Irv Naylor’s Albert’s Crossing, with Jody Petty up, got double satisfaction at the Genesee Valley Hunt Race Meet, Oct. 8, when he won the
$25,000 Genesee Valley Hunt Cup by a length over J.W. Taylor’s Hall Of Angels (Rob Walsh).

The 5-year-old son of Valley Crossing had the satisfaction of a triumphant return to the course in Geneseo, N.Y., where he broke his timber maiden last year, and he had the pleasure of edging Hall Of Angels, who had bested him by 2 lengths at Shawan Downs (Md.) last month.

“This is one of the nicest horses I’ve ridden,” said Petty. “He tries harder than most, and he’s one of the best jumpers I’ve been on. [Trainer] Sanna [Hendriks] deserves a lot of credit for getting him to the top of his game when it’s been nearly impossible to train [on the hard ground]. She’s done an amazing job!”

A star-studded field of six, including Dr. Ramsey (Chip Miller) and Bubble Economy (Paddy Young), went to the post for the 3 1/2-mile challenge on that most unusual of footings this year–soft ground–softer than hoped, in fact, due to several inches of rain on Friday. Sky And Sea (Billy Meister) set an honest pace for the first 2 miles with Albert’s Crossing settled in at second and the others close behind, with the exception of Lil Starvin Marvin (Erica Gaertner), who struggled to develop a jumping rhythm in the deep going.

With a mile to go, Meister and Gaertner felt the ground taking its toll on their horses and pulled up. Dr. Ramsey moved up to second, but as the veteran lost ground over the next couple fences, Miller pulled up as well. Albert’s Crossing moved into the lead by 5 lengths, but Bubble Economy and Hall Of Angels didn’t let him go. By the time they headed into the swale before the second-last fence, Bubble Economy and Albert’s Crossing were head-to-head. They fenced the last two in unison with Hall Of Angels hard on their heels. In a nail-biting stretch run, Hall Of Angels pushed on to claim second over Bubble Economy, with barely a length separating each runner.

Petty was all smiles as he calculated how the win affected the National Steeplechase Association standings. “Of course, it’s always great to win for Irv Naylor, and especially here because he is such a supporter of these races. Sanna is leading trainer, and we’ve had quite a good time lately. This is our third weekend of racing, and I rode two winners the first weekend, then four, and now one for one so far today. I think this ties me for second in the jockey standings.

“But I have to give this horse credit,” he added. “He was just legless by the end, but he finished on heart.”

Ready For More
Another of Naylor’s horses may follow in Albert’s Crossing’s hoofprints. His Salmo (Paddy Young), trained by Jack Fisher, won the maiden timber over Classic Cal (Billy Meister). The three starters kept close company for the first half of the 3 miles, until Regal Again lost Rob Walsh, and Salmo opened up 8 lengths on the back straight.

Classic Cal caught him in the swale before the last two fences, and they fenced the 15th together. But Salmo got the jump on his competitor to the last fence and coasted home by 10 lengths as Classic Cal eased.

“It was a little deep after it’s been so hard, so when my horse was outrun from the second-last to the last, I figured there was no sense flipping out [and didn’t push him],” said Meister.

Young thinks Salmo is one of the nicest horses he’d ridden. “I knew the horse when I worked for Jack, but I didn’t get a chance to ride him,” he said. “I’m delighted to have the chance today! The horse needed a win to give him confidence, and he got that today. I think he will go on to bigger and better things; he’s a Hunt Cup kind of horse.”

By A Whisker
The third Naylor-owned horse at Genessee missed giving him a three-for-three record by a whisker. In the closest race of the day–the novice timber–four horses started, but it was all Mrs. Gardner’s Noble Witness (Chip Miller) and Naylor’s Caymen Went (Jody Petty) for the last mile and a half. On the lead, they fenced the last six together, then sprinted for home head-to-head. It looked like a dead heat, but the stewards ruled for Noble Witness.

Petty was philosophical about his second place: “This is his first start over timber and, he needs bigger fences. Instead of skimming them, he was jumping way over them. I had a lot of horse, but he fiddled the last, and that lost me the half-a-step I needed.”

Miller was very pleased not only with the win but with what the race gave his horse. “This is the only genuine mile-and-a-half track, and it’s a great spot for a young horse. Last time out, it was slippery and he lost his rider. He needed to get his confidence back, and I think we accomplished that.”

A group from Fort Erie race track, near Niagara Falls, Canada, took a gamble to bring Exclusive Tale to the 21³4-mile flat race, and to give the ride to Campbell Wilson, a 6’1″ exercise rider. But their gamble paid off as the first-time starter on turf, ridden by the first-time jockey, won easily over seven competitors.

According to Wilson, the 17-hand son of Pleasant Colony “wants to run long. This is all he wants to do. He really covers the ground. The pace was faster than I expected for this length of race, and he was tired at the end, but he’s made for this kind of race. Maybe we’ll teach him to jump for next year!”

Owner Paul Mandalfino observed, “They just don’t write races for him at the track. He’s an underachiever on dirt, and the turf races are too short.”

Billy Meister’s Battle Tested (Rob Walsh) won the one-mile flat against the biggest field of the day with 10 competitors. Although Mrs. Gardner’s Tanisha (Chip Miller) tried hard to catch him in the stretch, it was, according to Meister, “easy for [Battle Tested].”