The 76th Annual Block House Steeplechase will happen rain or shine, which is important to remember if you’re going.
The race, first held in 1947, is one of American’s longest-running steeplechase events, says Leigh Borreson, executive director of the nonprofit Tryon Riding and Hunt Club, which partners with Tryon International Equestrian Center to host the races.
For the last couple of years, anyway, the weather has been beautiful, and beautiful weather only serves to accentuate the awesome sight of a dozen thoroughbreds—and nattily clad jockeys—thundering their way around a mile-long course in full spring bloom.
“It truly is ground shaking when the horses come by, running flat-out. It’s just exhilarating,” says Borreson, who grew up riding thoroughbreds in Alabama.
Sunshine suits this family-friendly event that lasts most of the day, features six different races, and heartily encourages tailgating.
For $60, a carload of six can park in the “pasture,” sit in general admission bleachers, or just amble over to their favorite tailgate.
And while tickets are available the day of the event, it’s better to get them online ahead of time, because rail spots along the course tend to go fast, Borreson warns, and some allow visibility to larger sections of the course than others.
Tailgating at the Block House Steeplechase
Meanwhile, most spots are designed to allow tailgating, and if they do one thing exceptionally well at the Block House Steeplechase, it’s tailgate. “It is a tailgating heaven,” she says. “Some get there at 10 in the morning, set up a huge spread . . . I’ve seen candelabras and tablecloths. It’s a big deal.”
A kid-friendly area, open between 10:3o a.m. and 1:00 p.m., will feature face-painting, pony rides, and other fun activities. There will also be food trucks, a beer garden, and retail vendors. And everything is connected by trams, so those who can’t or don’t want to walk have a way to get around.
In other words, there’s something for everyone, even those who can’t claim an aficionado’s appreciation for “steeplechasing,” which is alleged to have started when a pair of 17th century Irishmen decided to race their horses from one church steeple to the next. Such a race across open country also likely meant the riders and their mounts hopped a series of hedges, fences, and stone boundary lines, which is why today’s races feature a series of jumps.
However, unlike the less predictable races of long ago, Borreson says modern steeplechases include well-manicured turf courses (Tryon International Equestrian Center maintains this one), designed to help horses maintain their footing. But that doesn’t mean both horse—and rider—don’t sometimes balk, or even fall. “Thoroughbreds have huge hearts,” she says. “They’re not only fast, they’re also courageous. And so are the jockeys. Steeplechase is not for the fainthearted.”
The Block House steeplechase is named for a time when the course went around a tavern known as the Block House, Borreson says.
“[Block House] is one of the oldest steeplechase events in the nation, and we really want it to be part of the community,” she says. “Steeplechase is becoming a disappearing sport because it demands a lot of land, which is vanishing. But it’s just an amazing event for people to get outside and see the horses.”
Now, the course is in Columbus, North Carolina, off NC Hwy. 9. That’s less than an hour from downtown Greenville, South Carolina, making it easy to make a day trip of the event.
Borreson says, the ever-popular fancy-pants contest is again on the agenda, along with the perennial hat contest.
Guests are welcome to bring their own wine and liquor, as long as it isn’t in a glass container. And, true to the spirit of any tailgate-friendly event, pop-up tents are welcome, so long as they’re firmly secured.
For more information: www.tryonsteeplechase.com.
You Can Go
Tryon Block House Steeplechase
Green Creek Race Course, 6881 N.C. Hwy. 9, Columbus, N.C.
Saturday, April 13
Gates open at 10 a.m.
The last race finishes around 4 p.m.
A different breed
Tryon Riding and Hunt Club Executive Director Leah Borreson says thoroughbred horses are usually best-suited for steeplechase over other breeds.
“People sometimes confuse ‘thoroughbred’ with ‘pure bred,’” she says. “But ‘thoroughbred’ is an actual breed, like all the others.”
In any given steeplechase, the field varies from as few as three riders and horses, to up to a dozen.
“There are certain qualifications for the different races, and that is what usually determines the size of the field,” she says.
As for a horse that has never won a steeplechase? Borreson says they’re known as “maidens.”
