'Chasers Celebrate New Century at Tampa Bay Point-to-Points Begin, and Ninepins Heads for World's Richest 'Chase

By Laurel Scott Duncan

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Mojave Gold

Virginia Point-to-Points Point-to-point season was already underway by the time the sanctioned season began at Tampa Bay. It all started, per tradition, at the Casanova Hunt Point-to-Point Feb. 26 near Warrenton, Virginia. The first of 12 meets on this popular statewide circuit, Casanova was marked by the usual brisk weather and hot competition. Some of the winners were: Chronicle of the Horse publisher Robert Banner Jr. and Monster Monster, in the featured owner/rider timber race; Rear View Mirror, who toted first-timer A. "Kenny" Shreve III to victory in the foxhunter's timber race; and.Matt Hatcher and Murray's Ruler, who repeated their score in the owner/rider hurdle event. Blair Waterman and Mojave Gold were hands-down the best in the ladies' timber contest, a feat they repeated one week later at the Rappahannock Hunt Races near Culpeper, Virginia. The chestnut gelding is owned by Panorama Farm's George Sloan, who spearheaded the Sport of Kings international series and was once a prominent amateur rider.

Besides being a suitable showcase for fleet field hunters, the Virginia point-to-point circuit is a popular springboard for area sanctioned races. Casanova was no exception, with trainers Neil Morris and Jack Fisher prepping their charges for monied competition. Kinross Farm's Bovari took Casanova's novice timber by storm with trainer Neil Morris in the irons. And Morris' new trainee Faster -- another Kinross entry -- carried Matt McCarron to the top in Casanova's maiden flat. Also tuning up at Casanova was the Jack Fisher-trained Hall of Angels (Jonathan Thomas), who won the Rogue's Road novice hurdle en route to a third place in the above-mentioned maiden hurdle at Tampa Bay Downs.

Appointment in April

Ninepins

It's official: Hudson River Farm's British-bred Ninepins -- America's top moneyearner in 1999 -- will represent his adopted home country in the $1.5 million Nakayama Grand Jump April 15 in Japan. Billed as the richest steeplechase in history, the invitational event will showcase eight horses from Japan and another eight from foreign countries. The 13-year-old Ninepins, who is trained by Hall of Famer Jonathan Sheppard, was awarded the first U.S. slot, with the Janet Elliot-trained graded stakes winners Correggio and Campanile named as alternates.

Ninepins' preparation for the race has reportedly included schooling sessions in a starting gate (he had apparently never broken from one before). For the finishing touches, he was shipped to Sheppard's yard in sunny Camden, South Carolina. Word has it that Arch Kingsley Jr. -- who steered Ninepins to victory in both the Grade I Grand National and the Grade I Colonial Cup -- will ride the veteran again in Japan. "I think it would be a blast -- and he's an ideal horse (for this race), because he's probably in the twilight of his career," trainer Sheppard said. "If he were a younger horse, the (trip) over there and the different fences might kind of mess him up and knock him out for the year or something. But with a horse like him, nothing much fazes him; it's sort of the icing on the cake, a crowning achievement just to be invited."

English interests in the Nakayama Grand Jump will reportedly be riding on Celibate and The Outback Way, while Ireland will be represented by Moscow Express. France has two possibilities in Vaporetto and Or Jack, while Palace Symphony and Maybe Rough will reportedly run for Australia and New Zealand, respectively.

Laurel Scott Duncan is an award-winning freelance turf writer and photographer who covers the American steeplechase scene for such publications as SPUR Magazine, The Chronicle of the Horse and The Horse of Delaware Valley. A Virginian by birth and a horsewoman since childhood, Laurel also breeds Thoroughbreds. She can be contacted for any freelance journalistic or photographic assignments at: 13920 Mantua Mill Rd. Glyndon, MD 21071 and e-mail: schaser@bigfoot.com or Click Here to do so.