The Diana Gillam trained Be Great on his way to a $10,000 victory in the open timber race at the Howard County Cup Races. photo: Bob Keller
While sanctioned steeplechase horses were competing for the big bucks in Virignia, point-to-pointers were competing for cash at the Howard County Cup Races, one of the few point-to-points offering prize money. Twelve horses vied for a total of $12,500 in purse total with owner/trainer Diana Gilliam took home the majority of the pot, winning the $10,000 Open Timber with Be Great and the $2,500 Novice Timber with La Isabella, Eddie Keating and Bryan Cullianane in the irons respectively. These two wins secured Gilliam with the $1,000 Leading Trainer Award. The timber horse fields may have been low, but junior entries ran in sold numbers with a total of 25 starters in field master’s chases, lead line races, and a Shetland pony flat race. Full results can be found here and Bob Keller’s photos from the day can be found here.
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The Potomac Hunt Races are Sunday, May 20th, and the second to last steeplechase meet in Maryland . Don’t miss out on one of the last tailgating opportunities this spring! Get your tickets today!