World-Class Steeplechase

The Virginia Gold Cup will host its 92nd steeplechase racing event this Saturday, May 6, at Great Meadow in The Plains, Virginia (about an hour west of Washington, D.C.). This Virginia tradition, drawing over 65,000 people, showcases some of the country’s best horses and jockeys as they race over hurdles and timber on the Great Meadow’s 380 acres. This steeplechase course also hosts the prestigious International Gold Cup Races each fall.

You can learn more about the 250-year-old steeplechase tradition as well as the Virginia Gold Cup in Book 4 of Wine & Country Life. Read “Steeplechase in Virginia” to learn about the sport’s colonial roots, the course’s natural elements and the social experience!

The event’s eight exciting steeplechase races will begin at 12:30pm, with the Virginia Gold Cup Race being the fifth race at 3:30pm. The day’s festivities will also include a Tailgating Contest, a Hat Contest and a Terrier Race Exhibition. In addition, at 6:34pm, the Kentucky Derby will be broadcast live.

Tickets can be purchased online until 4pm on Wednesday, May 3. Click here to learn more about the Virginia Gold Cup. ~

First group of photos: Left photo by Camden Littleton | Top right photo by Chris Weber | Bottom right photo by Richard Clay

Second group of photos: Top left photo by Chris Weber | Bottom left photo by Camden Littleton | Top right photo by Richard Clay | Bottom right & lead photo by Isabel Kurek

All photos courtesy of Bendure Communications, Inc.

Wine & Country celebrates elevated living in Virginia Wine Country. Wine & Country Life, a semi-annual life & style magazine, and Wine & Country Weddings, an annual art book celebrating elegant Virginia weddings, are complemented by the Wine & Country Shop in Ivy, VA—a beautiful lifestyle boutique that brings the pages of the magazines to life. The Shop features over 40 Virginia artisans with everything from tailgating essentials and Dubarry attire to locally made foods and award-winning Virginia wines and craft beverages for your next event. Wine & Country covers the grape-growing foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains from Lynchburg to Leesburg, including points in between like Charlottesville and Middleburg. Ivy Life & Style Media also creates other projects, including CharlottesvilleFamily.com, a collection of local resources including a popular calendar of events, family services guides and features on education, health and family day trips for parents and teachers in Charlottesville, as well as the CharlottesvilleWelcomeBook.com a guide to resources for Charlottesville tourists and newcomers.

Equestrian and Sporting Life