Exciting Steeplechase racing continues to draw more fans than any other Triple Crown event, with 30,000 expected this year. FILE/STAFF

Steeplechase growing by leaps and bounds

Web posted March 17, 2000

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By Greg Rickabaugh
South Carolina Bureau

AIKEN -- To hear Georgianna Conger-Wolcott tell it, this year's Aiken Steeplechase is ``shaping up swimmingly.''

With good weather, the second-largest annual sporting event in the region is expected to attract 30,000 people -- although the number seems to rise as the years go by, she said.

One indication of the increased popularity of the Triple Crown's main attraction is the sellout of this year's Aiken 2000 Steeplechase Ball, an event held the night before the Steeplechase. Another indication is last year's parking dilemma, as evidenced by the sellout of the Powderhouse Polo Field.

``It's definitely one of the biggest events in Aiken,'' Ms. Conger-Wolcott said.

Once again, spectators who don't have reserved parking must park in the general admission area -- the polo fields on Powderhouse Road -- and walk across the street to Ford Conger Field. If the lot sells out, the only option is infield parking for $25.

According to the Aiken Chamber of Commerce, the Aiken Steeplechase begins the spring season of racing in the National Steeplechasing Association. The circuit includes about 40 meets along the Atlantic Seaboard.

Triple Crown Section  Race for the crown  Steeplechase event grows  Horses help economy  Trials test young horses  Facilities draw trainers  Gelderlanders to compete  Harness racing fever  Harness racing began as a 'church activity'   MAPS  Aiken Trials  Steeplechase  Harness Race

Purses as high as $80,000 are awarded along with trophies commemorating Aiken's steeplechasing tradition. Some of the nation's finest thoroughbreds test the jumps at Ford Conger Field.

Proceeds help benefit the Hitchcock Foundation, Helping Hands and the Aiken Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

This year, organizers are also stressing the importance of a successful Steeplechase Ball because it is raising money for the Aiken Steeplechase Association's efforts to purchase Ford Conger Field. The sellout is the first in the event's history.

The ball, set for Friday, March 24, is a chance for patrons to taste the winter elegance of Aiken in another era.

``This year we have a real purpose: to secure property to ensure the future of steeplechasing in Aiken,'' said Bruce Duchossois, chairman of the ball.

Following the direction of the Aiken Steeplechase Association, gala organizers invited the entire community to help save one of Aiken's civic treasures. The sellout is partially attributed to the association's efforts to open up the party to the public.

``For years, the ball was a private party for a rather closed community: the Aiken Winter Colony horse community,'' Mr. Duchossois said. ``And that was wonderful in its time. But just as the Steeplechase Association has opened its ranks to the people of Aiken who want to support its traditions, we (wanted) to make this year's ball a grand event for the whole community.''

Of course, one ball won't raise nearly enough to purchase the land required to reserve Aiken steeplechasing. But race officials and ball organizers see it is a symbol of a communitywide effort to keep national-level steeplechase racing in Aiken for generations to come.

Ford Conger Field is owned by steeplechase board member Mack Miller, a pillar of the Aiken horse community and trainer of 1993 Kentucky Derby winner Sea Hero. Once the land is purchased, the association plans installation of an irrigation system and a few other capital improvements to make it one of the best tracks in the country.

The most esteemed event of the Triple Crown, the Steeplechase can be traced to the Hitchcocks, one of Aiken's first Winter Colony families and part of a wealthy group of Northern industrialists who migrated to the area seasonally in search of a more hospitable winter climate.

For decades, many of the country's finest steeplechasers trained in Aiken's prized Hitchcock Woods, left to Aiken horsemen in trust as the family's legacy.

The first steeplechases began 300 years ago over the English countryside. Then, one proud horse owner would challenge his neighbor to a race overland. Often picking out the tallest structure to be seen, they would race ``to yon steeple,'' and over time the sport was born.

``It's now just a rite of passage for Aiken,'' Ms. Conger-Wolcott said. ``It's all about getting out and seeing the horses.''

Reach Greg Rickabaugh at (803) 279-6895.