Expect changes at Steeplechase

There will be some changes to this Saturday's Aiken Spring Steeplechase. The modifications to this year's races include reducing the number of fences from 13 to nine and shortening the length of the races from 2¼ miles to 2 miles.

The reason the changes were made is because of the number of falls that had occurred over the last fence, in particular last spring, that created legitimate concerns and caused the National Steeplechase Association's racing committee to reassess the number of national fences, not only at the Aiken Spring Steeplechase, but also at some of the other race courses, said Barry Watson, NSA safety inspector.

"We decided to reduce the distance to 2 miles, letting the horses have a break early in the year. It's too early to go 2¼ miles," said Watson. "The racing committee had further concerns about the perception of the fan base (because of the number of falls last spring)."

There was discussion about eliminating the last fence, and, after polling the riders, Watson thought of eliminating fences on the turn which would give the horses more energy and fewer problems.

"In England and Ireland, there are specific formulas for jumping over certain distances," said Watson.

Another change spectators may notice during Saturday's races is the national fence the horses will be jumping over. A national fence, according to the NSA, consists of a steel frame that is stuffed with plastic brush, stands 52 inches high, is a foam rubber roll, covered with green canvas and is placed on the takeoff side.

A ground line will be introduced to add contrast to the bottom of the roll, said Watson.

"The ground line will give horses a better look at the fences; they run with ground lines in Great Britain, France and Ireland," said Watson, who thought the introduction of the ground line would be a good idea to incorporate into the roll. "They'll help a great deal."