2023 Spring Steeplechase Season Preview

By Will O’Keefe

The Rappahannock Hunt Point-to-Point will kick off the 2023 Virginia steeplechase season on Saturday, March 4 at The Hill near Boston, Virginia. The race card will include six horse races: four over timber and two on the flat. There will also be pony races. Entry fees will be waived for all starters. The open timber race will have a $2,500 purse. The maiden and lady’s timber races will be run for $1,500 purses and the flat races will have $1,000 purses. Post time is 12:00 PM for the ponies and 1:00 PM for the horses. If Mother Nature does not cooperate on the 4th, the races will be run on March 11.

The Warrenton Hunt Point-to-Point follows on March 18 at the Airlie Course near Warrenton. This will be the first opportunity for racing over hurdles, so you can count on this being a full day of racing with timber and flat races included. The first race will be run at 12:00 PM. The Piedmont Fox Hounds Point-to-Point on March 25 will have timber and flat races. The coveted Rokeby Challenge Cup at 3½ miles over timber is the feature. Post time is 1:00 PM. The Piedmont Fox Hounds Hunter Pace Events will be on a new date, Sunday, March 26 at 9:00 AM. The Orange County Hounds hunter pace events will take place on Saturday, April 1 at 9:00 AM at Harborvale Farm near Middleburg.

The Old Dominion Hounds Point-to-Point at Ben Venue Farm on Saturday, April 8 at 12:00 PM will have three NSA sanctioned races. These races include a pair of $25,000 maiden hurdle races at 2 miles, one of which is restricted to fillies and mares, and a $15,000 open timber race at 3 miles. The Old Dominion Hounds Hunter Pace Events on Sunday, April 9 at 9:00 A.M. will have a new venue, Hungry Farm Lane near Amissville.

The Blue Ridge Hunt Point-to-Point near Berryvillle on Sunday, April 16 at 1:00 PM and the Loudoun Hunt Point-to-point on Sunday, April 23 at Morven Park near Leesburg will have competition from the sanctioned meets for horses, but these are great spectator courses. Loudoun will not have timber races. The Middleburg Hunt pulls down the point-to-point curtain in Virginia on Sunday, May 1 at 1:00 PM at the Glenwood Park Course near Middleburg. This point-to-point is run over the same course as the Middleburg Spring Races.

The 103rd Middleburg Spring Races will open the NSA Sanctioned steeplechase race season in Virginia at Glenwood Park near Middleburg on Saturday, April 23. This year Middleburg Spring will offer $250,000 in purses. The purse for the featured Grade II Temple Gwathmey Hurdle Stakes has been increased to $100,000 and will attract the best hurdle horses in training. The co-featured $25,000 Middleburg Hunt Cup Timber Stakes is an ideal prep for the Virginia Gold Cup, and a strong field will go to the post. The race card also includes the Alfred M. Hunt Steeplethon, which is a crowd favorite with its circuitous route over varied obstacles. Additional hurdle races and a flat race round out the card.

The Foxfield Spring Races will be run on Saturday, April 29 at 1:00 PM over the Foxfield Race Course near Charlottesville, VA. The feature race is the Daniel Van Clief Memorial, which will be a handicap hurdle stakes race with a $60,000 purse. The record $170,000 total purse money is the most ever at Foxfield. There are three races over fences for non-winners. One of these is over timber, and the other two are over hurdles. There will also be an apprentice rider race over hurdles and a ratings hurdle race. The second race will be a training flat race going one mile and one sixteenth.

The Virginia Gold Cup Races will be held on the first Saturday in May, the 7th, at the Great Meadow Course near The Plains. Post time is 1:00 PM. The races will be run with pari-mutuel wagering available on the races at Great Meadow and the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Kentucky. You can bet that the races will be highly competitive with $390,000 in purses being offered. The six-race card is headlined by the $100,000 Virginia Gold Cup Timber Stakes and the $75,000 David Semmes Memorial Hurdle Stakes. Everyone is going to want to be on hand early as the second race on the card is the $40,000 Steeplethon Stakes run over one of the most unique courses in steeplechase racing. The Speedy Smithwick Memorial Hurdle Stakes race is restricted to four-year-olds running for a $50,000 purse. Two additional hurdle races will be run, one of them for maidens. For additional information contact nationalsteeplehaseassociation.com or centralentryoffice.com.

The Virginia Equine Alliance (VEA) has been a great friend to steeplechase racing in Virginia in recent years. Their support to the purse structure of the Virginia sanctioned race meets and their support of the Virginia Point-to-Points has been crucial to the growth of the sport. This year they will continue the popular starter reward program.

Any horse owned by a Virginian or trained in Virginia that starts in a flat, hurdle, or timber race at the Virginia Pointto-Points shall receive $200 per start. The Starter Reward program is funded by the VEA, whose purpose is to sustain, promote, and expand horse breeding and horse racing industries in Virginia. Call 540-347-4313 or email jeb.hannum@virginiaequinealliance.com for any questions about the program. The VEA Board recognizes how important the point-to-points are to the steeplechase industry, and they also serve to help get young riders started.

On Friday, March 3 the Virginia Steeplechase Association Awards will be held at the Middleburg Community Center in Middleburg. The leading Virginia-based owners, trainers, and riders will be crowned as will the leading hurdle and timber horses. Awards will also be presented to the participants who raced in Virginia but were not necessarily based in Virginia. These awards are for current members of the VSA. One of the highlights of the evening will be the inductions into the Virginia Steeplechase Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame was created in 2007 to recognize the leaders of the sport in the Old Dominion. Contact Don Yovanovich (540) 270-0115 for reservations.

The 56th Annual Loudoun Hunt Point to Point Races

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Sunday, April 23, 2023

Morven Park Leesburg, VA

First Race: 11:30 am

Racing Day Includes:

Hurdle and Flat Races

Junior Pony Races

General Admission $40 per car

Subscriber Parking $75 per car

For ticket information, contact Mary Sell marysell@takarofarm.com