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And they're off! Let horse racing begin
Fancy hats, big crowds, a corporate sponsor. It's time for the Little Everglades Steeplechase.
By GINA PACE
Published March 8, 2007
DADE CITY - It's time to pick out your fanciest hat and get ready for the races - the Little Everglades Steeplechase is coming Sunday. The horse race, in its eighth year, has doubled as a society soiree, drawing senators, governors and big-business owners who dine on gourmet food and sip cocktails at an open bar. But the event also draws big crowds, and this year more than 15,000 are expected to attend. This year, the race has its first corporate sponsor, Mercedes-Benz, which race founder Bob Blanchard said is recognition of the event's growing prominence. The event opens the Steeplechase Association's race calendar, and is the only such event in Florida. "A lot of people recognize the race for its uniqueness in this area," said Phyllis Smith, the director of the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce. "It is a great day of fun." More than $95,000 in purse money will be at stake in Sunday's races. There also will be Jack Russell terrier races, a hat contest and elegant tailgating parties. Blanchard and his wife, Sharon, have taken over the duty of race directors this year after former director Karen Streaker resigned. On Wednesday, the couple unloaded pallets of red salvias and silver dusty miller to adorn the grounds, as workers poured fresh asphalt for sidewalks and employees and volunteers built tents. Jockeys and horses will start to arrive today. Proceeds from the event will go to the Pioneer Florida Museum, Diabetic Charitable Services and the Quantum Leap Farm. "It's Sharon's and my hope that this steeplechase will go on forever," Bob Blanchard said Wednesday. "We'll do our part to make it happen." Gina Pace can be reached at 352 521-6518 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6518. Her e-mail address is gpace@sptimes.com. If you go Race is Sunday What: Little Everglades Steeplechase. Where: Little Everglades Ranch, off U.S. 301 north of Dade City. When: Sunday. Gates open at 9 a.m. Tickets: General admission tickets are $25 per person and $60 per carload.
[Last modified March 8, 2007, 06:10:17]
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