Big shout-out to professional photographer and good friend, Richard Clay, who was out on course in a numbered vest at the International Gold Cup Races at Great Meadow on October 22 in The Plains. He shares top billing as Official Photographer for these very prestigious races with Eclipse Award-winning Douglas Lees. We are very lucky to have Rich back. He has been recovering from horrendous injuries sustained last spring when a loose horse ran into him head-on at a local point-to-point. Welcome back, Rich – great to see you in your element again!

The 85tn running of the International Gold Cup races enjoyed a wonderful sunny day just right for steeplechasing. Trainer Leslie Falini Young scored two brilliant wins at Great Meadow: Andi'amu (FR)—invincible in the International Gold Cup (more on that timber stakes in a bit) and Bodes Well in the Steeplethon. Racehorse trainers are in charge of everything to help each horse achieve their full potential. It's a lot of work and requires a village.

Silverton Hill's Bodes Well, with Thomas Garner doing the honors, led all the way in the $30,000 Steeplethon Stakes to prevail by one-half length over Irvin Naylor's Duc de Meran (FR). They had met two weeks earlier at the Virginia Fall Races at Glenwood Park in Middleburg where Duc de Meran finished a half-length in front of Bodes Well, who is coming into his, thanks to Leslie.

The Steeplethon offers a three-mile course of mixed timber, hurdle and water jumps, which not every 'chaser can handle at racing pace. Andi'amu has won two Steeplethons, and the Frenchbred 2019 timber champion likes to zoom to the front which can be a bit heart-stopping. It's a grueling race to lead all the way and have enough fuel for the finish. Both Bodes Well and Duc de Meran are proving their worth as steeplethon specialists, providing enthusiasts with exciting stretch duels.

Watching the contenders as they paraded in the paddock before the featured International Gold Cup proved to be quite the eye-opener. Andi'amu definitely stood out in the field of five. He walked around as if he owned the place, his very attitude announcing loud and clear: I am here to win. Andi'amu knew exactly where he was. After all, he had won his second Virginia Gold Cup in May at Great Meadow.

"Andi knows his job. He knows he is top dog in the stable," Leslie said. "He is a vey arrogant and proud horse. He loves to do a job and train."

Andi'amu, ridden by Freddie Proctor, went to the lead, which at times was enormous, nearly 20 lengths in front of the field. But Cracker Factory came out from way behind and finished strongly but ran out of track, second by almost 10 lengths behind the winner. Last May, Andi'amu won the spring Gold Cup by nearly 24 lengths. Exciting racing, amazing horses.

In NSA trainer standings, Leslie Young is in first place with 30 races won. She knows all the courses very well. She grew up, hunting and racing ponies in Pennsylvania, and her father rode in point-to-points. Her training record got underway in 1983 with two AR (also ran) and one DQ. Her only 1984 start resulted in her first victory at the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup Races with Phantom, a small pony, whose four starts produced two wins and two seconds. Taboo was next, a large pony who was very successful from 1986-88 with 11 wins, one second, one third, and one AR in 13 starts.

Leslie continued training and racing at point-to-points and sanctioned meets. While attending Oldfields School in Maryland, she spent her weekends working for legendary trainer and former champion jump jockey, Jack Fisher.

After graduating with a Bachelor's degree, Leslie worked as a vet tech, but racing was in her blood. In the 1990s, she went to work for Hall of Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard, who mentored many aspiring trainers. Leslie got licensed in 2007 and saddled her first winner, More Fascination, in the Sport of Kings Maiden Hurdle at Saratoga. It was her second start, second meet, and the horse's first jump race.

Racing was already her way of life when she married Irish jump jockey Paddy Young, who earned five NSA jockey titles during his career. They have two children, who seem to have inherited horsey genes from both parents. They clocked a lot of miles and hundreds of meets over the years. It was Paddy who predicted that Andi'amu would make a great timber horse.

Andi started over hurdles, winning the Ratings Handicap in a field of nine at Monmouth Park in mid-June 2016. The following year, he finished fourth and second over hurdles at Saratoga, third at Far Hills Race Meeting, second in the Hurdle Handicap at Montpelier Hunt Races. In March 2018, Andi'amu won the Training flat at Green Spring Valley Point-to-point and, in April, proved Paddy right when Andi won his debut in the Open Timber at Middleburg Spring Races.

Andi'amu was successful over timber and in Steeplethons. He runs when the conditions and the course suit him best. It's the trainer's job to customize each horse's routine and Leslie has it down to a fine art. Both her winners at the 85th running of the International Gold Cup had won their races there in May: Bodes Well in the Steeplethon and Andi in the prestigious $100,000 VA Gold Cup.

Some people go to the races for the social whirl of tented and tailgate parties, even shopping; others go for the joy of racing, especially delightful in such a beautiful setting. Almost everyone goes to cheer home a winner, whether or not they placed any bets. What you see at NSA sanctioned meets are horses and people at the top of the sport. In the Virginia Fall Races, Mark Beecher saddled two winners, Cracker Factory and R S One in Maiden Hurdle. Mark raced as an amateur and won every major timber stake on the NSA circuit. With his focus on training, he's right up there in the NSA trainer standings with Leslie Young, Jack Fisher, and Keri Brion.

Cracker Factory (GB) was claimed by The Hundred Acre Field in September 2020, but didn't win a race until he ended up with Mark. He broke his maiden over timber at Shawan Downs. Virginia Fall Races, Cracker Factory, again with Jamie Bergary in the irons, won by one-half length in the $30,000 National Sporting Library & Museum Cup timber stakes, besting Boutonniere, trained by Young, and Storm Team trained by Fisher.

Follow the action on NSA's informative site with video archives and excellent recaps by Don Clippinger and Tod Marks. For more information: NationalSteeplechase.com