Kate Dalton saddled two horses for her husband Bernie to ride to victory, both in $30,000 Sport of Kings Maiden Hurdle races at Monmouth racetrack on Thursday, Aug. 9.
Belisarius, number 5 on the right, over an early hurdle with Special Eyes , number 6, on the left. (Photo by Equi-Photo)"That doesn't happen very often," said Kate.
Dancin in the Rain, owned by Virginia Lazenby Racing Stables, won by 5 3/4 lengths over Cristina Mosby's Foxhall Drive, trained by Jimmy Day and ridden by Gerard Galligan, with Sheila Williams Storm Team, trained by Jack Fisher and ridden by Jack Doyle, third.
Gary Barber's Belisarius (Ire) won by 2 lengths over Ballybristol Farm LLC's Alshibaa (Ire), trained by Leslie Young and ridden by Kieren Norris, with Riverdee Stable's Motivational, trained by Fisher and ridden by Sean McDermott, third.
"Dancin in the Rain joined our stable in early spring," said Kate, who trains out of Camden, S.C. "He's just a baby. He's only 4. He's been steadily improving. His form is a little deceiving. He's been getting better with every race,"
"He's been settling a bit more," said Kate. "He was pulling. Bernie rode him on the front end at Fair Hill, so we thought we'd try running hm on the front end again at Monmouth. With the long run in that there is at Monmouth, we thought he might get done in by faster horses at the end, but it worked out quite well."
"BELISARIUS is a very classy horse," said Kate. "He hasn't run a bad race since we converted him to a jumper last January. He's a consummate pro. He came from California, but he's world traveler."
Belisarius has run in California at Santa Anita and Del Mar, at Saratoga, Belmont, Aqueduct, Keeneland and Gulfstream Park since being imported from Ireland in 2014, where he was stakes placed.
As a steeplechase horse, Belisarius ran third twice and then second in Maiden races before winning a flat allowance race at Suffolk for horses that had started over fences.
"We'll see how they came out of those races at Monmouth," said Kate. "Belisarius may run at Belmont in September, and, if Dancin in the Rain came out well, he may run in the final race at Saratoga."
Thomas Hulfish's Swellelegant, trained by Neil Morris and ridden by Michael Mitchell, just held on to win the $35,000 Allowance Hurdle by a scant nose over a hard charging Cheers To Us, owned by Rosbrian Farm, trained by Ricky Hendriks and ridden by Geraghty, with Wild Dynaformer, owned by Sarah Sheila Stables, trained by Kent Sweezey and ridden by Dalton, third.
Steeplechasing returns to Saratoga on Wednesday, Aug. 22, with the New York Turf Writers on Thursday, Aug. 23.