A day at Willowdale

The Willowdale Steeplechase

A day at Willowdale

The Willowdale Steeplechase Race is known for its pleasant atmosphere where families gather to spend the day together with picnic lunches and fun activities for all. Companies too have discovered that entertaining customers or employees at The Willowdale Steeplechase Race is good for business and provides a favorable environment for visibility and community support. If you have never been to The Willowdale Steeplechase Race, you have missed a wonderful opportunity to enjoy a day in the country in an exciting and unique way. Last spring we had over 12,000 spectators attend our races.

The day will go something like this:

The Willowdale Steeplechase staff and grounds crew will appear shortly after dawn to make sure that everything is in place and ready for the vendors and corporate tent caterers to start arriving. The tents have already been put in place the week before. Shortly after 8:30am everyone starts setting up for the day. By 9:30am the gate attendants and volunteers are on the grounds preparing for the 10:00am opening and horse vans begin to arrive. You can feel the excitement build as everyone bustles around getting things in order. At 10:00am the gates open to the general public and the Tailgate Competition is preparing to display their fare. Everyone can shop at the vendor's tents, have something to eat at the Restaurant Booths or have fun in the Kids' Alley Tent. If they feel like a walk, they can go back to the past by strolling through the Antique Cars or check out the new Tractors for your lawn or fields on display.

At 11:00am the Jack Russell Terrier Races begin. People gather on the course to watch the antics of these determined little dogs. Our National Anthem is sung at 12:00 noon immediately followed by a demonstration of "Hippotherapy" by Quest Therapeutic Services. And the racing begins. By 12:15pm the ponies are entering the paddock to be saddled and paraded before the fans. The first race, the Small Pony Race is run at 12:30pm, followed at 12:45pm by the Large Pony Race, and at 1:00 the Junior Race gets underway. All these pony and junior race jockeys are from age 7 through 17 years of age developing their skills for the future. After the race is our beautiful Carriage Parade. Paddock time for the first sanctioned race is 1:00pm and at 1:30pm the starter will send them flying over timber fences and our spectacular Water Jump that has a 12' span with a 2' drop in The Landhope Cup. At 2:00pm, The Folly, you will see horses jumping hurdles, which are fences with brush on top, and at 2:30pm is the most spectacular race of all, The Willowdale Steeplechase, where you will see horse and riders jump the Water Jump two times. It is breathtaking to watch! The Rose Tree Cup at 3:00pm is a hurdle race, while people who regularly hunt these horses ride the Foxhunters' Chase over timber at 3:30pm. Our last race of the day is The Liam Magee flat race at 4:00pm. This is a race for horses that do not jump. They run two miles around our wonderful course.

While all these exciting races are going on, there will be activities for the younger members of your group in Kid's Alley. Children can also become jockeys by making a stick pony and participating in the Stick Pony Races and much more throughout the afternoon. By 6:00pm everyone has packed up their new purchases and picnic lunches and is heading home with sunburned cheeks and smiles. It's hard to say good-bye to a wonderful day full of fun and excitement at the Willowdale Steeplechase Races.

Schedule of the Day: