International Gold Cup Adds Grade 1 Race to NSA Circuit

The Virginia Gold Cup Association revealed plans for its second new Grade 1 race of the year, to be run as part of the $410,000 card at the International Gold Cup races taking place at Great Meadow in The Plains, Va. on Saturday, Oct. 26.

The $150,000 William H. Allison Stakes, named in honor of the president of the Virginia Gold Cup Association and co-chair of both the Virginia Gold Cup Races in the spring and its fall counterpart, the International Gold Cup Races, will be contested as a handicap hurdle event for four-year-olds and up at 2 1/8 miles over a dozen national fences.

The Allison Stakes is the ninth Grade 1 on this year's National Steeplechase Association circuit, four more than the 2023 total and the most in the history of the NSA, according to NSA Racing Director Bill Gallo.

"The Virginia Gold Cup board has been looking for a way to honor Will's long-standing dedication and commitment to the Virginia Gold Cup Races," said Allison's co-chair Al Griffin, who also serves as NSA president. "He has followed the tradition of Warrenton Hunt masters who have also held the reins of the Virginia Gold Cup Races. (The Gold Cup Races were founded by the Warrenton Hunt.) Will led us through the effort to gain pari-mutuel wagering at Gold Cup and serves as a board member of the Virginia Equine Alliance. I can think of no one who has done more to further the effort at Gold Cup than Dr. Will Allison."

The Allison Stakes comes on the heels of the inaugural Grade 1 $150,000 Commonwealth Cup, which was carded as part of the Virginia Gold Cup program in May.

The Allison will take place a week after the Grade 1 $250,000 American Grand National at Far Hills in New Jersey, the seminal event on the NSA calendar. But whereas the Grand National is a weight-for-age contest at 2 5/8 miles, the Allison will be run under handicap conditions at 2 1/8 miles, thus making it an attractive option for horses who favor a shorter distance of ground.

By creating the new Grade 1, the Virginia Gold Cup Association is shifting the David "Zeke" Ferguson, previously a Grade 2 hurdle stakes, to the popular Steeplethon on the International Gold Cup card. The Steeplethon will now be run in memory of Ferguson, a local builder, developer, horseman and sportsman.

The 2024 International Gold Cup is presented by Brown Advisory, Virginia Equine Alliance, Virginia Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association and the Virginia Thoroughbred Association.