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By Betsy Burke Parker

To say Margaret Worrall is tightly tied to the Maryland Hunt Cup is understatement.

Born on Hunt Cup day – literally – in 1942, Margaret Worrall has attended the world’s best-known timber stake every year since – literally, railside at Glyndon’s Worthington Farms in a variety of capacities. She was there as an infant in the arms of parents Henry Defries and Mary Sappington, as a student at Hereford High, as a young married with husband Doug, as winning owner – Von Csadek in 1992 and as mother of winning jock Patrick. For some 50 years she’s reported the Hunt Cup action from the trenches as writer for the Maryland Horse, Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred, the Chronicle of the Horse and more.

Von Csadek was placed at Fairfax and Morven Park that fall under Day, second twice the next spring with the late Brooks Durkee up, then won at Fair Hill in May, 1987 with Jimmy Day. Chuck Lawrence was up for the horse’s NW2 score at Fairfax that fall – total of two wins in 16 starts over hurdles.

The magic happened when Patrick Worrall became Von Csadek’s sole pilot for the balance of his career over timber.

“Patrick was 16 (the next year, eligible to ride races) so I decided to give it a try,” Doug says. They won their point-to-point debut at Marlborough. Doug says trainer “Paddy Nelson called to tell me he had a client willing to pay $200,000 for Von Csadek.” Owners Margaret and her uncle Herb Sheppard conferred but ultimately refused the offer.

It was a decision they never regretted.

Von Csadek made the 1988 season perfect, winning the Deep Run Hunt Cup at the old Strawberry Hill in Richmond by 15, the Middleburg Hunt Cup at Glenwood by 40, the Virginia Gold Cup by an eye-popping 110 lengths, the New Jersey Hunt Cup by 15 and the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup by 20. He was named NSA Timber Horse of the Year.

In 1989, Von Csadek won the stake at My Lady’s Manor, fell in the Hunt Cup, won at Fair Hill and Morven Park and added a second Pennsylvania Hunt Cup.

In 1990, Patrick came off in the Hunt Cup, but the pair returned with a flawless performance at Great Meadow to annex a second Virginia Gold Cup before being sent that summer to England to prep for the 1991 English Grand National. Von Csadek won in handicap company over the big ’chase fences at Uttoxeter in October and at Worcester in November. He was eighth in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury two weeks later, but came back a sharp second in a Newbury handicap in late December.

Von Csadek suffered a hairline fracture and returned home.

The gelding spent a year on the shelf, returning a strong third in the 1992 My Lady’s Manor stake. It set him up for what most consider the biggest win of his career, an 80-length laugher in the Hunt Cup. He wheeled back a week later to try to duplicate the historic 1926 double of Billy Barton – the only horse to win both Hunt Cup and Gold Cup in the same year. Von Csadek was going strongly but became entangled with faller David’s Passing at the 17th and lost Patrick Worrall in a sharp stumble.

Doug describes the talented horse’s next move, one that he’d – thankfully – delayed.

“After that first year timber racing, we sent him to (Olympic show jumper) Frank Chapot for training over big fences,” Doug says. “Frank tried to buy him – for big bucks – as a show horse right then and there, but we were idiots, maybe? We kept him racing over timber.

“But we promised Frank we would return him after he retired. Which we did.”

Chapot turned the mount over to his daughter Laura, herself later an Olympian, and the pair won open speed classes at the top level before retiring from his fourth career with the intent of taking him to the hunt field. He broke a hind leg in a pasture accident in 1998 before he could go hunting, and was euthanized.

Jumping was in the gelding’s bloodlines: Von Csadek’s sire President (by Lyphard) was a stakes winner in France. His grandam, Blue Kiss, produced Garde Coeur, winner over 10 races over hurdles and fences in France. Von Csadek's damsire, Hawaii, also produced top international three-day eventer Molokai (registered name Surf Scene.)

Mom’s passion for horses (started early.) She often remarks of sneaking over to her neighbors’ to ride the horses in the field as a young girl living on Butler Road.

The Maryland timber races are a rite of spring and, conveniently, combine two of mom’s favorite pastimes – horses and socializing. To boot, it also included good looking horsemen, one of whom she ultimately married.

The Maryland Hunt Cup reflects, in many ways, the traditions of the area in which my mother grew up. Her grandmother grew up at Andor Farm in Monkton – called Loafer’s Lodge then.

She’s quite proud of tracing family graves back to both St. James Church in Monkton and St. Johns Church in Glyndon.

I remember (one thing she) always said: “you just can’t buy yourself a Maryland Hunt Cup horse."

The Maryland Hunt Cup Association presented the 2015 S. Bryce Wing Award to Margaret Worrall for her “outstanding contribution to Maryland timber racing.”

In 1995 after she and Jay Griswold co-chaired Hunt Cup’s 100th anniversary running, Margaret was appointed as the first female member of the race committee.

In 1998, she became secretary and served in that capacity until 2006.

Margaret undertook the conservation of Hunt Cup archives, working with conservators at Johns Hopkins University to digitize the collection including minute books dating to 1894, newspaper clippings, copies of every program and films.

“I (had) the luxury of having Margaret, a walking timber racing encyclopedia, on the committee to help in innumerable ways,” Shockey Gillet said when she received the Bryce Wing Award. “Her spearheading of the archive project – a multi-year effort that required patience, attention to detail and commitment – was invaluable.

“In addition to her direct contributions, Margaret has been an advocate for open space, which is critical to continue the foundation of ... foxhunting.”

Margaret is a great friend and a great advocate for steeplechasing and land preservation in equal measure.

Both of these interests are lifelong passions for Margaret to which she has given her all.

As regards the Valleys Planning Council, Margaret served for several years as executive director and represented the interests of land conservation in Baltimore County to serve as a model for others around the nation.

She was awarded the McHarg Award in 2006 for "outstanding leadership in promoting the goals and objectives of the Valleys Planning Council."

Her tenure was marked by deliberate, long-range planning and land use in the rural agricultural area of Baltimore County.

My predecessor here at VPC, Jack Dillon, worked in the county planning office at the time Margaret was executive director, and they remain very good friends today.

He used to tell me that, although she was not a lawyer, "she often out-lawyered the lawyers."

The organization has had a tremendous impact on the local area, starting with the Plan for the Valleys written in the early 1960s.

Each executive director, including Margaret, has done their best to work with the board and members to see that the basic concepts of the plan – (which is) to limit the provision of water and sewer development in the rural area, maintain effective resource conservation zoning and promote conservation easements – endure.

There are constant pressures to ease regulations and restrictions in the county, but with three reservoirs, abundant prime farmland and important forested areas, the VPC and other partners have been successful in preventing sprawl development from turning the valleys into "Anywhere, U.S.A."

The distinct character and environmental assets have remained pretty well intact. Visitors … are stunned to see the spectacular rural area that is so close to a major metropolitan area. The success of Baltimore County's growth management and resource preservation is evidenced by the outcome of having a third of the county devoted to more intensive development which accommodates almost 90 percent of the population, and two-thirds of the county under resource conservation zoning with 10 percent of the population.

Margaret brought with her a depth of understanding of the history of the valleys, especially with regard to the long-term landowners. Along with a deep and abiding respect for the land and all of the resources it offers, she was able to press any adverse development interests and political pressure that might arise that was not in the best interest of the Plan for the Valleys.

She would handle the day-to-day calls for information on development issues, attend development review meetings and testify before the zoning commission and the Board of Appeals when necessary.

I have worked with Margaret at the Maryland Horse Breeders Association for over 35 years, where she’s been a significant contributor to our magazines. Her incredibly thorough knowledge of the history and the back stories of Maryland steeplechasing and foxhunting makes her an invaluable resource.

Always a delight to work with, she’s precise, accurate, professional and quick with a smile – a wonderful combination of modesty and confidence wrapped up in a total class act.

In addition, I’ve had the privilege of working as designer of her numerous books on Maryland timber racing. We have had a lot of fun with her projects over the years.

Margaret’s books on the histories of the Manor, Grand National and two editions on the Maryland Hunt Cup are superbly researched (as are her) others including the history of the Green Spring Valley Hounds.

Her writing provides an inexhaustible history of Maryland steeplechasing, … a blueprint for historical reference.