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Then hard times befell steeplechasing and the NSHA as major tracks cut back their steeplechasing to skeleton schedules in the late 1960s. Hunt meetings took up the slack, offering more purse money and , richer prizes. The Gold Cup’s first purse, $7,500, was offered in 1978.
Saturday’s Virginia Gold Cup features a $40,000 purse divided among the top six finishers. Timber racing is not widely considered a money-making proposition as the difficult tests make for limited action for runners each calendar year. Three-time Gold Cup winner Saluter scoffs that assessment — with 14 wins during four years of steeplechasing, Ann Stern’s Virginia-bred gelding has won upwards of $236,000, all of it racing over timber.
The Gold Cup is the defining event May 3 at Great Meadow, but the undercard features competitive racing over timber and hurdles, on the flat, and over the innovative NationsCup natural hunting style steeplechase course. Other race day events will entertain before the program begins, and, after the races, the Kentucky Derby will be broadcast through the public address system from Louisville, Ky.
The day’s timetable begins with Great Meadow gates opening at 10 a.m. Post time for pony races, small medium and large divisions, is slated for 10:45 a.m. Jack Russell Terrier races, on the flat and over fences, will begin at 11:30 a.m. in the paddock.
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