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The annual Rappahannock Steeplechase Point-to-Point horse races and the famous Jack Bruce Memorial Hound Race are scheduled for Thornton Hill Farm in Sperryville this Saturday, March 2.
Race coordinator Janet O’Keefe said Tuesday night the course was in excellent condition even though rain was falling. “That field always drains well,”' she said. “Unless there is measurable snow on the ground we will go ahead. We’ve got our fingers crossed.”
In its long history the Rappahannock Hunt Point-to-Point races have featured almost every weather condition imaginable. Scheduled for the first Saturday in March and only rarely postponed, race days have been hot enough to get a sunburn and cold enough to get frostbite. Falling weather has included snow, sleet and rain, and wind is usually a part of the festivities.
Dozens of riders and horses will compete for trophies, following a century-and-a half old American tradition. In the day’s last event, 100 foxhounds will race over a course dragged with fox scent in a wild, hilarious finish to the day.
As Spring comes to the rolling Virginia countryside, each Saturday .offers the excitement of amateur steeplechase or “point-to-point” horse racing. The Rappahannock races are the second in the spring series. In these “steeplechase” races the horses and riders not only race as fast as they can, but they must jump over a string of fences and cedar brush obstacles.
The Virginia point-to-point races
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