OVER THE MOON

BY VICKY MOON

OFF AND RUNNING

The fall steeplechase circuit - kicked off by

the running of the Blue Ridge races at Merry

Carol and Herb Jonkers' Woodley Farm in

Berryville — is going full tilt. Diana Gillam,on

Marino Feliz, won the Martha Robinson Byrd

Cook Memorial open hurdle race for owner

Gary Baker. Susie and Wayne Chatfield-Taylor

parked their purple-and-green camper in just

the right spot to enjoy Chip Embury's magnificent

tailgating. The

festivities were off and

running, with

Tom Hulfish's Bad Dog Press capturing the timber race

for rider Woods Winants.

GOING TO THE DOGS

Lisa and Zohar Ben-Dov — along with Diane

Spreadbury and Montie Gibson — hosted a

cocktail reception at Kinross Farm to introduce

two marvelous dogs from Canine Companions

for Independence. Bailey and Brad Davis,

Carolyn and Doc Saffer, Dagmar Wittmer, Cindy and Mark

Thompson and more came to meet Caroline Elgin (a resident

of nearby Aldie), Sajen and Buddy Hayes and pooch Ellie. These clever dogs not only open

doors, but they've also mastered the art of blogging, as this excerpt evidenced: "This

was not just any farm, but a racehorse farm, complete with its own track. It was

an awesome view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I was treated like royalty and

everyone wanted to meet me and speak to me," barked one precocious pup.

The Ben-Dovs have recently finished renovating Poplar Grove. The 160-acre property

— which they saved from development — is just across the road from Atoka Farm, the former

home of Senator John Warner. The ever generous Ben-Dovs also hosted a reception for

the Atoka Preservation Society. Guests included Senator Warner and his daughter Virginia

Warner, as well as neighbors Mia and Donald Glickman, Jackie Gammons and a slew of other

committed citizens interested in protecting this special corner of the countryside. It's quite a

corner — it includes such historical treasures as the Caleb Rector House, where Confederate

Col. John Singleton Mosby signed documents converting his Civil War Rangers into Company

A of the 43rd Battalion of the Virginia Cavalry.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

The Outlaw returned to Llangollen Farm for a spectacular weekend of coaching. For the

uninitiated, The Outlaw is a road coach and was once owned by the late Elizabeth Whitney

Tippett, former mistress of the magnificent 1,100-acre estate in Upperville (now owned