The Virginia Gold Cup and International Gold Cup steeplechase races are a celebration of hunt country tradition and two of the largest outdoor social events held in Virginia. [1]
The Virginia Gold Cup is held the first Saturday of May at Great Meadow in The Plains, Virginia, a field events center created and bequeathed by the Arundel Family in 1984. The races have been held in Fauquier County, Virginia since 1922. Washington businessman Russell M. Arundel was chairman of the Virginia Gold Cup from 1930 to 1955, and then in 1980 his son Arthur W. "Nick" Arundel purchased Great Meadow, a 500-acre tract of open space in The Plains which he developed for more than $5 million into a new home for The Gold Cup, which at the time was threatened by development. Arundel served as Chairman of Great Meadow and of the Virginia Gold Cup for nearly two decades until his passing in 2011.
The International Gold Cup is the featured horse racing event of the Fall season and is managed today by the Virginia Gold Cup Association. Now held on the third Saturday of October, the International Gold Cup was founded in Tennessee in 1930.
The Virginia Gold Cup event was generated by eight sportsmen who met at the Fauquier Club in Warrenton and organized a four-mile race alongside the natural walls and fences of the nearby hunting countryside on April 3, 1922, and thirty four days later was the first Virginia Gold Cup race. [2] The 2016 event drew more than 50,000 spectators. [3]
Additional activities include terrier and pony races before the main event, hat contests on Members Hill, vendor tents and booths, parachute demonstrations, classic and new car displays, and countless tailgates.
Viewing areas are divided into three basic sections: North Rail, South Rail, and Members Hill. Members Hill overlooks Winners Circle and has the best view of the course. All three sections include private tents, public viewing areas, and tailgate spaces. North Rail is geared more toward young professionals and social groups; South Rail is where most corporate tents and family-oriented outings congregate.
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Loudoun County is in the northern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. In 2020, the census returned a population of 420,959, making it Virginia's third-most populous county. The county seat is Leesburg. Loudoun County is part of the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Fauquier County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 72,972. The county seat is Warrenton.
The Plains is a small incorporated town in Fauquier County, Virginia, United States. The population was 245 as of the 2020 census, up from 217 at the 2010 census. It is centered on the intersection of VA 55 and VA 245. The town of The Plains is situated off I-66. As of 2022, the mayor of The Plains is Lori Sisson.
Warrenton is a town in Fauquier County, Virginia, of which it is the seat of government. The population was 10,057 as of the 2020 census, an increase from 9,611 at the 2010 census and 6,670 at the 2000 census. The estimated population in July 2021 was 10,109. It is at the junction of U.S. Route 15, U.S. Route 17, U.S. Route 29, and U.S. Route 211. The town is in the Piedmont region of Virginia just east of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The well-known Airlie Conference Center is 3 miles (5 km) north of Warrenton, and the historic Vint Hill Farms military facility is 9 miles (14 km) east. Fauquier Hospital is located in the town. Surrounded by Virginia wine and horse country, Warrenton is a popular destination outside Washington, D.C.
The Nunthorpe Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged two years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 5 furlongs, and it is scheduled to take place each year in August.
Ascot Racecourse is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, about 25 miles west of London. Ascot is used for thoroughbred horse racing, and it hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races and three Grade 1 Jumps races.
A steeplechase is a distance horse race in which competitors are required to jump diverse fence and ditch obstacles. Steeplechasing is primarily conducted in Ireland, Great Britain, Canada, United States, Australia, and France. The name is derived from early races in which orientation of the course was by reference to a church steeple, jumping fences and ditches and generally traversing the many intervening obstacles in the countryside.
Ashby Gap, more commonly known as Ashby's Gap is a wind gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains on the border of Clarke County, Loudoun County and Fauquier County in Virginia. The gap is traversed by U.S. Route 50. The Appalachian trail also passes across the gap.
The Sagaro Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile 7 furlongs and 209 yards at Ascot in late April or early May.
Great Meadow is a 380-acre (1.5 km2) field events center and steeplechase course located in The Plains, Virginia. It is operated under the stewardship of the Great Meadow Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of open space for community use.
Delaplane is a small unincorporated village in northern Fauquier County, Virginia, approximately 50 miles (80 km) due west of Washington, D.C. Delaplane is situated along U.S. Route 17, U.S. Route 50, and Interstate 66; bordering Upperville, Virginia to the north, Hume, Virginia to the south, Paris, Virginia to the west, and Rectortown, Virginia to the east. Delaplane, Virginia has a ZIP Code of 20144.
Arthur W. "Nick" Arundel was a Harvard graduate and former United States Marine Corps combat officer in the Korean War. Arundel covered Washington, D.C., as a correspondent for CBS News and later The White House for United Press International. The founder of Arundel Communications based near Dulles Airport, he originated in American journalism the concept of 24-hour news cycle All-news radio format at Washington radio station WAVA-FM in 1960. Arundel was board chairman for George Mason College and was instrumental in its expansion from a college, to a university. He was chairman and publisher of the 17 Times Community Newspapers and has been inducted into the Hall of Fame of Virginia Communications.
Paris is an unincorporated hamlet in Fauquier County, Virginia, United States, near the borders of Loudoun and Clarke counties.. Located in Virginia's hunt country, it was established in a strategic spot at the eastern base of Ashby Gap along U.S. Route 17 and U.S. Route 50.
The Foxfield Races are a set of steeplechase races that originated in 1978 and are held twice annually in Albemarle County, Virginia, approximately eight miles northwest of downtown Charlottesville. It is a popular tradition for much of the community as well as students of the University of Virginia and other universities on the East Coast. Foxfield holds two races each year, one in the fall and another in the spring. The fall race has a more family-friendly atmosphere, while the spring race tends to attract a larger proportion of local college students. Each race generally benefits a local organization or charity; previous groups include Service Dogs of Virginia, the Ronald McDonald House, and Kids Pan Alley. There are many different color passes that can be purchased allowing access to certain areas in and around the track itself. Tickets can be purchased from the official website or from numerous outlets around the Charlottesville area, as well as surrounding areas. Traditionally, students and other attendees dress in a Southern, aristocratic style often seen at other steeplechase and horse racing events across the South. Seersucker, bowties, and pastel colors predominate the atmosphere, particularly at the spring race.
The Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area Association (VPHA) is a nonprofit preservation and historic organization in Middleburg, Virginia. Founded in 1995 as the Mosby Heritage Area Association (MHAA), its mission is to educate about, and advocate for, the preservation of the historic, cultural and scenic resources in the Northern Virginia Piedmont.
The Carolina Cup is an annual steeplechase horse race held at the Springdale Race Course in Camden, South Carolina. The race holds the National Steeplechase Association attendance record of 71,000 people. The Carolina Cup has raised thousands of dollars for the local Kershaw County Medical Center.
John S. Gobin is an American six-goal polo player.
The Enduro Cup, was an award given out to the highest points scorers over the three endurance events in Supercars; the Sandown 500, Bathurst 1000 and the Gold Coast 600.
The Middleburg Spring Races are steeplechase Virginia's oldest steeplechase races. The races are held at Glenwood Park in Middleburg, Virginia on the third Saturday in April.