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Joe Clancy 
Old Dominion. It’s a university, a beer, a trucking company, a music academy, a Nashville-based band. And, Saturday, a race meet. Technically a nickname for Virginia, since it was the first (and oldest) overseas dominion of the kings and queens of England, the title ends up on the racing because it’s organized by the Old … Read more
Last weekend, the National Steeplechase Association season eased into gear with the Aiken Steeplechase in South Carolina. One meet, six races, green light, let’s go. Seven days later, somebody hit the nitrous as three stops – Saturday’s headlining Carolina Cup in South Carolina and Blue Ridge in Virginia, plus Cheshire in Pennsylvania – rev up the action. … Read more
You ready for steeplechasing? The forecast in Saratoga, if you’re in Saratoga, calls for a blizzard this weekend, but the 2024 National Steeplechase Association schedule kicks off Saturday in Aiken, S.C., with the traditional opener. Run for the 57th time, the meet dates to 1930 when Thomas Hitchcock, Temple Gwathmey and Harry Worcester Smith organized … Read more
Happy Thanksgiving. Before we get to the turkey and the stuffing, put a bow on the 2023 National Steeplechase Association season. The circuit wrapped up its year with five races at Aiken Saturday, and the traditional South Carolina finale showcased a few fresh faces with promising futures. The featured Holiday Cup – a $35,000 hurdle … Read more
This isn’t the end of the steeplechase season, but you can see it from here. After carding 17 races last weekend, the circuit goes to South Carolina for the Steeplechase at Charleston Sunday afternoon. The five-race card starts at 1 p.m. and is the second-to-last meet of the season as Aiken finishes things up next … Read more
Where were you last week? While you were busy running a half-marathon, mowing the lawn, walking the dog, packing your bags for the Breeders’ Cup or sorting out a ride to basketball practice, Snap Decision was reminding everyone who he was. America’s top steeplechase horse over the last four – maybe five – seasons got back … Read more
Back on the horse. Back on the road. Back on the keyboard. A week after the biggest race meet on the steeplechase circuit, horses and people turn their attention to another major stop – Saturday’s International Gold Cup meeting at Great Meadow in The Plains, Va. It’s the companion to the spring Virginia Gold Cup … Read more
There’s nothing like Far Hills mud. After a day like Saturday, you find it everywhere – car tires and floor mats, shoes, pant legs, socks even a splotch on your binoculars. Sticky and reddish-brown, there’s something different about it, and I’m not even a horse. Saturday featured plenty of mud, dampness, rain and wind, even … Read more
American steeplechase fans get their moment in the sun – well, maybe rain; let’s hope not rain – at Saturday’s Far Hills Races in Far Hills, N.J. Held for the 102nd time, the races occupy a unique spot in local culture as THE can’t-miss fall event while at the same time standing atop the National … Read more
How was your fall break? American jump racing took a week off last week, we saw some jockeys in line for pit beef sandwiches at Timonium, but gets back on the proverbial horse in two locales Saturday. Stately Glenwood Park hosts the Virginia Fall Races for an eight-race card of hurdle, timber and flat races … Read more
