Manigault's Merry Maker honored with Lonesome Glory Award

What Pierre Manigault described as “a truly epic year for me,” got even better when he accepted the Lonesome Glory Award won by Merry Maker.

The National Steeplechase Association honored the 6-year-old bay gelding as its Horse of the Year because he earned more money, $180,000, than any other jumper this season.

The organization’s 2023 Awards Ceremony was held Nov. 18 at the Aiken County Historical Museum following a dinner.

Manigault is the chairman of Evening Post Publishing Inc., which owns the Aiken Standard.

His Hurricana Farm owns Merry Maker.

The gelding was a surprise winner of the Lonesome Glory Handicap (gr. I), which was held in September during the Belmont at the Big A fall meeting in New York.

Ridden by Parker Hendriks and sent off at odds of nearly 16-1, Merry Maker rallied from last in the field of seven jumpers to defeat stablemate L’Imperator by a half-length.

Another stablemate, Barbados, finished third.

The winner completed 2½ miles in 4:41.02.

Then in October, Merry Maker wrapped up his 2023 campaign with a runner-up effort in the Grand National Hurdle Stakes (gr. I) at Far Hills in New Jersey.

Noah And The Ark beat Merry Maker, with Hendriks aboard again, by 5¼ lengths.

Also this year, Merry Maker finished third in the Jonathan Kiser Novice Stakes and fourth in the Jonathan Sheppard Handicap (gr. I), both at Saratoga Race Course in New York.

In addition, Merry Maker won an allowance race at Great Meadow in Virginia.

Camden-based Arch Kingsley, who trains Merry Maker, is Manigault’s longtime friend, and so is Kingsley’s wife, Wendy.

Manigault said that all the credit for the gelding’s success should go to Kingsley, his family and his employees because “all I do is write a couple of checks” as an owner.

Being able to enjoy Merry Maker’s success with Kingsley and his wife was the “thrill of a lifetime,” Manigault added.

Another 2023 highlight for Manigault was when his Cape Gentleman ran in the Grand National steeplechase in England in April.

“I would like to, in my heart, dedicate this wonderful season sort of spiritually to my great-great-grandfather, Stephen Sanford, who registered our purple and gold colors and established Hurricana Farm in 1880 in Amsterdam, New York, right outside of Saratoga [Springs],” Manigault said. “To be able to bring these historic old colors of ours back to the track with great success, thanks to Arch, has meant the world to me.”

Other champions recognized during the National Steeplechase Association Awards Ceremony included owner Irvin Naylor, trainer Leslie Young, jockey Graham Watters and apprentice jockey Conor Tierney.

The racehorses honored as the best in their divisions were Kyogo, 3-year-old; L’Imperator, novice; Schoodic, timber horse; and Bercasa, mare.

The Aiken Fall Steeplechase Championship, which closed out the National Steeplechase Association’s 2023 season, took place Nov. 18 prior to the awards ceremony.

Frank Mullins, president of the Aiken Steeplechase Association, said having a prestigious event such as the awards ceremony in Aiken was “a validation” of his organization’s efforts in to build a new racecourse and improve steeplechase racing locally.

“It’s great to have all the people that support us here all together, so we can talk and meet,” he continued. “I’ve tried to go around and speak to everybody tonight and thank them.”

Mullins added that the awards ceremony brought back some of the Winter Colony glamour to Aiken.

Banksia, where the Aiken County Historical Museum is located, and other Winter Colony homes were built for celebrations “like this,” he said.