Steeplechase Racing Comes Galloping Back in Pennsylvania
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Photo by Jim Graham
After a year lost to the pandemic, a new season of races returns reinvented with socially distanced tailgating, private parties and a MASK-querade contest.
Willowdale Steeplechase held the only local race last year, in October rather than May.
After a year lost to COVID-19, there’s really only one goal for the organizers of Willowdale Steeplechase, the Radnor Hunt Races and Point-to-Point at Winterthur: Get back on the horse.
This May, the events resume, rain or shine. In this transitional year, fans can expect fenced-off areas and other measures to ensure that social-distancing protocols are met. In addition to the fancy hats, expect to see masks and other face coverings. Willowdale is rolling out touch-free ticketing and a digital race-day program accessed by a link on a smartphone. Spectator areas on the 145-acre grounds will be reconfigured. “The challenges of the pandemic have forced us to think differently, move out of our comfort zone of business as usual and completely retool,” says Leslie Carpenter, Willowdale’s race director. “Change is uncomfortable, but change is also exciting—and we can’t wait for May 8.”