Here are a few photographs I took at this year’s running of the Virginia Gold Cup.
Special thanks to Jimmy and Sonya for the invite.
Images – from personal collection – © 2008 – Jon Rochetti
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The annual running of the Virginia Gold Cup horse races in The Planes, Virginia,about 45 miles from Washington, DC, attracts 35,000 spectators each May.
It all started in 1922 when eight area horsemen organized a four-mile race through the local countryside.
Today, the event has grown to seven races run throughout the afternoon, over a formal cross-country racing circuit between two and four miles long. The mostly former thoroughbred race horses jump dozens of fences, railings and hedges, some over 4 feet in height along the grass circuit. Riders and horses from around the county come to the Gold Cup …read more
One sign of Spring is the annual Marlborough Hunt Races at Roedown farm in Annapolis, Maryland.
In it’s 34th year, the race is also commemorating the Annapolis Subscription Plate, the first recorded formal horse race ever run in Maryland, back in 1743.
While not as well attended as the Virginia Gold Cup on May 3rd (watch here for upcoming details), the Marlborough Hunt Races usually have around 5,000 spectators.
The eleven steeplechase races over the course of the day include distances from ½-mile to over 3 miles. Check out the final race, the Governor’s Cup Hunt Club Challenge team competition, …read more
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