Carolina Cup preview:
The season’s first stakes race highlights Camden’s annual rite of spring and one of South Carolina’s premier social events.
Racing returns to historic Springdale Race Course in Camden, S.C., on Saturday for the 87th running of the Carolina Cup Races. Unlike last year, when the meet was delayed until May as a result of Covid concerns, the event is back to its traditional date on the National Steeplechase Association calendar.
The card consists of six races, five over hurdles, worth $140,000 in total purses. All of the hurdle races will be contested at 2 ⅛ miles.
Anchoring the meet is the Carolina Cup, which will be run as a stake for novice jumpers ages four and up. This year’s purse has been elevated to $50,000, up from $35,000 in 2021. Gates open at 9 a.m.; first race post time is 1:30 p.m.
Six horses will face the starter in the Carolina Cup, three of whom exited the Aflac Supreme Hurdle novice stakes at Callaway Gardens in November. Atlantic Friends Racing’s Historic Heart was an impressive winner of his U.S. debut in the $50,000 Harry Harris four-year-old stake at Far Hills in October. In his next start, at Callaway, Historic Heart rallied strongly to finish second to two-time 2021 stakes winner City Dreamer, beaten a half length. Port Lairge and Holwood Stable’s Decisive Triumph got into gear turning for home in the Aflac, but lacked a late punch and finished fifth. The Happy Giant, who races for local owner-trainer Allison Fulmer, beat only one horse in the Aflac and has been racing on the flat of late. He tuned up for the Carolina Cup with an open hurdle race win at the unsanctioned Florida Steeplechase last month.
Another horse that shined at Far Hills was Bruton Street-US’ Presence of Mind, who took the Appleton Hurdle Stakes, a top-tier handicap for horses rated at 130 or less, in only his second NSA start. He followed it up with a third in open-stakes company in the Noel Laing at Montpelier, where he ran well but didn’t have the kick to keep up with Iranistan and Amschel. Presence of Mind’s Bruton Street stablemate Ghostlighter comes into the race off an allowance score at Charleston in November, his third start over jumps following a seven-race career on the flat. The Carolina Cup Races mark the return of 2021 champion Hall of Fame trainer Jack Fisher, who saddles Ghostlighter. Del Rio Racing’s Step to the Bar broke his maiden at Shawan Downs last fall, then finished out the year with a fourth (to Decisive Triumph) in a non-winners of two allowance at Great Meadow.
Saturday’s card also includes two maiden-special-weight hurdles (one restricted to fillies and mares), a maiden claimer, a handicap for horses rated at 115 or less, and a training flat event. For complete entries, click HERE.
If you can’t make it to the races in person, you can watch the live stream from the NSA website. The stream is sponsored by Brown Advisory, the Temple Gwathmey Steeplechase Foundation, Charleston’s Post & Courier, and the Virginia Equine Alliance.