Another season of steeplechase racing is getting closer, continuing the spectacular history of the popular sport in the Delaware Valley, writes Eileen Smith Dallabrida for the Main Line Today. 

The season will open with the Point-to-Point at Winterthur on May 5, continue with the Willowdale Steeplechase on May 11, and wrap up with the Radnor Hunt Races on May 18. 

This year will mark the 93rd running of the Radnor Hunt Races. This event was first held in 1928 at Chesterbrook, on the estate where A.J. Cassatt, president of the Pennsylvania Railroad, bred thoroughbreds. Faithful fans have patronized the races even through the Great Depression and the Great Recession.

Since 1980, the races have benefited the Brandywine Conservancy, which works on preserving open space. 

Winterthur’s Point-to-Point was first held in 1979. Its founder Greta “Greets” Layton proposed organizing steeplechase races to attract people to Winterthur’s museum and gardens. 

The newest of the three is the Willowdale Steeplechase, which debuted in 1993. It was started by esteemed horseman and community champion Dixon Stroud Jr., who built a stunning racecourse on a 160-acre dairy farm in Kennett Square. 

Read more about the history of steeplechase racing in the Main Line Today. 

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