News and Notes By Pam Gleason
New Home for Steeplechase
In January of this year, the Aiken Steeplechase Association purchased a 140-acre parcel off Rudy Mason Parkway downtown. Right away, work was started on the property, clearing brush, adding fencing and irrigation and getting ready to put in grass this summer. The goal is to have the track ready for the fall of 2021. The Aiken steeplechase history goes back to 1930 when the original association was formed by members of the old Aiken Winter Colony who used to hold races in the Hitchcock Woods. Many members of the Winter Colony were amateur steeplechase trainers and jockeys, so it is not surprising that the sport was an integral part of Aiken’s equestrian life. The steeplechasing tradition died out in the city due to World War II, but was revived in 1967 and has been going strong ever since. Today the Aiken Steeplechase Association holds two race meets sanctioned by the National Steeplechase Association: the Imperial Cup each March and the Holiday Cup each October. The spring event is the most popular equestrian event in Aiken, attracting an estimated 30,000 spectators. Aiken’s steeplechases have been held on Powderhouse Road downtown at the Aiken Horse Park for decades. Before the park was developed as a horse show facility, it was almost excusively a place for the steeplechase races: an oval grass track with a pair of railings that was rarely used more than twice a year. But after the Aiken Horse Park Foundation put in the arenas at Bruce’s Field and started holding shows, it became increasingly difficult for the two entities to share the same space. This led the Aiken Steeplechase Association to start a search for their own property, looking for somewhere large enough to hold the races, close enough to town to be convenient, yet priced to be
affordable. The association was able to buy the property with the help of the City of Aiken, as well as through their own fundraising efforts. The new track will be slightly larger than the old one, allowing the association to put in more railside spaces, which are always in high demand. There will also be space for more parking. The association is also looking into the possibility of accommodating other equestrian sports, and has even considered constructing a polo pitch on the infield. In any case, members of the association are excited about their new home, which will give them security and brighter prospects for the future.
Retired Racehorses Impress
This February, representatives from the Thoroughbred Makeover Retired Racehorse Project came to the Grand Prix Eventing Showcase at Bruce’s Field in the Aiken Horse Park to give a “Master Class” demonstration of what a former track horse can do. The demo took place in one of the rings at the show ground on Friday afternoon February 28, between the end of dressage and the start of stadium jumping in the Grand Prix event. The Thoroughbred Makeover is an annual competition, in which trainers have about 10 months to retrain a recently retired racehorse in one of nine disciplines, culminating in a show each October at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. For the demo at Bruce’s Field, three volunteer trainers mounted up on three recently retired racehorses provided by Equine Rescue of Aiken. The horses had been turned out on the farm at the rescue in Aiken since they left the track and had had essentially no further training or handling. The trainers didn’t know them very well either: with the exception of a brief meeting and a quick outing on the grounds the day before, they had no chance to prepare for the demonstration. With those thoughts in mind, most people would agree that the horses were outstanding. While representatives from
the Thoroughbred Makeover narrated over a loudspeaker, and the upper level eventing rider and trainer Buck Davidson offered advice from the ground, the three trainers trotted and cantered their horses around the ring. People crowded up against the fence to watch them, to listen and to ask questions. The three riders included the Aiken-based trainer Jordan Pruiksma, who has competed in the makeover several times, Brit Vegas Gengenbach, also a makeover trainer who hails from Nebraska, and the Olympic gold medal eventing rider Phillip Dutton. Jordan rode a 4-year-old mare named Flying Fireball; Brit had a 7-year-old gelding named Silver Beach, and Phillip rode a 10-year-old gelding named In the Fairway who raced 60 times
and won over half a million dollars. All three horses trotted and cantered around, almost completely unfazed by crowds and commotion. After they were all moving forward comfortably, organizers set up some trot poles for them to go over, followed by a cross rail and eventually a
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The Aiken Horse
April-May 2020
