The History of Steeplechase Horse Racing

Author: Toby Beavers Virginia Horse Farm Realtor

The sport of Steeplechase racing dates back to 1752 in Ireland
when two, half-crocked, friends settled the argument over who
owned the best horse by racing to the nearest Church steeple
after returning from Fox hunting. The winner actually rode right
through the church where the vicar was holding a solemn funeral.
Soon it spread to England, where in 1792, the first recorded
race was held. This sport then crossed over from the Atlantic to
the US, where it has became very popular.

In the early 19th century nine prominent men from New York -
August Belmont, H. DeCourcy Forbes, Samuel S.Howland, James O.
Green, Frederick Gebhard, A.J. Cassatt, Foxhall P. Keene, John
G. Follansbee and Frederick H. Prince founded the National
Association for Steeplechase. When it was first founded, its
mission was to make the sport popular in the US and help it grow
across the Atlantic. For membership details and other small
tidbits about the Association, you can visit their website at
http://www.nsfdn.org/membership.html.

Steeplechase races are held at 12 states across the country and
the cumulative purses for these events are $5 million annually.
The horse races are a place to see and be seen at. It’s seen
across the country by millions of fans and admirers and is a
major sponsored event where corporate sponsors vie with each
other for sponsorship of the events. It attracts the best talent
for horses, horse owners, and riders and also raises millions of
dollars in charities. Thus it also attracts the most powerful
and the influential men and women. If you have seen Pretty
Woman, you pretty much have got the idea.

Some of the oldest and the most prestigious steeplechase horse
racing events are Montpelier Hunt Races, which was started on
the estates of Former President James Madison since 1929. For
more information you can visit their site
http://www.montpelier.org/races.htm. Others are The American
Grand National that began in 1899 and the The National Hunt Cup
in Radnor, Pa., which was started in 1909. For more information
on steeplechase racing across the country, you can visit
http://www.steeplestakes.com/links.html, which lists all the
races, their schedules and the prize monies.

In Virginia, you can visit the Virginia Steeplechase
association at http://www.vasteeplechase.com/. The big races in
Virginia are Virginia Gold Cup, FoxField races at
Charlottesville, Virginia, Fairfax Hunt races at Great Falls,
Middleburg Spring races at Middleburg, Montpelier Hunt Races at
Montpelier Station, Morven park Steeplechase races at Leesburg,
Mountaineer chest track in Chester etc.

You can also visit these websites for further information on
racing in Virginia.http://www.ctownraces.com/
http://www.colonialdowns.com/ http://www.fairfaxhuntraces.org/
http://www.montpelier.org/ http://www.foxfieldraces.com/
http://www.vagoldcup.com/ http://www.middleburgspringraces.com/

About the Author:

Toby Beavers is best known as one of Virginia’s most interesting
Horse Farm realtor’s. He writes frequently about Virginia horse
farms, racing, Virginia history and Charlottesville area
gardening. Toby resides in Charlottesville with his family on
their 1753 farm, The Shadows.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – The History of Steeplechase Horse Racing

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