Post-Race Analysis:
Malvern, Pennsylvania - May 29, 2007: Best Attack won the $75,000
Grade II National Hunt Cup at the Radnor Hunt Races, defeating Orison
by a half-length to take the final leg of the Steeplechase Triple
Crown. The winner covered the 2 3/8 miles over the W. Burling Cocks
Memorial racecourse that included 16 fences in 4:35.66.
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Best Attack defeating Orison and Orsay
at the finish of the National Hunt Cup.
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The race was wide open as the field of seven turned for home, with
Best Attack, Orison, Gliding, Sovereign Duty and Orsay all bidding
for the lead. Those five jumped the last two fences together before
Best Attack, under veteran jockey Chip Miller, gained a slight advantage
over Orison upon landing over the last with Orsay just behind them
in third. Those three slugged it out to the wire as Best Attack
held on gamely to prevail by a half-length after an exciting stretch
battle.
The win was the 199th in Miller's storied career. The winning jockey
made a bold move at the top of the stretch, shooting Best Attack
through a norrow hole:
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Best Attack leading Orison, Orsay, Gliding,
Sparkled, Sovereign Duty and Swimming River approaching the
finish of the National Hunt Cup.
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"I wasn't sure how much horse I had when the gap opened, but before
I could give him a squeeze he saw it and said 'let's go,' which
is so cool," Miller told the national Steeplechase Association (NSA)
after the race. "You can't describe that. For a horse to see it
before you react to it, and take you there it's amazing."
Trained by Bruce Miller and ridden by his son Chip, A the winner
collected $45,000 while winning for the third time in seven career
steeplechase starts.
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Swimming River leads (left-to-right)
Orsay, Best Attack, Sovereign Duty, Orison (obscured) Sparkled
and Gliding at the ninth fence of the National Hunt Cup.
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Owned by Sally Radcliffe, Best Attack made his steeplechase debut
last spring after winning three times on the flat and has advanced
through the ranks with quality starts each time. The 6-year-old
son of Bahri (by Riverman), has won three of his seven steeplechase
starts; has yet to finish worse than third, and has never lost by
more than 3 lengths. Three of his defeats have come against horses
he turned the tables on in the National Hunt Cup: Orison last year
at Radnor, Gliding in the Triple Crown's second stop at Middleburg
earlier this year and Orsay two weeks ago at Great Meadow.
Best Attack was bred the estate of Walter Jeffords Jr. (Radcliffe's
father), and is trained by Bruce Miller (the winning jockey's father).
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Sovereign Duty leads (left-to-right)
Orison (obscured), Sparkled, Gliding and Best Attack at the
second fence of the National Hunt Cup.
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"It's a good group, they're very good horses," the winning trainer
said of this year's novice class. "They could run well against anybody.
McDynamo, Sur La Tete, who knows but nobody's beaten them for three
or four years anyway. I wouldn't hesitate to take my horse to the
A.P. Smithwick (an open stakes at Saratoga this summer) and I'm
sure they feel the same about Orison and Orsay and Gliding," Miller
told the NSA.
A different horse won each leg of this year's Steeplechase Triple
Crown: Orison was victorious in the Carolina Cup while Gliding captured
the Temple Gwathmey.
The complete order of finish for the National Hunt Cup is set forth
below.
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Best Attack after winning the Grade II
National Hunt Cup with and groom Nina Siscon.
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NOTES: With his next victory Chip Miller will become just the eighth
jockey to win 200 American steeplechase races. The other seven (with
their victory totals) are Joe Aitcheson (440), Paddy Smithwick (398),
Dooley Adams (301), Jerry Fishback (301), Tommy Walsh (253), Jeff
Teter (231) and Blythe Miller (202). Chip Miller's older sister,
Blythe rode from 1988-2002 and won two NSA jockey championships..
. . Nick Arundel's Seeyouattheevent (Willie Dowling) won the co-feature,
the $40,000 Volkswagen of America Radnor Hunt Cup timber stakes.
The 6-year-old caught pacesetter Move West at the top of the stretch
to win for the first timber over timber for trainer Jack Fisher
. . . Fisher won twice on the day and now leads Sanna Hendriks by
one in the in the trainer standings with 12 victories . . . Jockey
Danielle Hodsdon also won two races on the day.
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Orison and Matt McCarron won the first
leg of this year's Steeplechase Triple Crown and finished
a close second in the National Hunt Cup.
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FEELING SO PRETTY RETIRED FROM RACING
Owner/trainer Lee McKinney's Feeling So Pretty, the leading American
female steeplechaser of all-time, has run her last race. The 13-year-old
mare was honored in a ceremony at the Iroquois Steeplechase May
12 and will assume a new career as a broodmare.
The daughter of Nordic Legend won six races and earned $231,898
in a steeplechase career that began in 2000. She won three hurdle
stakes and was the NSA's champion filly/mare in 2003, the inaugural
year for the award category. Before the creation of specific races
for the distaffers, Feeling So Pretty defeated males three times
-- winning a maiden at Nashville in 2001, an allowance at Saratoga
later that year and another allowance at Nashville in 2003. In other
efforts against open company, she finished second in the Grade I
Iroquois and third in the Grade I Royal Chase in 2006.
Feeling So Pretty placed second in her final career start, the
$50,000 Margaret Henley Stakes at Nashville May 12. Ridden by Chip
Miller, she charged through the stretch but came up a nose short
of winner Orchid Princess at the wire. McKinney was thinking retirement
before the race, but fully made up her mind afterward.
"She's given me so much that I know it's time," she said. "She
tries so hard and works hard at what she does. I'm amazed by her
every day."
The Feeling So Pretty story includes several twists and turns through
a career that also includes two victories on the flat in 2000. As
yearling, she sold for $165 at a sheriff's sale on the courthouse
steps in Versailles, Ky. She was given to McKinnney to train and
stooped as low as a $3,500 claimer at Beulah Park in 1997. McKinney
wound up the owner as well for the balance of a training bill (about
$1,200) and the rest is history. In all starts (flat and jump),
Feeling So Pretty had eight wins, nine seconds and 10 thirds with
total earnings of $302,103.
Edited from NSA press release.
Results:
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FP
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Horse
|
lbs
|
Jockey
|
Trainer
|
Owner
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1
|
Best Attack |
151 |
C. Miller |
F. Bruce Miller |
Sarah J. Radcliffe |
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2
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Orison |
151 |
McCarron |
Doug Fout |
EMO Stables |
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3
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Orsay |
148 |
C. Murphy |
Thomas H. Voss |
Armata Stabes |
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4
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Gliding (NZ) |
151 |
J. Murphy |
Doug Fout |
Brigadoon Stable |
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5
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Sparkled |
151 |
Slater |
Jonathan Sheppard |
Jonathan Sheppard |
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6
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Sovereign Duty |
151 |
Hodsdon |
Jonathan Sheppard |
Hudson River Farm |
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7
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Swimming River |
148 |
Young |
Paul Rowland |
Long Lane Farm |
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Pedigree of Winner:
Click
here for Best Attack's 5-cross pedigree.
Pedigrees compliments of PedigreeQuery.com
Previous Winners:
| YEAR |
FIRST (Age) |
JOCKEY |
lbs. |
SECOND (Age) |
lbs. |
THIRD (Age) |
lbs. |
|
2006
|
Top Of The Bill (5) |
Rafter |
151 |
The Next Man (Ire) |
148 |
Ginz |
136 |
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2005
|
Mixed Up (6) |
Hodsdon |
151 |
Charlie Whiskey (5) |
148 |
Move West (4) |
136 |
|
2004
|
Racey Dreamer (5) |
McCarron |
151 |
Serazzo (8) |
151 |
Sur La Tete (6) |
154 |
|
2002
|
Anofferucantrefuse (5) |
Horgan |
151 |
McDynamo (6) |
154 |
Ethical Actions |
151 |
|
2001
|
Flasher (7) |
C. Miller |
154 |
Praise The Prince (NZ) (6) |
160 |
Golden Marvel (Fr) (5) |
148 |
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2000
|
Pompeyo (Chi) (6) |
Brown |
148 |
Banjo Man (5) |
148 |
Shahrahere (5) |
145 |
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1999
|
Grand Nord (5) |
Kiser |
148 |
Spring Salute (5) |
150 |
Moshe (6) |
148 |
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1998
|
Lafitte The Pirate (5) |
Kingsley |
148 |
Darn That Erica (5) |
152 |
Maipo (5) |
152 |
|
1997
|
Batchwood (5) |
Clancy |
158 |
Soaringoverseattle (4) |
147 |
Dictador (7) |
158 |
Post-Race Analysis | Results
| Pedigree of Winner | Previous
Winners
