Steeplechase racing resumes this weekend after a four-month winter hiatus, beginning with a five-race card in Aiken on Saturday and three sanctioned timber contests as part of the Cheshire races in Unionville, Pa., on Sunday.
The meets are the first two of 16 on the NSA Spring calendar, which runs through Memorial Day weekend in May.
In Aiken, which hosts its first meet since 2019, racing moves to a new venue, about two miles from downtown, on Richland Road, a location that is larger, offers more accessibility, better parking, and expanded tailgating package options. You can check out details at the bottom of the story.
Four of the Aiken races will be contested over hurdles: The $25,000 G.H. Bostwick maiden; $15,000 Charles S. Bird maiden claimer; featured $30,000 Imperial Cup, run as an optional claiming allowance; and $20,000 Ford D. Conger handicap for horses rated at 110 or lower. All are at 2 ⅛ miles. First race post time is 1 p.m.
Though last year's champion trainer Jack Fisher isn't represented in the entries at Aiken, Leslie Young, who finished second in the standings, is shipping in with five, while Keri Brion, who topped the earnings list, has four. Neil Morris, another one of the leading 2021 conditioners, also has four slated to go postward. The meet also marks the return of jockey champion Graham Watters, while visiting European riders Harrison Beswick and Jamie Bargary, who made their NSA debuts last season, are back on the circuit.
A full day of action is scheduled for Sunday in Pennsylvania, where 11 races are on tap at Mr. Stewart's Cheshire Foxhounds Point to Point at Plantation Field. The three sanctioned races include the $10,000 Cheshire Bowl allowance for amateur riders; $10,000 Buttonwood Farm maiden, also for amateurs; and the featured $10,000 Louis Neilson III Memorial, an allowance race for apprentice riders. Each race will be run at a distance of 3 miles, with post times of noon, 12:30 p.m., and 1 p.m., respectively. The live stream will broadcast from just before noon until 1:30 p.m.
The rest of the day's events, which will take place before and after the sanctioned contests, include pony races, a lead-line trot, flat races, a side-saddle field master's chase, and a timber race for novice jumpers.
Both meets will be live streamed via the NSA web site, www.nationalsteeplechase.com. There's a $12 fee to watch each meet ($10 plus a $2 processing fee), or $120 for the entire spring season (with a $24 processing fee). As in 2021, the stream is sponsored by Brown Advisory, the Temple Gwathmey Steeplechase Foundation, Charleston's Post & Courier, and the Virginia Equine Alliance.
Facts and figures about Aiken's new race course:
Location: 2020 Richland Ave. East, about two miles from Downtown Aiken.
The grounds: The course sits on a 140-acre parcel, 83 of which have been cleared for the new course and parking. There are five entrance gates, compared to three at the old site.
How many fans can be accommodated: 30,000
Course measurement: 1 mile around, 100-feet wide.
Previous use of the property: Farming.
Other race-day activities: Parade of Hounds, Pony Club Flag Presentation, Carriage Parade, Pony Rides, Dog Adoptions, Live Music in Village of Shops, Budweiser Tasting Tent, Hat and Crazy Pants Contests.
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