|
|
|
About No Rules Full-Contact Fighting
Full-contact fighting appeals to participants who want to engage
in realistic combat with an opponent. Competitions tend to be
more aggressive and may have few rules or almost no rules except
the imperative to physically defeat the opponent. In...
How the Protein Diet Works
Protein is an essential nutrient necessary for maintaining good health. In its basic form protein consists of amino acid chains. Of the 22 amino acids that are capable of creating protein, 8 of these can only be obtained through a protein diet....
The New Discovery That Makes It Possible To Get An Effective Workout In Less Time
Copyright 2005 William Mackie
The Art of Multifunctional Training
People often complain about how they just do not have enough time to spend working out in a gym. It seems every year the lives of many Americans become more hectic and they have less...
What Can Be S.A.I.D. About The Golf Swing?
Probably the question that first comes to your mind when you read this title is: what is S.A.I.D. and how does it help my golf game? The reality is that S.A.I.D. is very connected to your golf swing and is a very important principle if you want to...
Winter Time Is Midge Time When Fly Fishing For Trout
Let's face it, we dream in Technicolor of size 10 green drake hatches or Hexagenia Limbata as big as beavers - but the reality is Winter Time Is Midge Time. Often the only bugs on the frigid water are so small; they challenge most anglers to...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
The History of Steeplechase Horse Racing
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 steeplechase racing 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
target="new">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 The Virginia Gold Cup, The FoxField Races at Charlottesville, Fairfax Hunt races at Great Falls, Middleburg Spring races at Middleburg, Montpelier Hunt Races at Montpelier Station, Morven Park Steeplechase Races at Leesburg and the Mountaineer Chest Track in Chester.
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
The history of Steeplechase racing. Learn all the history and facts before you attend the races. Read more about what America's new, glamorous, spectator sport at: http://www.charlottesville-area-real-estate.com/Charlottesville-Area-Articles.html.
|
|
|
|
|
|