The winner of the 96th Anniversary of the Virginia Gold Cup Races is Schoodic, trained by Jack Fisher, owned by Mrs. John R. S. (Dolly) Fisher, ridden by Hadden Frost. On May 29, they bested a field of nine horses over the four-mile timber course at Great Meadow, establishing a nearly six-length lead at the finish. Leslie Young-trained Tomgarrow (IRE) was second, followed by Fat Chance Farm's Flaming Sword, trained by Richard Valentine with McLane Hendricks in the irons.

Schoodic (2010) is a bay gelding by Tiznow out of Aunt Henny, by Hennessy, bred in Kentucky by Edith R. Dixon, with career earnings of nearly $450,000 in 45 starts that date back to 2012. His last win was at Great Meadow when he won the International Gold Cup Timber Stakes in 2019. Mrs. Dixon sent him as a youngster to Jack Fisher under whose tutelage Schoodic earned the 2013 National Steeplechase Association's Three Year Old Championship and in 2017, Open Leading Hurdle Horse with the Virginia Steeplechase Association.

When Schoodic lost his edge over hurdles, Fisher started teaching Schoodic about timber. The horse made his timber debut with Brett Owings in the Fast division of the Foxhall Farm Team Chase, placing 13th out of 39, but fell in his second start, Novice Timber at Green Spring Valley Point-to-point. Two weeks later, British-born Hadden Frost, son of Grand National (Aintree) winning jockey Jimmy Frost, rode Schoodic to the win in the My Lady's Manor Amateur Maiden Timber for new owner, Dolly Fisher. Frost remains the most successful jockey aboard Schoodic in his timber career.

Fisher's record as a trainer began in 1987 with 4,208 starts to date for 779 wins, 713 seconds, and 570 seconds (97 pages on CentralEntryOffice.com). He made his rider debut in 1976 with Recoup, a large pony owned by Alexandra Meyer, placing third out of seven. They were Also Rans in their next point-to-point, then second in the Large Pony Race at Brandywine Hills. That autumn, they finished their season with a second out of eight starters in the Lady Owner Rider Timber at the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup Races.

After 493 career starts, 109 wins, 94 seconds, and 50 thirds, Fisher stopped riding in races in 2015. Training and riding Saluter is among his greatest achievements: 21 timber wins, including six consecutive victories in the Virginia Gold Cup.

Fisher is a legend in the making. He has earned 13 NSA trainer championships and in May 2021 was inducted into the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame. He leads the field of Top Ten trainers in both categories: Races Won and Money Won. Local trainers Neil Morris and Doug Fout are in the top 10 for Races Won, Morris is also in the Top Ten for Money Won.

With half the season to go, changes in the standings can and will occur. It's the horses, in the long run, who decide. Racing and steeplechasing demand a trainer with brains and experience, knowledge and intuition. They must figure out what's best for each horse in their string. Jack Fisher knows what he's doing – as a trainer, as a very successful jump jockey, as an all-around horseperson.

Fisher thinks outside the box. A fourth generation horseman, he's a lifelong foxhunting enthusiast who hunts racehorses to give them mileage and experience over jumps and varied terrain, an especially effective training approach for horses making a career transition from hurdles to timber. He doesn't research bloodlines; he isn't into breeding. He looks for horses that can run. He likes them to be correct on the flat and then the question is "what else they can do?"

He's one of the best when it comes to introducing Thoroughbreds to jumping.

Schoodic, like many top timber specialists, has a special lifestyle, thanks to Fisher's expertise and understanding about the differences between racing over solid jumps for three to four miles and hurdles for 2 miles or so max. Sometimes horses need time off. Fisher has a reputation for being an honest and loyal trainer, who works hard to take care of his horses and their owners.

The pandemic and its shutdowns resulted in a revamping of the racing schedules, both sanctioned and point-to-points, especially this year. Schoodic had a pipe opener in the Open Timber at Old Dominion Point-to-point in April before returning to NSA timber stakes. He had a bobble at My Lady's Manor, a second out of six at Willowdale and finished with a flourish in the Virginia Gold Cup.

To date, Fisher has set records with 12 wins as trainer in the Virginia Gold Cup and nine times as a rider. There isn't enough room to list all his achievements and successes, which include training Eclipse Award winners.

You can watch Schoodic's 2021 Virginia Gold Cup win online, as well as many other NSA races. Visit www.nationalsteeplechase.com and look for Racing near the top of the home page and pick Video Archives from the dropdown menu. While you're there, bookmark the site so you can keep track of NSA news and the rest of the 2021 schedule, which right now does not include the fall race meets, including the International Gold Cup.

If there's a secret to success in the horse world, Fisher's work ethic is one major factor. He's hands on and stays busy riding, mowing, tending the horses, grooming the all-weather Polytrack. Fisher is a fearless in the saddle, and jockeys who ride with him all have stories about how he's a bit crazy – or maybe just horseccrazy. When he takes a break from training horses, he loves to ski Black Diamond slopes. You know, the most advanced dangerous downhill runs… One favorite t-shirts declared what can be considered Fisher's philosophy and motto: "If you're in control, you're going too slow."