At its core, Aiken is a horse town – always was and always will be. Horses were already here when the railroad arrived in the Mid-1800’s and the Savannah River Plant was announced in 1950. Horses carried the first settlers to Aiken. Multitudes of horses came in on the railroad as Winter Colonists turned Aiken into a winter haven. Horses arrived giving us flat racing, fox hunting, polo, steeplechasing and every horse discipline imaginable. Every city in the dawn of our great country grew because of the horse.
Today horses have faded away from most hamlets, but not in Aiken. We are still all about the horse as much as we ever were. Farms in and around Aiken are thriving and bustling with horses. Bruce’s Field is packed weekly with world-class events. Sunday afternoon polo at Whitney Field is wall to wall with tailgate parties during the Spring and Fall seasons. The Aiken Training Track is filled with horses training for flat racing and steeplechasing on its sand track. Highfields Event Center has a full calendar of shows and continues to grow. The Aiken Steeplechase is squarely in the middle of this horse juggernaut.
The Aiken Steeplechase is one of the few to hold two nationally sanctioned races each year – Spring and Fall. Tens of thousands of patrons attend both meets but especially in the Spring. The Spring meet is the largest single day sporting event in the CSRA. The sport’s top owners, trainers, and riders from across the eastern seaboard are drawn to Aiken because of the rich history and high quality of the racecourse.
The Aiken Steeplechase was formed by a group of prominent horsemen that included Thomas Hitchcock, Temple Gwathmey Jr., and Harry Worchester Smith. Smith was a textile magnate who had a deep love for horses and Aiken. He authored a book in 1935 titled “Life and Sport in Aiken – And Those Who Made It.” Temple Gwathmey came from a powerful equine family and was one of the leading steeplechase riders in the country by age 20. His passion for steeplechase racing was legendary, but he died early at the age of 23 after a hard spill during a race. Hitchcock was known as the father of American steeplechase horse racing. In addition to the steeplechase course he built on his estate (The Ridge Mile Track in Hitchcock Woods), he founded the Palmetto Golf Club and the Aiken Hounds. In 1930, Smith, Gwathmey, and Hitchcock organized the first steeplechase race meet in Hitchcock Woods along the Aiken Hounds dragline. Over 1,000 onlookers watched the first steeplechase in Aiken including children on horseback from Aiken Prep. With this our history began. Aiken’s Steeplechase flourished until it was suspended for World War II. After the war, Aiken had a population explosion when Savanah River Plant arrived, and many new people moved in. As the community settled into its new form, attention turned again to sport and the Aiken Steeplechase was revived in 1967 after a 25-year hiatus. The tradition of the steeplechase was revived by a stalwart group that included Charlie Bird III, GH Bostwick, MacKenzie Miller, Willard Thompson, Ford Conger, and Paul Mellon. Due to the efforts of this group, the Aiken Steeplechase flourished and grew expansively through the 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s.
The modern history of the Aiken Steeplechase found it co-located with The Aiken Horse Park Foundation on what is today called Bruce’s Field. The events held at Bruce’s Field by The Aiken Horse Park Foundation were a great success and were growing rapidly. At the same time, the Aiken Steeplechase meets were also being held at Bruce’s Field and were growing tremendously in attendance each year. In 2019 the decision was made to find a new home for Aiken Steeplechase so that growth for both parties could continue. A search committee was formed and an undeveloped parcel of land on the outskirts of the east side of downtown Aiken was found and purchased. This property was annexed into the city, and a state-of-the-art steeplechase racecourse was built that included Aiken’s fabled sandy soil, banked turns, and straights. The banking of the racecourse helps horses maintain a constant speed while remaining in balance through the turns. This, along with Aiken’s quick-draining sandy soil, makes for safer footing and has compelled many in the steeplechase world to rate our turf and course quality as one of the finest. Because of the wisdom of our founders, the fabulous array of food and shopping in downtown Aiken and the superb quality of our racecourse, Aiken Steeplechase’s future is very bright.
At both our Spring and Fall meets, you will find southern hospitality at its very finest. Multitudes of steeplechase racing enthusiasts line the inside and outside of the racecourse two rows deep for every race meet. As the number and quality of our races at the Aiken Steeplechase continues to grow, so does our stature as a premier racecourse. The legacy started by our founders and this stalwart group of gentlemen will continue far into the future.
"Because of the wisdom of our founders, the fabulous array of food and shopping in downtown Aiken and the superb quality of our racecourse, Aiken Steeplechase’s future is very bright."