trainer: F. Bruce Miller
BARZULU (146 lbs.)
Owner: Brigadoon Stable; Trainer: Doug Fout
GRITTY SANDIE (142 lbs.)
Owner: Kinross Farm; Trainer: Neil Morris
MULAHEN (150 lbs.)
Owner: Mrs. S. K. Johnston Jr.; Trainer: Katherine McKenna
NAJJM (142 lbs.)
Owner: Mrs. S. K. Johnston, Jr.; Trainer: F. Bruce Miller
PARTY AIRS (150 lbs.)
Owner: Ken Ramsey; Trainer: Thomas Voss
UNDERSTOOD (142 lbs.)
Owner: Whitewood Farm; Trainer: Richard Valentine
The Margaret Currey Henley Sport of Queens Stakes
Purse $30,000. Two and one-quarter miles over national fences (for 4-year-olds and up).
CAT NIPPIN (139 lbs.)
Owner: Anne O. Haynes; Trainer: Bruce Haynes
CLASS YANKEE (157 lbs.)
Owner: Mede Cahaba Stable; Trainer: Lilith Boucher
FEELING SO PRETTY (163 lbs.)
Owner: F. Lee McKinney; Trainer: F. Lee McKinney
FOOTLIGHTS (157 lbs.)
Owner: Arcadia Stable; Trainer: Jack Fisher
GOLD MITTEN (157 lbs.)
Owner: Kinross farm; Trainer: Neil Morris
GROOVY'S ROSE (139 lbs.)
Owner: Charles E. Robinson; Trainer: Jennifer Majette
I'M A BABE (154 lbs.)
Owner: Randleston Farm; Trainer: Ricky Hendriks
ORCHID PRINCESS (154 lbs.)
Owner: Linda Klein; Trainer: Linda Klein
SMART BABY (151 lbs.)
Owner: Calvin Houghland; Trainer: Dabney Thompson
The Mason Houghland Memorial
Purse $50,000. Three miles over timber (for 4-year-olds and up).
ALBERT'S CROSSING (160 lbs.)
Owner: Irvin S. Naylor; Trainer: Sanna Hendricks
BUBBLE ECONOMY (160 lbs.)
Owner: Arcadia Stable; Trainer: Jack Fisher
CHEF BEAR (160 lbs.)
Owner: Calvin Houghland; Trainer: Dabney Thompson
EQUISTAR (160 lbs.)
Owner: The Fields Stable; Trainer: Thomas Voss
INVEST WEST (165 lbs.)
Owner: Augustin Stables; Trainer: Sanna Hendricks
MR BOMBASTIC (150 lbs.)
Owner: Harold A. Via, Jr.; Trainer: Jack Fisher
NO FAST MOVES (160 lbs.)
Owner: Kinross Farm; Trainer: Neil Morris
THARI (150 lbs.)
Owner: Augustin Stables; Trainer: Sanna Hendricks
The Iroquois
Purse $150,000. Three miles over national fences (for 4-year-olds and up).
BOW STRADA (158 lbs.)
Owner: Calvin Houghland; Trainer: F. Bruce Miller
CHALLENGE (158 lbs.)
Owner: Hound's Cry Farm; Trainer: Thomas Kirlin
MCDYNAMO (158 lbs.)
Owner: Michael Moran; Trainer: Sanna Hendricks
MON VILLEZ (158 lbs.)
Owner: Calvin Houghland; Trainer: F. Bruce Miller
MR PERKOLATOR (158 lbs.)
Owner: Mrs. S. K. Johnston, Jr.; Trainer: Katherine McKenna
SHADY VALLEY (158 lbs.)
Owner: Vesta Balestiere; Trainer: Bruce Haynes
SUR LA TETE (158 lbs.)
Owner: Kinross Farm; Trainer: Neil Morris
SHADY VALLEY (158 lbs.)
Owner: Vesta Balestiere; Trainer: Bruce Haynes
SUR LA TETE (158 lbs.)
Owner: Kinross Farm; Trainer: Neil Morris
