Kennedy calling

CALDBECK, fourth in a three-year-old maiden hurdle for Elliott at Ballinrobe in September, dominated eight rivals in the $50,000 three-year-old stakes to open the card.

Owned by Rosbrian Farm, trained by Ricky Hendriks and ridden by Jack Kennedy, the son of Dark Angel drew off to win by 11 and a half lengths.

Kennedy rode a winner back at Cork on Sunday.

Casamento son scores over jumps

IRISH-bred Special Relation graduated in style in the $50,000 maiden hurdle.

Owned by Bruton Street-US, trained by Jack Fisher and ridden by Willie McCarthy, the four-year-old son of Casamento settled in the back of the eight-horse field and circled to the lead with consummate ease before drawing off to win by six and three-quarter lengths over Irish-bred Khafayya and Inverness.

Special Relation went one-for-eight while with Hughie Morrison in England before making his American debut at Monmouth Park in August. He finished fourth that day and came back to finish third at Shawan Downs in September.

McCarthy circled Far Hills after that effort and then had to make a choice between two of Fisher’s at Far Hills.

“The first thing I said to Jack after Shawan was, ‘Go to Far Hills, he’ll win the maiden there.’ He said, ‘We’ve already got horses for that, he should have won today.’”

McCarthy said. “He called me up during the week and asked me which horse I wanted to ride. I’m going to go with my gut feeling, that’s what I said after Shawan and that’s what I’m going to do. He was a steering job for me.”

McDermott double

SEAN McDermott doubled-up on the card, guiding French-bred Invocation to win the Appleton Stakes, a handicap hurdle, and Irish-bred Two’s Company to win the New Jersey Hunt Cup, a three-and-a-quarter-mile timber stakes to close the card. The double moved McDermott into fifth in the jockey’s standings, six wins behind Doyle.

Owned by Bruton Street-US and trained by Jack Fisher, Two’s Company garnered his sixth timber score since leaving the Irish point-to-point scene in 2014.

“He’s one of the barn favourites,” McDermott said. “He’s honest, he’s got pocks of ability, he came from Ireland with a shoulder injury, I had actually sat on him in a training flat race and schooled him over some fences in Ireland. He’s always been carrying niggling injuries, he’s so honest, he’s got a massive heart. He deserves that.”

Charity benefits

THE Far Hills race meet has donated over $18 million to the local hospital and health care system.

The Somerset Medical Center opened the Steeplechase Cancer Center in 2007, all from money raised at the meet.