Fair Hill

The Fair Hill leg of the Real Rider Cup welcomed 36 horse and rider combinations along with hundreds of spectators to Fair Hill Thoroughbred Horse Show Sept. 13th. The charity show jumping competition brought together personalities from across the breeding and racing industry to increase awareness and raise funds for Thoroughbred aftercare, with each rider pledging to raise at least $1,000. Riders, mounted on off-track Thoroughbreds and wearing the silks of their employers, colleagues, and clients, contended a course of fences with the fastest clear rounds taking home top honors....

Frederic Heyman, a Baltimore-based lawyer, has been named the new President of Team Valor International, the company's CEO Barry Irwin announced Tuesday. Heyman is active in the Mid-Atlantic, having managed the racing and operations of the late Baltimore Orioles' owner Peter Angelos's Marathon Farms. He also sat on the board of Fair Hill training center. Irwin noted that he has no plans to step back or retire. "I plan to spend more time each summer and fall abroad, where we source most of our stock. I want to focus on...

VIBRANT FORCE: HOW AFTERCARE SHOULD WORK Just over three years ago, we launched Wasabi Aftercare Fund to provide safe and secure retirements for all horses that are bred and/or raced by Wasabi Ventures Stables. Recently, we assisted in our first retirement of a horse bred, but not raced, by WVS. On Febr. 24, 2021, Vibrant Spirit foaled a healthy colt by Force the Pass. It was determined that he would not be kept to run for Wasabi. Rather than bring him to auction, WVS sold the colt to Bobby Flock...

The Real Rider Cup--a showjumping event featuring off the track Thoroughbreds ridden by racing industry participants--returned to Kentucky and Mereworth Farm for the second year this past weekend and the event raised more than $78,000 for Thoroughbred Aftercare. Six teams comprised of 26 riders donned silks representing their employers, colleagues, and clients within the racing industry and completed a jumps course with the fastest clear rounds taking home top honors. Some notable participants and sponsors included Aaron Gryder, Adena Springs, Richard Mandella, Calumet Farm, Godolphin, Bonne Chance Farm, 1/ST Racing...

Following a record-setting turnout in Lexington this past July, the 63 entered riders that have taken part in the Real Rider Cup have raised better than $160,000 this year, a number that rises to $173,000 when corporate sponsors are factored in. That amount more than triple any previous annual total for the event and brings the total raised since the inception of the Real Rider Cup to $410,000 raised for Thoroughbred aftercare. "It's been an honor to have been a beneficiary of the Real Rider Cup since the beginning," said...

A team representing the Maryland Jockey Club will participate in the Real Rider Cup Friday, Sept. 16, at Fair Hill. The Fair Hill leg of the 2022 Real Rider Cup continues the tradition of the charity show jumping event that supports Fair Hill Thoroughbred Show, New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program and the Retired Racehorse Project. The MJC will be represented by host/analyst Kali Francois, marketing and events manager Brittlan Wall and trainer Jacqueline Savoye. "I couldn't be more excited to be part of this amazing event and Team Maryland Jockey...

Edited Press Release Following a record-breaking inaugural run in Lexington last month, the Real Rider Cup, a charity show jumping event created by Anita Motion to benefit Thoroughbred aftercare, returns to its home at the Fair Hill Thoroughbred Show the evening of Friday, Sept. 16. Past winner Penelope Miller returns for her fifth Real Rider Cup, riding once again for Team Racing Media. Past top fundraiser Keira Nygaard, whose parents Erik and Pavla own and operate Thor-Bred Stables, was among the leaders in Kentucky and comes now to Maryland with...

The Maryland Horse Foundation has unveiled their newly designed website MarylandHorse.com, completed in partnership with the Maryland Horse Industry Board and funded via a Rural Maryland Council grant. It now features a sortable directory of resources and an events calendar as well as fulfilling a double duty of functioning as the home for information about the Maryland Horse Park System. Any news about annual campaigns such as 'October-Maryland Horse Month' or 'Horse Industry Day' will also be posted to the site. Anyone with an event or resource they'd like to...

It's a rare feat to get to the winner's circle on one of the biggest weekends in racing with a horse bred, owned and trained by the same connection, but Elizabeth Merryman did just that when her speedy filly Caravel (Mizzen Mast) gave a gutsy performance at Pimlico to take The Very One S. by a nose on Preakness weekend. Many would consider the juggling act between the foaling barn and the training center to be an impossibility, but Liz Merryman says for her, it's the best way to produce...

Officials with Fair Hill Races, which annually holds jump racing events in Elkton, Md., announced Thursday the decision to skip the 2021 season and not schedule any races. Traditionally held in May, the Fair Hill Races are extremely popular with both the racing segment and the general public. While uncertainty regarding COVID-19 and safety regulations came into play, the cancellation was also an opportunity to let the newly installed turf surface mature. Through a $20 million public-private partnership between the state of Maryland and the Fair Hill Foundation, upgrades to...

The National Steeplechase Association (NSA) announced Tuesday that the fall season's first sanctioned race meet, The Foxfield Fall Races, will take place Sunday, Oct. 4 in Charlottesville, VA. While the races will run without spectators and under strict health and safety protocols, the NSA will livestream the races, feature commentary from the industry's experts and strong competition by steeplechasing's top horsemen. In making the announcement, NSA President Al Griffin said, "This year has provided plenty of challenges for our sport, yet we continue to persevere. Despite the onerous regulations and...

Sport and Entertainment Corporation of Maryland (The Sport Corp.), has postponed the inaugural Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill until October 14-17, 2021. Originally scheduled for this October, the international three-day eventing competition has been postponed due to health concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. The FHOC made the decision in conjunction with the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill planning committee, its competition management partner, Fair Hill International (FHI), and additional constituents including the State of Maryland and Cecil County. "It was a very difficult decision and we are very...