On a beautiful if blustery April Saturday, a healthy crowd gathered at historic Atlanta Hall Farm in Monkton for the annual renewal of the Elkridge-Harford Point-to-Point races, with the featured race, the Edward S. Voss Memorial Open Timber, being won by Raven's Choice a popular local favorite owned by Mrs. Cary W. Jackson and piloted to victory by Mark Beecher.
Trained by Todd Wyatt, the Maryland-bred gelding beat second place finisher Serene Harbor by three lengths, with last year's Maryland Hunt Cup winner Guts for Garters coming in third in the eight-horse field.
The Voss Memorial was one of four timber races, along with two flat races, on Saturday's card.
Beecher repeated his success in the second race, the George C. Clement Memorial Novice Timber, riding Frank A Bonsal, Jr.'s, Snobby Scamp home for the win by a length and a half in a time of 7:21:03. Second place finisher was Our Town. Rosbrian Farm's Irish-bred Eins Man was third.
Rosbrian Farm came back with a close victory in the Ann L. McIntosh Memorial Heavyweight Open Timber, as New Level, trained by Louis "Paddy" Neilson, III with Martin Rohan in the irons, edged Out Playing, owned, trained and ridden by Abby Yeager, by half a length. Third place finisher was Mr. Tack, trained by Blythe Miller Davies.
Yeager had her own victory in the saddle in the ladies race, the Babe Saportas Memorial, on Welcome Home Farm's, Be Great trained by Todd McKenna. Brands Hatch, with Adair Bonsal Stifel riding, was second while Charlie Fenwick's Black Top Hat finished third.
In the flat races, jockey McLane Hendriks pulled a twofer winning the Alfred J. Smithwick Flat Training Race on Rosbrian Farm's Long House Saint and the Jane Watters Small Amateur Rider Flat aboard My Afleet for owners Jeff Amling and Charles Noel.
The day's races were sponsored by Frankel Jaguar Land Rover, Hart to Hart Ambulance Services, The Mill, the Griswold Family, The Manor Tavern, Harford County Executive Barry Glassman and Dogwood Tack.