Laurel Park Hosts Steeplechase Races June 15

For the first time since 2000, Laurel Park in Maryland will host National Steeplechase Association hurdle races, on Father's Day, Sunday June 15.

The races, to be run over the turf course at 2 1/8 miles, include a $40,000 maiden special weights contest and $45,000 allowance for non-winners of two races. The races are scheduled to go off as the first and third on the program. There will be pari-mutuel wagering.

"We are delighted to have the opportunity to race over jumps at Laurel again," said NSA Director of Racing Bill Gallo. "These two hurdle races fit in perfectly on our summer steeplechase schedule and will surely attract full fields from our top trainers."

Though Laurel hasn't featured steeplechasing for more than a generation, jump racing has a long and storied tradition in Maryland, including at Pimlico on Preakness weekend. There are four other sanctioned events on the NSA calendar, notably the historic Maryland Timber Triple in April, which consists of the My Lady's Manor in Monkton, the Grand National in Butler, and the Maryland Hunt Cup in Glyndon, which recently celebrated its 128th running. Shawan Downs in Cockeysville is home to the Legacy Chase in September. Also, for many years, jump racing was held at Fair Hill in Elkton on Memorial Day weekend.

Steeplechase racing is thoroughbred racing on the turf and primarily over what's called National Fences -- wide padded frames with plastic "branches" protruding from the top. The sport has a large following in Europe, but is smaller in the U.S. The National Steeplechase Association is the governing body of jump racing in America, writing, administering, and enforcing the rules and regulations. The NSA has a presence and oversight at all venues conducting the sanctioned races.

There are 28 one-day jump racing events—or one-day meetings—conducted in eight states, mostly along the Mid-Atlantic corridor, but as far South as Georgia and as far West as Tennessee, from March to June and from September through November. In the summer, steeplechase racing is a weekly fixture at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York and Colonial Downs in New Kent, Va. This year, the NSA will host 180 races worth $7 million in purses.