The 2024 International Gold Cup won’t be run at Great Meadow in the Plains next month. Instead, the races will move to Glenwood Park in Middleburg.
The National Steeplechase Association, the governing body for jump racing, found Great Meadow’s course to be in disrepair and unsafe. Without a sanction from the association, the races can’t take place.
“The safety of the horses and jockeys is our top priority for the Virginia Gold Cup Association as a race meet, and it is also the most important responsibility and focus of the NSA,” said Al Griffin, co-chairman of the Virginia Gold Cup Association.
“The NSA has been monitoring the conditions of Great Meadow for years now, and the board of the NSA took action that is in keeping with the mandate to provide safe racing conditions for their constituents,” Griffin continued.
The Virginia Gold Cup Association holds the October International Gold Cup and the spring Virginia Gold Cup. It rents the course from Great Meadow for $300,000 a year. The lease calls for Great Meadow “to maintain the course in top condition and according to NSA standards,” the association said.
Griffin, who presides over the national association, recused himself during deliberations about Great Meadow to avoid any conflict.
Considered a highlight of the steeplechase season, the International Gold Cup has been around since 1930 when it first ran in Tennessee. After racing there, it moved to Pennsylvania and then to Great Meadow in 1983. The first Virginia race happened in 1984 with 80 horses in seven races as 8,500 people watched. These days, the races attract 35,000 spectators.
Tickets for the International Gold Cup on Saturday, October 26, will be honored at Glenwood Park. The International Gold Cup ticket office is reaching out to ticketholders with details.
Feature image by John Nelson
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