Timber Racing (Steeplechase) on 60 minutes

[Stevecsd]

If you didn't see the segment on 60 minutes on 4/23 about "timber" racing (basically steeplechase), you can catch it on 60 Minutes Overtime.

http://www.cbsnews.com/60-minutes/overtime/

The horses run a 4 MILE course with 20 fences and water hazards. It was amazing to watch them.

They profiled one horse, Senior Senator, who had run on regular tracks. But apparently he didn't like being cooped up in a stall. They said EVERY time he went from the paddock to the starting gate he would buck off his jockey. They called him a crazy horse. When they brought him to the farms for the steeplechase races, they let him loose and very quickly he started jumping the fences on his own. His whole temperament turned around. He has done a lot better on the open courses.

[Scanman]

It was nice to see 60 Minutes give timber racing a positive profile. Senior Senator ran and won at Grand National (Butler) on Saturday as a prep for the MD Hunt Cup this Saturday. For anyone who lives in the Monkton area, the MD Hunt Cup is a race everyone should see once in their life.

The race that they showed where horses were running through the pond was at Great Meadow racecourse in near The Plains, Virginia. The race that features that obstacle is called the Steeplethon. Great Meadow has a spring and fall meeting. Gorgeous jumps racecourse, probably the finest in the US. In the past couple of years, they've also carded quite a few flat races and pari-mutual betting is available. Once again, another "must-see" racecourse for anyone interested in racing.