The National Steeplechase Association’s Board of Directors has approved a schedule of 20 race meets for the spring racing season, with total purses exceeding $2-million.
The Aiken race meet in Aiken, S.C., on Saturday, March 26, continues as the traditional kickoff for the spring schedule, which culminates with the Fair Hill meet in Maryland on May 28.
Returning to the NSA’s schedule of sanctioned race meets is the High Hope Races at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington on Sunday, May 22. High Hope was unable to use the race course at the Kentucky Horse Park last year because of preparations for the World Equestrian Games at the state facility.
Another change on the schedule is the return of the Atlanta Steeplechase to its traditional date on the fourth weekend of the racing season, this year on Saturday, April 16. The race meet in Kingston, Ga., will offer total purses of more than $100,000.
The spring season offers a diverse menu of races over hurdles and timber fences. The richest stakes race on the spring schedule is the Calvin Houghland Iroquois, a Grade 1 race that carries a $150,000 purse. Two major timber races, the Maryland Hunt Cup on April 30 and the Virginia Gold Cup on May 7, each will have $75,000 purses.
The complete spring schedule is:
SPRING 2011 RACING SCHEDULE
AIKEN SPRING. Aiken, SC…………………………………………………………. Saturday. March 26
CAROLINA CUP. Camden, SC ……………………………………………………….. Saturday, April 2
STONEYBROOK. Raeford, NC ……………………………………………………….. Saturday. April 9
ATLANTA, Kingston, GA ………………………………………………………………. Saturday. April 16
MY LADY’S MANOR. Monkton, MD ……………………………………………….. Saturday. April 16
BLOCK HOUSE. Tryon. NC …………………………………………………………… Saturday. April 23
GRAND NATIONAL. Butler, MD …………………………………………………….. Saturday. April 23
MIDDLEBURG, Middleburg. VA……………………………………………………… Saturday. April 23
FOXFIELD SPRING. Charlottesville. VA …………………………………………. Saturday. April 30
MARYLAND HUNT CUP. Glyndon. MD ………………………………………….. Saturday. April 30
QUEEN’S CUP. Mineral Springs. NC ……………………………………………… Saturday, April 30
VIRGINIA GOLD CUP, The Plains. VA ……………………………………………… Saturday. May 7
WINTERTHUR. Winterthur. DE …………………………………………………………… Sunday. May 8
IROQUOIS. Nashville. TN ……………………………………………………………… Saturday. May 14
WILLOWDALE. Kennett Square. PA …………………………………………………. Sunday. May 15
RADNOR, Malvern. PA …………………………………………………………………. Saturday. May 21
STRAWBERRY HILL. New Kent. VA ……………………………………………… Saturday. May 21
HIGH HOPE, Lexington. KY ……………………………………………………………… Sunday. May 22
FAIR HILL. Fair Hill. MD ……………………………………………………………….. Saturday. May 28
Also at a Jan. 13 meeting in Middleburg, Va., the NSA Board of Directors re-elected officers for 2011. They are: Beverly R. Steinman, chairman; Guy J. Torsilieri, president; P. Douglas Fout, vice president; Peter R. Fenwick, secretary; and Charles W. Strittmatter, treasurer.
The National Steeplechase Foundation also re-elected its officers at a joint meeting with the NSA board in Middleburg. Re-elected were: Sam Slater, president; Sarah Jeffords, vice president; Gail B. Thayer, secretary-treasurer, and Peter D. McGivney, executive director and assistant secretary-treasurer.