There could be an early glimpse of four-year-old maiden form from the curtailed spring point-to-point season on Saturday, when American steeplechasing resumes with a bumper 11-race card for the 100th Middleburg Spring races.
Zoom Zoom Zoe, who had finished third when taking on geldings on her competitive bow at Borris House in March, has left handler Ellen Doyle and is now with Jonathan Sheppard.
The daughter of Leading Light came up against Denis Murphy’s impressive Gars De Sceaux in the maiden which had produced Sporting John and Andy Dufresne in recent years at the Co. Carlow venue, and she is set to make her debut stateside in the fillies and mares maiden hurdle over 2m 1f.
She is one of many exports from the Irish pointing fields set to take to the track at Glenwood Park in Virginia, including Scorpiancer who lines up in the day’s feature the $50,000 Sport of Kings Handicap Hurdle.
A point winner for Eugene O’Sullivan, the now 11-year-old is a multiple Grade 1 winner in America for Jack Fisher and faces eight rivals for the day’s third race, with Sean McDermott set to take the mount.
Tomgarrow and Galway Kid will be the first former pointers in action when they are among 14 runners in the $25,000 Glenwood Hurdle, with both having been campaigned by Wexford yards when in Ireland.
Tomgarrow having finished second in a Loughrea four-year-old maiden for Sean Doyle, whilst Galway Kid was a winner at Kinsale last year for Mick Goff.
Whilst that pair have both run for their new connections, French Light makes his competitive debut on American soil when he lines up in the 2m 1f maiden hurdle, race six on the card.
The French bred son of Muhtathir won his four-year-old maiden at Boulta before Christmas for Ellen Doyle, and like Zoom Zoom Zoe, has now joined the yard of Jonathan Sheppard, whilst the biggest representation of pointing exports come in the two timber races which bring the marathon event to a close.
Laser Light (Paul O’Connell), Royal Drumlee (Sean McParlan), Highway Prince (JV Redmond), The Silent Trainer (Cormac Doyle) and Full Time Party (Colin Bowe) line up in the maiden timber race, whilst The Holy One (Mick Goff) and Some Response (Brian Hamiltion) will be in action in the Alfred M. Hunt Steeplechase.
Due to the health and safety safeguard put in place owning to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fixture will be without spectators, however the action can be viewed on the live stream HERE, with racing commencing at 5.30pm Irish time on Saturday.
