Maryland Dominates U.S. Steeplechase Titles
Owned by Irv Naylor and trained by J.W. Delozier III out of Irv Naylor’s Stillwater Farm in Glyndon, the 9-year- old Irish import Black Jack Blues earned the 2011 Eclipse Steeplechase Horse of the Year and National Steeplechase Association Horse of the Year.
In the Company of an Eclipse Winner
by Sarah L. Greenhalgh In one short season, Black Jack Blues gave his trainer J. W. Delozier III his fi rst sanctioned win and his fi rst Eclipse Award, and catapulted his owner Irv Naylor into the record books. No question, Black Jack Blues, the nine-year-old son of Defi nite Article, is one spe- cial horse with some very in- teresting connections. A virtual unknown last
second on Joe Gillet Davies’ tim- ber prospect Fort Henry for trainer Blythe Davies. He still has his eye on a possible Maryland Hunt Cup run in the future. Late in the summer of 2011, Delozier got the call to head up Naylor’s Stillwater Farm in Glyn- don and the rest is glorious history. “I could never have imagined this year,” said Delozier. “I have a great stable of great horses I am work- ing with and a wonderful facility to train them at.” T e 76-year-old Naylor has been
a fi xture in steeplechasing for sev- eral decades. T e longtime owner and former jockey has won six National Steeple- chase Association Timber
T e little world traveler had only
been in the country for less than 24 hours before that fi rst win, having just been imported from Ireland.
fall, Black Jack Blues only popped up on the radar when he won at the Virginia Fall Races on October 1. T e little world traveler had only been in the country for less than 24 hours before that fi rst win, having just been imported from Ireland. Not new to the business of steeplechasing, Delozier is a former jockey, and has fi rst-hand experience, having raced on just about every course the National Steeplechase Association and Mid-Atlantic point-to-point circuits have available. Most recently, Delozier came out of retirement to try his luck in the $15,000 allow- ance race at the 2011 Grand National and was
Owner champion awards in the last 10 years. Not always the easiest of owners to get along with, Naylor is known for rearrang- ing his stock and trainers and must have sensed that De- lozier would be the right fi t as the pair went on to do quite well togeth- er in 2011. At Naylor’s be-
hest, Delozier entered Black Jack Blues in the $35,000 hurdle stakes at the Virginia Fall Races after collecting him at the air- port from overseas. T e morning of the win, he popped him over a few National hurdles on the farm and shipped him to Virginia where the horse made short work of his fi rst American Steeplechase. Also the NSA Horse of the Year, Black Jack
A latecomer to the Naylor stable, Lake Placid was the 2011 National Steeplechase Association Novice Champion and Claimer Champion, earning him a ranking in the Eclipse running and ensuring that he will never again be a claimer!
that only has had 17 career steeplechase starts since 2010. With all his runs, Lake Placid was the NSA
T e Eclipse Awards are presented annually to recognize those horses and individuals whose outstanding achievements have earned them the title of Champion in their respective categories. T e Eclipse Awards are co-sponsored by the National T orough-
bred Racing Association, Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers Association. Prior to the start of the Eclipse Awards in 1971, the TRA and the Daily Racing Form separately honored racing’s an- nual champions. T e Eclipse Awards are named after the great 18th century race- horse and sire, Eclipse, who didn’t begin racing until age fi ve. He was undefeated in 18 starts, including eight walkovers. Eclipse sired the winners of 344 races, three of his get winning the Epsom Derby.
www.equiery.com | 800-244-9580
Blues’ American claim to fame was the grand- daddy jump race of the year, the $250,000 Far Hills hurdle stakes. “T e win at Far Hills was every bit as exciting as winning the Maryland Hunt Cup. Especially since we were fi rst and second at Far Hills. T at was as much ex- citement as an ol’ man in a wheelchair can ab- sorb in one day,” Naylor said.
In an unusual situ-
ation, Naylor had a second horse up for an Eclipse Award,
a
10-year-old son of Dy- naformer named Tax
Novice and Claimer champion for 2011. Nay- lor was pleased with Lake Placid and is looking forward to another season of wins with him. “Certainly the best claim of the year,” Naylor said. “And he will continue with his winning ways.”
But don’t look for Lake Placid in any more
claiming races. “You’ll never see him there again. He’s earned his new place,” Delozier said.
Irv Naylor is Going Global
by Sarah L. Greenhalgh Irv Naylor fi rst strived to obtain a Maryland Hunt Cup win as a jockey but gave up that dream after he was paralyzed in a racing ac- cident in April 1999 while riding in the Mary- land Grand National on Emerald Action.
continued... MARCH 2012 | THE EQUIERY | 13
Ruling. Defi nitely no slouch, Tax Ruling won two grade I races, the $150,000 Iroquois Stakes and the $100,000 Colonial Cup, both for train- er Brianne Slater. Normally the Eclipse is given out to the horse with the most money, but a panel of turf writers votes on it, so anything is possible. T is year, the panel went with the money and Black Jack Blues was crowned the winner on January 16. Delozier trained another horse on the Eclipse
short list: Lake Placid. In 2011, the six-year-old son of Giant’s
Causeway stood in the winner’s circle eight times out of 14 point-to-point and sanctioned starts and traded owners several times before ending up in the Naylor barn. T is from a horse
Douglas Lees
Douglas Lees
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