A week after getting run down in the stretch by Bogey's Image at My Lady's Manor, Wrestlingwithrae (Ire) turned in another solid effort to win the $35,000 Grand National timber stakes at Butler, Md., April 19.
This time, jockey Jordan Canavan convinced his horse to rate -- reluctantly at first -- behind Wagner (Ire), Queens Empire (Ire) and Great Road early. Canavan made it work for 2 miles and saved ground while waiting.
Wagner led into the 15th of 18 fences, where Wrestlingwithrae took advantage of a mistake by Great Road to reach second. Wrestlingwithrae landed over the 16th with a slight lead, but Wagner handled a tight final turn and they jumped the 17th together. Wrestlingwithrae pulled ahead coming to the last, wandered off line just a little and landed running to hold off a fast-closing Goodoldtimes (Ire) by a length at the finish. Queens Empire was another length back in third with Wagner fourth after 3¼ miles in 6:35.20.
Canavan was impressed with his horse's step forward in seven days.
"I was second on him last week, but the race just fell apart," said the jockey. "He ran well, he ran an absolute blinder. It was just a race that fell apart for him. Here I just rode him a bit further back and I had something to aim at. I had a target in front of me and that helped. He was excellent the whole way around, jumped perfect, traveled great."
Trained by Leslie Young for Michael Smith, the 7-year-old won for the third time in five timber starts. He stayed busy and finished fourth in the Virginia Gold Cup two weeks after the Grand National while getting to $61,800 earned since being imported to the United States. Thanks to an Irish point-to-point win, Smith and Young had to go to $237,764 to land the son of English-bred Snow Sky at the Tattersalls national hunt sale in May 2022.
Wrestlingwithrae made one hurdle start that summer, but didn't run again until October 2024.
Over timber, he finished fifth at Virginia Fall Oct. 12 and won at Callaway Gardens Nov. 2. He opened 2025 with an allowance win at Cheshire before three consecutive stakes starts.
"He was brought over to be something else," said Chris Read, a former steeplechase jockey and assistant trainer who manages Smith's farm in Middleburg, Va. "He got an injury, so we gave him more than enough time, and Leslie decided he was going to make a good timber horse. He was second to a really nice horse [at the Manor]. Coming back here in a week was a little close, but why not? He showed us that was the right decision."
Canavan said Wrestlingwithrae appreciates the pace and distance of timber racing.
"He'd have been fine over hurdles, too, but I think the timber and the extended trip just brings out the best of him," said the jockey. "He wouldn't be out of place back home in Ireland."
In his first U.S. season, Canavan was busy. He finished second in the Manor, won the Grand National and had Monbeg Stream (Ire) going well until the final stages of the Maryland Hunt Cup. The jockey won with his first two point-to-point mounts, on the flat at Warrenton, March 15.
The native of Northern Ireland rode as a professional in England and Ireland -- winning for trainer Jonjo O'Neill in England in 2017 and for Robert Tyner in Ireland the following year -- before taking out an amateur license.
"I'm enjoying myself so far and things couldn't be going any better," said Canavan, who credited Young and assistant Brianne Slater with helping make the introduction smooth. "It's just a different style of riding and racing. At home, you go down to a hurdle or a fence and you're going forward. The horses can brush away through them, but here with timber you have to respect them. Timber fences take a lot of jumping and they take a lot of respect. If you don't respect them, you'll learn to."
Canavan knew several Irish riders now based in the U.S. including Dan Nevin, Barry John Foley and Sean McDermott and got advice from roommate (and former champion) Darren Nagle this spring.
"He sits me down at the kitchen table and we watch replays on the laptop," Canavan said. "That's helping me."
In Ireland, Canavan worked for Eugene O'Sullivan and was close with the trainer's nephew Michael, Ireland's champion conditional (apprentice) jockey of 2023. Michael died Feb. 16, 10 days after being injured in a fall at Thurles Race Course. A winner of 95 races under rules, he was just 24 years old.
"What I'm doing over here I'd like to dedicate to Michael," Canavan said. "When I rode my first winner here, it wasn't long after Michael's passing. I looked up and I knew he was looking down on me. Oh man, that was a feeling."
Being a steeplechase jockey is never easy. Carrying on after a friend's passing in the sport only adds to the task.
"It's been torturous," said Canavan. "You just put it to the back of your mind and you know you just have to keep kicking. He wouldn't want you to stop. He was a very dedicated chap and he loved the game. He definitely would have enjoyed Maryland timber racing."
Nevin, Beecher win another maiden timber; Neilson doubles
After hopping off maiden timber winner Eternal Story (Fr) at My Lady's Manor, Dan Nevin said there were a few other promising maiden timber horses in trainer Mark Beecher's barn.
Hello Track And Trace (Ire), a 2024 import for Bruton Street-US who romped in the $15,000 maiden timber. The 8-year-old son of Mahler stayed out of trouble in a crowded field of 10, took over in the final mile and drew off to score by 10¾ lengths. Hey Teacher (GB) settled for second with Blackstair Rocco (Ire) third. The winner raced for Bruton Street in England, winning once each over hurdles and chase fences. Converted to timber in the U.S., he tuned up for the Grand National with a second at Green Spring Point-to-Point March 30.
Nevin gave his horse credit for sticking with the plan.
"There wasn't a whole lot of room around there with 10 horses in the race, but I jumped off to make it with Brett [Owings, on Sorolla]. There was so much going on down inside that I pulled wide and got clear of them. You could just hear all the commotion on my inside, but I even got there too early."
In front with five fences to go, Track And Trace fought off Hey Teacher over the second-last, led by 4 lengths at the last and saw it out.
"My jumping took me there, he was traveling so well," said Nevin. "It's a lot to take in for a maiden here. It's different from a school at home to going out here at a speed, especially when there's a full field. You're going to have to pop some fences and get it right all the way around."
Two weeks after the Grand National, he won at Winterthur to flash even more potential.
Trainer Kathy Neilson doubled to close the day, part of an eight-win start to the spring season for the Pennsylvania trainer. Hard Game won the $15,000 Benjamin Murray Memorial allowance timber for jockey Freddie Procter and an ownership group carrying the same name as the horse.
Hard Game LLC consists of Virginians Justin Wiley, brother-in-law Mike Massie and friends Rob Farmer and David Perdue. Managing partner Wiley was on hand at the Grand National, his first trip to the meet in decades.
"I was here a long time ago, as a little kid," he said moments after accepting the trophy. "I've grown up around steeplechase my whole life, and I love tradition, and I want to see the tradition of steeplechase continue. It's really fun to have a horse, and it's hard to go to the races if you don't have a horse. It makes it a whole lot more fun."
Wiley's father Hugh rode for the U.S. Equestrian Team at the 1956 and 1960 Olympics, and mother Serena was a regular foxhunter and rider. Justin grew up riding, foxhunted and has long been involved with carriage-driving horses. He has worked with the Montpelier and Foxfield steeplechase meets and owned steeplechasers with Neilson and Ricky Hendriks in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Wiley and company decided to get back into racing and Neilson found Hard Game in a $12,500 claimer at Parx Racing in 2021. The trainer credited her daughter Skylar McKenna with the homework, picking out the son of Hard Spun (sire of champion steeplechaser Snap Decision) on paper.
"We tried to claim a couple of horses before then, but we got him because he went over to the paddock with no bandages on and the guy leading him up didn't have a lip chain on him or anything -- and he was talking on the phone," Neilson said. "I'm like, 'We want him.' "
As expected with that audition, Hard Game took to farm life and jump racing. He won over hurdles (at Foxfield) in October 2022 and made his timber debut last spring. Six starts in 2024 produced two seconds and a third.
The 7-year-old finished second (by a nose) at Cheshire March 30 and placed fourth at the Manor before breaking through at the Grand National. One of two maidens in the field of six that included 2024 Maryland Hunt Cup winner Blackhall (Ire), Hard Game rated in fourth early. Procter advanced Hard Game along the inside with a lap to go, jumped to second over the 11th fence and took command between the final two. He drew off to score by 8½ lengths over The Butler Yates (Ire) with Rocket Star Red third after 3¼ miles in 6:32.80.
Neilson was back in the winner's circle with Imperial Assassin (Ire) one race later as the 7-year-old captured the $15,000 Western Run Plate for apprentice jockeys. Owned by Armata Stables and ridden by Nevin, the winner took over from Storm Team and Fast Vision (Fr) around the final turn and outran Fast Vision over the final two fences to win by 9 lengths after 3 miles in 6:17.80. Fast Vision finished second with Storm Team third.
Purchased for $52,836 at the same sale as Wrestlingwithrae, Imperial Assassin ran six times over hurdles including a maiden win in October 2023, but missed a year and emerged this spring as a timber horse. He won at Cheshire March 30 and backed it up at the Grand National.
A partnership created by longtime friends Ben Griswold IV and Perry Bolton, Armata carries on after Bolton's death at age 94 in January. The day's program included a dedication to Bolton from the Grand National committee and the win carried a little extra meaning.
"It's just good to see him doing well," Neilson said of her horse. "He was meant to be a fancy hurdle horse from Ireland, but that didn't turn out. It's a gift to win here for Mr. Griswold [over whose Meadow Run Farm much of the course runs]. He's a great owner to work for and I feel grateful to work for him."
