About The Race
Not your ordinary day of racing at Monmouth Park, the Monmouth Park-Meridian Health Steeplechase Festival will be an exciting day with the first steeplechase races this community has seen in close to 15 years, as well as many family friendly activities and entertainment to make this a unique and memorable experience. Otherwise known as jump racing, steeplechase racing features a series of jumps and obstacles, and is most often held at official “race meetings” held throughout the country.
Presented in partnership with the National Steeplechase Association, the Monmouth Park-Meridian Health Steeplechase Festival will bring the excitement of steeplechase racing back to the community, with the proceeds from the day benefiting patient care programs at Meridian Health’s medical centers, which include Jersey Shore University Medical Center and K. Hovnanian Children’s Medical Center in Neptune, Ocean Medical Center in Brick, and Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank.
The day begins at Monmouth Park with traditional flat races, followed by steeplechase races.
About The Tradition
With a rich history of horse breeding and racing, Monmouth County was the home to a beloved steeplechase horse racing tradition, with horses from around the country competing in what was commonly known as the Monmouth Hunt.
For decades, the annual event was supported by many dedicated individuals from the community, featuring an exciting day of steeplechase horse racing and raising charitable funds for local not-for-profit organizations, including local hospitals. A grassroots group, including several individuals connected to the original Monmouth Hunt, Senator Joe Kyrillos, Monmouth Park, and the Meridian Health Affiliated Foundations, are leading the effort to bring the steeplechase racing tradition back to our community through the Steeplechase Festival.
As with the original Monmouth Hunt, many steeplechase race meetings take place on private farms. The Monmouth Park-Meridian Health Steeplechase Festival is the first program ever offered at a pari-mutuel facility in the United States.
About Monmouth Park
Monmouth Park-Meridian Health Steeplechase Festival Honorary Committee
Meredyth Armitage
Senator Jennifer Beck
Leonard S. Coleman
John F. Croddick
Virginia Croddick
Domenic M. DiPiero
Dennis Drazin
Betsy Schmalz Ferguson
David L. Flood, President, Meridian Health Foundation
Mollie Giamanco
Thomas J. Gravina
Hope Haskell Jones
Robert S. Jones, Jr.
George Kolber, Chairperson, Meridian Health Foundation
Robert J. Kulina
Senator Joseph M. Kyrillos
John K. Lloyd, President, Meridian Health
Edward J. McKenna, Jr.
Mindy Minerva
Bruce Rodman
Anita Roselle
Chrisie Scott
Carol Stillwell
Todd E. Thompson
Stevens V.V. Thompson
About Steeplechase Racing
Steeplechase racing includes all the thrills and speed of horse racing at flat tracks. It mixes in the precision of jumping to create a hybrid not unlike hurdle events in track and field where the premium is on speed, but the concern is focused squarely on the jumps. The races are between two and four miles in length. The fences are 52-inch hurdles called National Fences or timber jumps constructed of posts and rails at varying heights. Thoroughbred horses, almost all of them converted flat racers, compete at 33 National Steeplechase Association stops and at some of the nation's finest racetracks.
Source: National Steeplechase Association
About The Meridian Health Affiliated Foundations
The Meridian Health Affiliated Foundations work closely with individuals, families, physicians, foundations, companies, auxiliaries, and volunteers throughout the community to raise important funds necessary to advance the quality health care services critical to the health and wellness of the Monmouth and Ocean County region.
The Meridian Health Foundation supports the medical centers and health care services of Meridian Health, which includes Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Ocean Medical Center, Riverview Medical Center, K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital, and the Meridian Partner Companies.
For more information on the Foundation, please call 732-751-5100 or visit www.MeridianHealth.com
