Aiken will offer plenty of entertainment for equine lovers and sports enthusiasts during the next three weekends.

The Triple Crown begins Saturday with the 64th annual Aiken Trials.

Six flat-track sprints, each with four or five horses racing, give race-day experience to up-and-coming 2- and 3-year-old thoroughbreds. The horses often move on to bigger stakes on the racing circuit.

"It's like recruiting for professional football teams by looking at 10-year-old kids," said Cothran "Cot" Campbell, the president of Dogwood Stable Inc., which trains race horses.

The second leg of the Triple Crown, the 40th renewal of the Aiken Spring Steeplechase, will be held March 25.

The spring meet includes one flat race and five races over jumps, said Paul Sauerborn, the president of the Aiken Steeplechase Association board of directors.

Eight or nine horses participate in each race, he said, and they go around the track three times.

The steeplechase also will feature shops, contests, a carriage parade and tents with bands, dancing and food.

The event, which is part of the spring circuit, is sanctioned by the National Steeplechase Association.

The final jewel in the crown, the University of South Carolina Aiken Polo Tournament, is scheduled for April 1.

This is the third year that polo has been a part of the Triple Crown. The sport has gotten competitive and expensive, with the price of polo ponies ranging from $5,000 to $100,000, said Charlie Bostwick, of the Aiken Polo Club.

There has been a resurgence of interest in polo in Aiken, he said.

Reach Betsy Gilliland at (803) 648-1395, ext. 113, or betsy.gilliland@augustachronicle.com.

If you go

WHAT: Aiken Trials
WHEN: Saturday; gates open at 10:30 a.m.; races start at 2 p.m.
WHERE: Aiken Training Track, Two Notch Road
PARKING: $5 advance; $10 race day (main gate is on Two Notch Road; infield parking gate is on Audubon Road)
TICKETS: $8 advance; $10 race day (children 6 and younger admitted free); advance tickets are available at H. Odell Weeks Activity Center, Greater Aiken Chamber of Commerce, All Star Rents, Aiken Saddlery & Supply, Southern Saddlery
INFORMATION: 648-4631

WHAT: Aiken Spring Steeplechase
WHEN: Saturday, March 25; gates open at 9:30 a.m.; races start at 1 p.m.
WHERE: Ford Conger Field, Powderhouse Road and Audubon Drive
PARKING: Sold Out
TICKETS: General admission $10 advance; $15 race day; subscriber's tickets $15 advance, not available on race day (children 6 and younger admitted free); general-admission tickets are available at the Aiken Steeplechase Association office, Greater Aiken Chamber of Commerce, Aiken Drug, Aiken Saddlery & Supply, Aiken Ship, Floyd and Green Jewelers, Ingate Professional Pharmacy, J.M. Greene Fine Jewelry Co., Lominick's Pharmacy, Plum Pudding, Regions Bank, Southern Saddlery, Stoplight Deli, Unique Expressions and North Augusta Chamber of Commerce
INFORMATION: 648-9641

WHAT: University of South Carolina Aiken Polo Tournament
WHEN: Saturday, April 1; gates open at 11 a.m.; match starts at 1:30 p.m.
RAIN DATE: Sunday, April 2
WHERE: Powderhouse Field, Powderhouse Road
PARKING: $5 general admission; $100 reserved first-row parking (includes four tickets and program), call 641-3331
TICKETS: General admission $8 adults, $5 children in advance, $10 adults, $5 children race day (children 6 and younger admitted free); general-admission tickets are available at Aiken Drug, Floyd and Green Jewelers, Lominick's Pharmacy, University of South Carolina Aiken Athletic Department, H. Odell Weeks Activity Center; VIP hospitality tent tickets $55 per person regardless of age (includes lunch, beverages, parking and admission)
INFORMATION: General admission, 641-3486; VIP tent, 641-3661