Maryland in the Winner’s Circle

Nearly 165,000 attended the Kentucky Derby yesterday.  It was a record crowd for a thrilling horse race on a beautiful day.  And when the chestnut colt trotted to the Winner’s Circle for his blanket of roses, there were cheers all around the State of Maryland.  For although Animal Kingdom was born and bred elsewhere, he has spent his career living and training at Fair Hill.

His trainer, Graham Motion, is a native of Great Britain, but earned his reputation over twenty years of training in Laurel, Bowie and Fair Hill.  Just last November, he saddled Shared Account, the two year old filly who won the Breeders Cup turf event for Sagamore Farm in Glyndon.

Oh My Mudder!

On this typical stormy spring day in Maryland, OSM took a trip to Fair Hill Natural Resource Management Area in Cecil County for a site visit.  The folks at Tough Mudder have been looking for potential sites in our area to host one of their events in early 2012.  Tough Mudder is thought of as one of the toughest endurance competitions on the planet.  Its 10-12 mile obstacle courses are designed by British Special Forces to test strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie. After communicating with them for a few weeks, we were able to narrow down the search and set-up some visits.

Today’s adventure was to the explore the possibilities of Fair Hill.  Fair Hill is known for its equestrian events, such as steeplechase, timber course and flat races, and extensive, unspoiled grounds.  Tough Mudder asked us to recommend sites that had over 400 acres in our area, and with Fair Hill’s 5,000+ acreage, we knew it would be a good fit, never mind swallow the event whole.

Horses, Courses, and Natural Resources — It’s Springtime in Maryland

As we wait for the Birds to fly north and Boog to fire up the grill, other rites of spring are well underway. Anchored by major events such as the Preakness and US Open, Maryland attracts many visitors who enjoy additional aspects of those sports and other outdoor activities.

For many fans and weekend athletes, this season is defined by horses, courses, and natural resources.  Maryland has them in abundance.

Since steeplechase season is well underway, we’ll start there.  It is a proud part of our history and heritage, and a recognized tourist attraction.

In 1894, the members of the Elkridge Fox Hunting Club challenged the members of Green Spring Valley Hounds to a timber race, which became the first Hunt Cup. Although the first race was limited to members of the two clubs, the next year the race was opened to all fox hunting clubs in Maryland, and in 1903, members from recognized clubs throughout the United States and Canada were invited to participate.

Timber racing – so called because the fenced hurdles are split rails – is a form of steeplechase or point to point racing.

The Maryland Hunt Cup is the grand dame of all Maryland Timber Races.  Along with the Grand National in England, it is considered to be among the most challenging in the world.

The season runs from March to May. While most races are staged on estates in Baltimore County, there are popular steeplechases in Harford, Anne Arundel, Howard, and Montgomery Counties. At the end of the season, outstanding performer are honored at the Governor’s Cup Awards Dinner.

A calendar of these events, along with directions and the history of the race, can be found at Maryland Steeplechasing.

One of the major spring steeplechase destinations is Fair Hill, the 5,600 acre former estate of William duPont, Jr. in Cecil County.  Fair Hill is the home of the national governing body of steeplechase racing.  It has also served as host of the nationally-televised Breeders’ Cup Steeplechase in 1986, 1987 and 1991.

Since 1934, the estate has been the venue for the Fair Hill Races, which annual draws 15,000 visitors to enjoy the only place in the country where there is para-mutuel betting on steeplechase.

The Fair Hill Races traditionally take place on the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend.  The 77th annual event is May 28th this year.  As befits this “gentleman’s sport,” the races benefit a local non-profit, the Union Hospital of Cecil County.

One needn’t be a master of the hunt to appreciate the beauty and festivity of these events. Much of the fun is experiencing a beautiful day in the country with family, friends, food and high spirits.  Nothing like placing a little wager on the action, too.  After all, that’s as much a Maryland tradition as crabs, beer, and the Baltimore O’s.

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