A Look at the 2017 Steeplechase Winners

Point-to-Point at Winterthur

The 2017 Winterthur Bowl: The Henry Francis du Pont Challenge Trophy is named in honor of the founder of Winterthur. It’s a novice 3.25-mile timber race for five-year-old horses and older. The purse was $25,000. This year, in honor of Point-to-Point’s 40th anniversary, the purse has been increased to $40,000. The race was sponsored by SC&A Construction.

Last year’s Henry Francis du Pont Challenge Trophy winner was Top Man Michael, owned by Irv Naylor, trained by Cyril Murphy and ridden by Gustav Dahl. He was the returning champion, after having won the 2016 Winterthur Bowl.

Greta B. Layton Award: Each year, the owner, trainer or rider accumulating the most points at Point-to-Point is awarded the Greta Brown Layton Trophy. This trophy honors Mrs. Layton, who along with fellow trustee Julian Boyd, first proposed a steeplechase race on the grounds at Winterthur with the goal of expanding community awareness and increasing visitation to the museum and garden. We thank her for believing in her idea, working to bring it to fruition and fostering its growth and helping it bloom into one of the most spectacular and anticipated annual spring events in the region today.

Last year’s Greta Brown Layton Trophy winner was Kathy Neilson. For more information on Neilson and her family, click here.

The Winterthur Bowl//Photo by Tod Marks

Last year’s Willowdale Steeplechase winners, Doc Cebu and jockey Hadden Frost//Photo by Tod Marks

Willowdale Steeplechase

The Willowdale Steeplechase: This 3.5-mile timber race is for horses five years and older. The purse is $35,000, thanks to the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Rodman W. Moorhead, III. It’s the longest of all the day’s races, with the largest purse and the greatest variety of jumps, including timber fences, open ditches, timber rails with brush, and the famous water jump which the horses go over twice. The course was designed by W.B. Dixon Stroud Jr., who’s ridden all his life and won the prestigious Maryland Hunt Cup in 1984.

The winner of the 2017 Willowdale Steeplechase was Doc Cebu who is owned by Charles C. Fenwick, Michael Hankin and Charles Noell of Bruton Street U.S. racing stables. Doc Cebu was trained by champion trainer Jack Fisher and ridden by British amateur jockey Hadden Frost.

Bruton Street U.S. was presented with the Willowdale Steeplechase Trophy, kindly donated by Mr. and Mrs. W.B. Dixon Stroud Jr.

Last year’s presentation of the National Hunt Cup.

Radnor Hunt Races

Radnor Hunt Cup: Run in memory of George Strawbridge Sr., the Radnor Hunt Cup is a 3.25-mile timber race for four-year-old horses and older. The race purse is $30,000, thanks to the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Edward R. Owen Jr., Mr. George Strawbridge Jr., and Mr. and Mrs. William R. Wister.

Last year’s Radnor Hunt Cup winner was Mystic Strike, who is owned by Upland Partners and trained by Ricky Hendriks. Mark Beecher was the jockey. Upland Partners were presented with the Radnor Hunt Cup and a Challenge Cup in memory of John Strawbridge Jr. The race was presented by the Bellevue.

National Hunt Cup: Run in memory of Mrs. William Coxe Wright, the National Hunt Cup is a 2.875-mile hurdle handicap race for four-year-old horses and older. The race purse is $50,000, generously donated by Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Benton, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Duprey, Mr. and Mrs. N. Peter Hamilton, Mr. and Mrs. S. Matthew V. Hamilton Jr., and Mr. and Mrs. John C. Weber.

Last year’s National Hunt Cup winner was Jamarjo (IRE), who is owned by Irvin S. Naylor and trained by Leslie Young. Graham Watters was the jockey. Irvin Naylor was presented with the Third National Hunt Cup. The race was presented by BNY Mellon Wealth Management.