Post-Race Analysis:
Nashville, Tennessee - May 12, 2007: Good Night Shirt won the $150,000
Iroquois Steeplechase defeating Sur La Tete, who was bidding to
become the first horse to win three consecutive runnings of this
Grade I race, by 5 1/4 lengths. Chivite (Ire) finished third while
last year's steeplechase Champion McDynamo was fourth. The winner
covered the 3 miles and 18 fences in 5:50 2/5, well off the stakes
record of 5:24.20 set by Uncle Edwin in 1985.
Good Night Shirt took the lead after the third fence, set a mild
pace and was never headed again. The 6-year old son of Concern (by
Broad Brush) kicked clear by 4 lengths on the final run down the
backstretch, turned back challenges from favorites Sur La Tete and
McDynamo on the final turn and galloped through the stretch an easy
winner. Good Night Shirt benefited from a prep race (second in the
Grade I Royal Chase at Keeneland three weeks earlier) while Sur
La Tete and McDynamo were making their first starts of 2007.
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|
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Sur la Tete, shown with jockey Chris
Read and trainer Neil Morris (right), was unsuccessful in
his effort to become the first horse to win three consecutive
runnings of the Grade I Iroquois. J.S. Lee photo.
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Owned by Harold A. Via, Good Night Shirt duplicated his maiden
win over the Iroquois course in 2005 and won for the fourth time
in 13 career steeplechase starts. The gelding won twice on the flat
before switching to jump racing in 2005. Good Night Shirt was ridden
by Willie Dowling, who was able to settle his horse early by going
to the lead:
"The plan wasn't to be in front like that but he actually dropped
the bit when he went to the front and was happy there," the winning
jockey told the national Steeplechase Association (NSA) after the
race. "Turning for home, I kept thinking when are the boys in McDynamo
and Sur La Tete going to come and pass me but they never did. He's
so big that his one stride makes other horses take two strides."
The win tosses the early steeplechase championship battle up for
grabs. Mixed Up (Royal Chase) and Good Night Shirt (Iroquois) are
the only two Grade I winners so far this year. Both horses will
probably point for Saratoga, while Sur La Tete and McDynamo usually
pass the summer races and wait until the autumn.
JUMPING AROUND: Winning trainer Jack Fisher won the Iroquois for
the second time as Good Night Shirt joined To Ridley (1996) on the
list . . . The Fisher barn also picked up a Grade III win on the
day as Paradise's Boss (third behind Good Night Shirt at Keeneland)
won the $50,000 Marcellus Frost Stakes. . . Championship division
steeplechasers are off until summer with the Grade III Zeke Ferguson
at Colonial Downs in July and two stakes at Saratoga in August:
the Grade II A.P. Smithwick Memorial and the Grade I New York Turf
Writers' Cup Handicap. . . The final leg of the Steeplechase Triple
Crown, the $75,000 Grade II National Hunt Cup for novice hurdlers,
is slated for May 19th at Radnor, Pennsylvania.
Edited from NSA press release.
The complete order of finish for the Iroquois is set forth below.
Results:
|
FP
|
Horse
|
lbs
|
Jockey
|
Trainer
|
Owner
|
|
1
|
Good Night Shirt |
150 |
Dowling |
Jack Fisher |
Harold A. Via, Jr. |
|
2
|
Sur La Tete |
158 |
Read |
Neil Morris |
Kinross Farm |
|
3
|
Chivite (Ire) |
158 |
Young |
F. Bruce Miller |
Calvin Houghland |
|
4
|
McDynamo |
158 |
Petty |
Sanna Hendriks |
Michael Moran |
|
5
|
The Looper |
158 |
Murphy |
Thomas H. Voss |
Mill House |
|
6
|
Mon Villez (Fr) |
158 |
McCarron |
F. Bruce Miller |
Calvin Houghland |
|
7
|
Kilbeggan Lad (Ire) |
158 |
R. Haynes |
Bruce Haynes |
Patrick F. Kehoe |
|
8
|
Summersville |
158 |
W. Haynes |
Bruce Haynes |
Anne O. Haynes |
|
PU
|
Meadow (NZ) |
158 |
Hodsdon |
Jonathan Sheppard |
Calvin Houghland |
|
PU
|
Hip Hop |
158 |
C. Miller |
John K. Griggs |
John K. Griggs |
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Pedigree of Winner:
Click
here for Good Night Shirt's 5-cross pedigree.
Pedigrees compliments of Pedigree
Query.com
Previous Winners:
| YEAR |
FIRST (Age) |
JOCKEY |
lbs. |
SECOND (Age) |
lbs. |
THIRD (Age) |
lbs. |
|
2006
|
Sur La Tete (8) |
Read |
158 |
Feeling So Pretty |
158 |
Erin Go Bragh (NZ) |
158 |
|
2005
|
Sur La Tete (7) |
Read |
158 |
McDynamo (8) |
158 |
Bow Strada (GB) |
158 |
|
2004
|
Tres Touche (7) |
Bentley |
158 |
Snowball Flannagan |
158 |
Duke Of Earl (Ire) |
158 |
|
2003
|
Pelagos (Fr) (8) |
Foley |
158 |
Praise The Prince (NZ) (8) |
158 |
Storm Touch (7) |
158 |
|
2002
|
All Gong (GB) (8) |
B. Miller |
158 |
Praise The Prince (NZ) (7) |
158 |
Flat Top (9) |
158 |
|
2001
|
Rand (NZ) (7) |
E. Lamb |
158 |
All Gong (GB) (7) |
158 |
Electron (8) |
158 |
|
2000
|
Pinkie Swear (6) |
Clancy |
154 |
All Gong (GB) (6) |
158 |
Greek Hero (7) |
158 |
|
1999
|
Rowdy Irishman (10) |
Marzullo |
156 |
|
|
|
|
|
1998
|
Rowdy Irishman (9) |
Marzullo |
156 |
|
|
|
|
|
1997
|
Correggio (Ire) (6) |
Kingsley |
156 |
|
|
|
|
|
1996
|
To Ridley (6) |
Clancy |
156 |
|
|
|
|
|
1995
|
Lonesome Glory (7) |
B. Miller |
156 |
|
|
|
|
|
1994
|
Mistico (8) |
Thornton |
168 |
|
|
|
|
|
1993
|
Mistico (7) |
S. Neilson |
168 |
|
|
|
|
|
1992
|
Victorian Hill (7) |
B. Miller |
168 |
|
|
|
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Post-Race Analysis | Results
| Pedigree of Winner | Previous
Winners
