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No roses run, but a lot of fun

Every year, more folks get into the spirit of the fundraiser, and fun is the theme for the entire day.

By KIT INGALLS
Published March 12, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Times photo: Lance Aram Rothstein] Horses clear a hedge during the first race of the Little Everglades Steeplechase in Dade City on Sunday. The first race was the $15,000 Maiden Claiming Hurdle, which was won by Summersville and jockey Russell Haynes. Proceeds from the eighth annual event will go to charity.

DADE CITY - Tanya Maldonado flew down from West Haven, Conn., just to attend her first Little Everglades Steeplechase. She quickly got into the spirit of the event, sporting a hat that appeared to be a box with four horses and a paddock scene on top. Horse-themed trinkets adorned the sides.

As Maldonado, 28, balanced her creation on her head and competed for most unusual and funniest hat, thoroughbreds gathered in a nearby paddock to prepare for the first race Sunday. Summersville held off Sheriff Dillon to win the $15,000 Maiden Claiming Hurdle Race, while Corporate Quest and La Resistance ran the 21/4-mile race after ditching their riders.

The biggest cheers - and moans - came during the big race, the $40,000 Founders Cup, when Riddle overtook Hidden Key, the early leader and a crowd favorite, in the last quarter mile to win.

In the infield, cheers mixed with laughter at a much shorter track. There, Jack Russell terriers chased a furry lure for 150 feet - unless they were distracted.

Cody stopped to remove his muzzle, pulling it off with his paw, before he finished the race.

"I think if he didn't have the mask on, he'd run," said owner Jesse DiBernardo of Palm Harbor. Cody finished last.

Partner stopped just short of the finish line, ran back to the beginning and then back to the end - finishing last in his group. "He's a ham," said owner Mike Colalillo of Ocala.

"This is mostly for show, exhibition and fun," said Shelley Holland from Lady Lake, whose terrier Heaven Hill Will Be Quick won a national championship last year at Gray Summit, Mo. Holland also entered Madeline, a rough-coated rescue. "She won't win, but she's my baby," Holland said.

Nearby, members of the Fun T Club of Central Florida displayed 12 Model T Fords. Tom Hammatt and his wife, Shirl, came from Brooksville in their 1923 woody.

"It was originally a delivery hack," Tom Hammatt said. "It's not a comfortable vehicle, I'll tell you. But it's a fun car."

On the south and east sides of the track, people setting up elegant tailgating parties were automatically entered in the tailgating competition.

Louise Mayo, Nita Berry and Liz Brehmer won a ribbon for the fourth year in a row. Staging a luau, with drinks served in cored pineapples, the friends from Dover in east Hillsborough transformed two tents into a tropical island, complete with smoking volcano.

While some picnickers created a miniature paradise, others sprawled on beach blankets. And still others paid $2,500 for tables of eight at the lawn boxes, where Bloody Marys and champagne begin flowing before noon. Filet mignon was an option at one tent. So were sausages and super dogs and corn dogs.

A gigantic picnic, Little Everglades had a vintage feel. Buglers heralded each race. Steve McFarland came from Mount Holly, N.C., to add his bagpipes to the ceremonies in the winner's circle.

There were no roses in the paddock, but there were kumquat trees, thoroughbreds, crazy hats and thousands of people to appreciate them.

[Last modified March 11, 2007, 22:56:52]