Eclipse Award on the line in Colonial
Cup
A dynamite field of seven, including the first four finishers
of the October 23 Breeders’ Cup Steeplechase S. (NSA-G1), will
line up for Sunday’s $100,000 Marion du Pont Scott Colonial Cup
Steeplechase S. (NSA-G1) at Springdale Race Course in Camden,
South Carolina. Of those, five can lay a claim to championship
honors in the 2 3/4-mile, 17-fence event.
MCDYNAMO (Dynaformer) captured the 2003 Eclipse Award by
setting a course record in the Colonial Cup, and defeated
HIRAPOUR (Ire) (Kahyasi), SUR LA TETE (Sky Classic) and TRES
TOUCHE (Poles Apart) in this year’s Breeders’ Cup, his only start
of the year due to off-season hock surgery.
The speedy PREEMPTIVE STRIKE (Roanoke) won the Carolina Cup
Steeplechase S. (NSA-G3) at Springdale in March and comes into
this event off an impressive score on the Breeders’ Cup undercard.
He is the only one of the major contenders without a Grade 1 win
this year.
The field, in post position order with jockeys, is Tres
Touche, Rob Massey; Preemptive Strike, Robbie Walsh; Sur La Tete,
Chris Read; Hirapour, Matt McCarron; GALLANT TURK (Turkoman), Ted
Thompson; IMPERIAL GOLD (NZ) (Imperial Seal), Tom Foley; and
McDynamo, Craig Thornton.
All starters will carry 156 pounds.