Eclipse Award on the line in Colonial Cup

Eclipse Award on the line in Colonial

Cup

A dynamite field of seven, including the first four finishers

of the October 23 Breeders' Cup Steeplechase S. (NSA-G1), will

line up for Sunday's $100,000 Marion du Pont Scott Colonial Cup

Steeplechase S. (NSA-G1) at Springdale Race Course in Camden,

South Carolina. Of those, five can lay a claim to championship

honors in the 2 3/4-mile, 17-fence event.

MCDYNAMO (Dynaformer) captured the 2003 Eclipse Award by

setting a course record in the Colonial Cup, and defeated

HIRAPOUR (Ire) (Kahyasi), SUR LA TETE (Sky Classic) and TRES

TOUCHE (Poles Apart) in this year's Breeders' Cup, his only start

of the year due to off-season hock surgery.

The speedy PREEMPTIVE STRIKE (Roanoke) won the Carolina Cup

Steeplechase S. (NSA-G3) at Springdale in March and comes into

this event off an impressive score on the Breeders' Cup undercard.

He is the only one of the major contenders without a Grade 1 win

this year.

The field, in post position order with jockeys, is Tres

Touche, Rob Massey; Preemptive Strike, Robbie Walsh; Sur La Tete,

Chris Read; Hirapour, Matt McCarron; GALLANT TURK (Turkoman), Ted

Thompson; IMPERIAL GOLD (NZ) (Imperial Seal), Tom Foley; and

McDynamo, Craig Thornton.

All starters will carry 156 pounds.