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JOY and excitement in Laurel’s All Brandy Stakes!

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Details: Published: 25 August 2015

A stakes winner at 3 and 4, JOY was determined to get another at 5 as she battled through the stretch to take the All Brandy S. on Maryland Pride Day at Laurel Park on Saturday, Aug. 22.

The daughter of Pure Prize, descending from Dark Hollow’s legendary foundation mare SAFELY HOME, got the decision by a head for her first win of the year, and first since scoring in Belmont Park’s Perfect Sting S. last summer.

Racing exclusively in stakes company since the Perfect Sting S., JOY finished third in last year’s All Brandy S. and earlier this summer was third in Delaware Park’s Justakiss S. Trained by Graham Motion, she went off as the 11-10 favorite in the All Brandy’s field of nine Maryland-bred and/or Maryland-sired fillies and mares, was settled off the pace by Julian Pimentel, then made a sweeping move around the far turn, hit the front in midstretch and dueled with stakes winner Vielsalm to the wire in the mile and an eighth turf test.

In recording her fifth win, JOY upped her earnings to $248,544.

She is one of two stakes performers for her dam SAFE JOURNEY (by Flatter), who is out of Hall of Famer SAFELY KEPT’s stakes-placed half-sister Safe At the Plate. SAFE JOURNEY has also produced 2015 stakes-placed 3-year-old Combat Diver.

SPLIT: A Dream At 2

Details: Published: 23 August 2015

It didn’t take long for the next generation to come out flying! SPLIT, a handsome, solidly-built 2-year-old son of Speightstown, got his first win with an exciting run in his second career start at Laurel Park on Friday, Aug. 16.

The first foal of Dark Hollow Farm, Mr. and Mrs. Dorsey Brown, Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Davidov and Mr. and Mrs. David Schwaber’s graded stakes-placed homebred DREAM, the Graham Motion-trainee was in close pursuit of the early leaders in the five-furlong maiden special weight on the turf, charged to the front under Forest Boyce as the field straightened in the stretch, then held off all comers in a thrilling dash to the wire.

DREAM also displayed early talent in her career, winning her only start at 2 in dynamic fashion. She followed by taking her 3-year-old debut and then placing in three consecutive stakes, including the Gr. 3 Cicada at Aqueduct.

Yet another winning generation to call Dark Hollow Farm home!

LUNA TIME glows in Grade 3 Obeah Stakes

Details: Published: 21 June 2015

Prepared to perfection by trainer Graham Motion, the lovely Malibu Moon filly LUNA TIME showed no rust in her first start in four months, turning in a powerful performance to win the first stakes of her career in Delaware Park’s Grade 3 Obeah Stakes. The traditional prep for the track’s signature race, the Grade 1 Delaware Handicap, the Obeah was a tour-de-force for LUNA TIME. Dismissed by the public when sent off at odds of more than 15-1, she charged up on the far turn to take the lead and was never challenged when coming home a three-length winner.

It was the second start of the year for Dorsey Brown and Richard Palmer’s 4-year-old homebred filly, and her second stakes showing. She finished third in the Maryland Racing Media Stakes at Laurel in February in her stakes debut. From nine lifetime starts, LUNA TIME has won four times, with a second and a third, for earnings of $195,073.

Bridget’s Big Luvy takes on the best in Arkansas

Details: Published: 08 April 2015

In his short career, Bridget’s Big Luvy has faced Grade 1 winner Frosted twice, graded stakes winner Barbados and multiple stakes winner Bayerd, among others. Now, after a sensational performance in winning the Private Terms Stakes at Laurel in March and becoming a late nominee for the Triple Crown, the 3-year-old son of Tiz Wonderful will take on division leader and last year’s Eclipse Award-winning 2-year-old American Pharoah in the $1 million Arkansas Derby-G1 on Saturday, April 11.

Steve Haskin of The Blood-Horse caught up with the connections of Bridget’s Big Luvy and got the scoop on how the Dark Hollow Farm-bred runner got his name, got to the races and made his way to Arkansas. READ STORY

Big Stakes Win for BRIDGET’S BIG LUVY

Details: Published: 22 March 2015

Enjoying every step of the way, BRIDGET’S BIG LUVY came out clean as a whistle over a muddy Laurel Park strip in the $100,000 Private Terms S. on Saturday, March 21, sprinting clear early and leading the entire mile and an eighth to score his first stakes win by more than two lengths.

Bred by Dark Hollow Farm, the bright bay son of Tiz Wonderful owned by Tom O’Grady had earlier displayed his affinity for an off track in his first win last October at Belmont Park. And trainer Jeremiah Englehart was confident in the 3-year-old colt’s ability to handle two turns for the first time. “I always thought he was a pretty nice horse,” said Englehart. “The first two times in New York he ran against some pretty nice horses. We always thought he would stretch out.” Jockey Angel Cruz was impressed: “When we got to the front, we got there so easy. He was really relaxed all the way, and coming out of the last turn he just kept going. I looked back and said, ‘Oh, my gosh.’ He galloped out really well. I think that he can go a longer distance.”

Storybook ending for new millionaire Eighttofasttocatch

Details: Published: 09 December 2014

What a way to finish a career! Eighttofasttocatch became a new millionaire, won his fourth consecutive running of the historic Jennings Handicap, and now heads off in a new direction with a future as an event horse. It has been a career full of spectacular wins, great people and a love for racing – Eighttofasttocatch epitomizes what is so special about a Thoroughbred.

Owned throughout his racing career by Arnold and Sylvia Heft and trained by Tim Keefe, Eighttofasttocatch recorded his 12th stakes win with his Jennings score, and it was easiest one of all. Leading at every call over a sloppy track, he drew off to defeat eight others by nearly 11 lengths. The 1-mile Jennings has always been a tour-de-force for the handsome chestnut son of Not For Love, having won all four by daylight by an average winning margin of six and three-quarters lengths.

Bred by Dark Hollow Farm and Herringswell Stable out of the Nice Catch mare Too Fast to Catch, Eighttofasttocatch retires with a record of 17 wins, seven seconds and four thirds from 49 starts and career earnings of $1,072,970. He captured three runnings of the Maryland Million Classic and is a two-time winner of the Harrison E. Johnson Memorial Stakes. While he didn’t make his first start of 2014 until September, he recorded two stakes wins from three starts. His total earnings tally ranks him 19th among the all-time leading Maryland-bred earners.