Races off and running

Dade City's first steeplechase progresses smoothly, and organizers say it could become an annual, sanctioned event.

By CHASE SQUIRES

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 20, 2000

DADE CITY -- With two weeks to go before the inaugural Little Everglades Point to Point Race brings the glamor of steeplechase horse racing to town, organizers say the event is galloping down the homestretch without a hitch.

Race director Karen Streaker said organizing the all-day celebration of racing and elegant tailgating has tested everyone involved, but the event is proceeding well and on track for an auspicious debut.

"I think for our first year, we've done quite well," she said. The event, a Dade City first, is set for March 5 at the 1,700-acre Little Everglades Ranch, just north of town off Jordan Road.

Organizers, while still hoping to attract more sponsors, have enough to make the event financially secure, Streaker said.

Streaker was out at the site this week, pounding fence posts and setting up the track as she conducted business from a cellular telephone.

"It's taken over my life," she said. Longtime National Steeplechase Association board member and horseman George Sloan has been advising local organizers as they lay out the one-mile track over the ranch's hilly pastures. The site, he said, is a natural.

"It's working great," Sloan said this week. "The land couldn't be better for it."

Sloan said the national organization is excited about the Dade City event and is already considering expanding it and making the event a yearly tradition.

"Really, this year is to sort of let people come down, let them check it out, and see how they like it," he said. "Then, we put in a permanent course."

The NSA will begin accepting entries for the Dade City race next week, and Streaker expects there will be enough interested to run four to five two-mile races.

A point-to-point race is a steeplechase run by young horses and jockeys without jeopardizing their amateur status. There is no prize money, and a winning horse would still be considered a maiden in professional circles, eligible for races that feature horses that have never officially won.

Streaker said organizers are already talking about making the Dade City race a sanctioned event, with prize money and the status of a nationally recognized outing.

Sloan said trainers are eager to get into Florida because the season can open earlier. Traditionally, steeplechase races are held at multirace meets during the spring and fall, most on the eastern seaboard, from Pennsylvania to Georgia.

But a race last year at the Calder horse track in Miami was a success, and this year the NSA is sanctioning a race at Tampa Bay Downs on March 4, the day before the Dade City meet.

Sloan recalled what turned out to be an important luncheon last June with NSA officials, Tampa Bay Downs track owner Stella Thayer, and enthusiasts from the South Creek Equestrian Club when the seeds were planted for a Dade City tie-in to the Tampa Bay Downs race.

"It all sort of came from that," he said. "The major organization of steeplechase is behind this 100 percent because we want it to be an annual event."

South Creek riders went on to become a driving force for the Dade City race and are co-hosts for the races with the Pioneer Florida Museum.

The South Creek Equestrian Club is a co-host for the races with the Pioneer Florida Museum.

Streaker said the community has shown great interest in the Dade City day of racing. A Tampa Bay area Land Rover dealership is a major sponsor, and several families have ordered tented areas for their own private picnics.

At steeplechase events, much of the activity involves the parties inside the infield as revelers strive to outdo each other with fancy table settings, catered buffets and fancy hats and costumes.

Streaker said judges will award prizes to the best tailgaters, horse drawn carriage enthusiasts will be on hand to show off some of their grandest carriages and horse teams, and a Jack Russell terrier club will feature dog races in the infield.

General admission to the races is $5 per person, or $25 for a full car. Reserved parking spots ideal for tailgating are $60, with railside parking for $125 and $250.

Families can rent a tent, with parking spots, for $500, while larger tents are available for $1,500, $3,000, and $5,000.

The Pioneer Florida Museum is the beneficiary of the event, with half the proceeds being donated to the museum.

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