AIKEN - When her horse trots to the post at the Aiken Trials, the opening event of the Aiken Triple Crown, trainer Anne Mitchell will begin to get an idea of how the 3-year-old filly will react in the officially sanctioned races that will likely follow.
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When the starting gates open and a crowd of between 7,000 and 15,000 lets loose a collective roar, she'll know for sure.
"It's a helpful gauge, so that when its time to get to an official race, we'll have a preview of how they behave and react in front of a crowd of people," Ms. Mitchell said.
The Aiken Trials, in its 62nd running, is the litmus test for Aiken horses poised to go on to bigger events.
Limited to horses trained in Aiken County, it's also a meet that pits locals against locals for the year's bragging rights, with the coveted City of Aiken Trophy the biggest prize.
"It's a fun day of sportsmanship and camaraderie," Ms. Mitchell said. "We're running against trainers we see every morning."
Depending on the number of entrants, five to six races will be run on Aiken's historic training track, a flat, milelong oval off Two Notch Road.
The events are split into two lengths: half-mile races for the 3-year-olds and older; quarter-mile races for the 2-year-olds. Usually no more than six horses compete in each race.
The event is designed for the inexperienced racehorse; younger horses in the quarter-mile races won't have to negotiate the turns of the track.
"It's a huge benefit for a horse to run in the Aiken Trials," said Mary Jane Howell, the director of public relations for Dogwood Stable, whose entry in the trials last year, a colt named Heckle, went on to win a stakes race in Kentucky. "They get some experience in a race situation, as well as running in front of a crowd."
And, because they are competing at the training track, they are racing on their home turf. Exercise riders, many of them ex-jockeys, will serve as jockeys, sporting the racing silks in a treasured time of the year for the equestrian working class. Grooms vie for the award that honors the best-turned-out thoroughbred.
Mike Freeman, the president of the Aiken Training Track, says the event, held to benefit the Aiken Jaycees charitable organization, is an important community showcase, too.
"It gives some people in town a chance to see these horses run, which they don't usually get a chance to see," Mr. Freeman said. "They get an idea of what goes on out here."
Those who attend the trials might just get the first glimpse of horses on the verge of greatness. About 40 champion horses have run in the trials since the first event in 1942, including winners of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes.
"It's great to have this kind of event in Aiken," Ms. Howell said.
