Nation’s greatest timber race. Tradition holds that steeplechasing was

Nation’s greatest timber race.

Tradition holds that steeplechasing was born one day in 1752 when a Mr. O’Callaghan and Mr. Blake, riding home from a fox hunt in Ireland, challenged one another to an informal race from Buttevant Church to St. Leger Church, a distance of some 4V4 miles, hence the term “steeplechasing.’’ There is evidence that similar races had taken place in England 100 years earlier, but never mind. The first formal steeplechase involving more than two horses took place in Leicester in 1792, and the first organized steeplechasing began at St. Albans in 1830. Steeplechasing came to the United States via Canada, and there were isolated jumping races in Paterson and Hoboken, New Jersey, before the Civil War. But it wasn’t until after the North-South conflict that Jerome Park and other major race tracks of the day began installing steeplechase courses. By the turn of the century, nearly every major flat race track in this country had a steeplechase course. For many and varied reasons, but mostly because bettors tend to be leery of ‘chasers, steeplechasing gradually faded from the flat race tracks. In late 1971, the rich infield ‘chases at Belmont and Aqueduct were discontinued, and the number of jumping races at Saratoga were' sharply reduced. Delaware Park retained the jumpers, as did Monmouth Park in New Jersey. Hie sport’s future appeared bleak. With steeplechasing’s