Page 66 - The Hunt - Spring 2021

“The cha“llenges of the pandemic have forced us to think differently, move out of our comfort zone of business as usual and completely retool.” —Willowdale Steeplechase’s
Leslie Carpenter
future of the American jockey colony. “The steeplechase community did not quit,” he wrote. “Rather, in this struggle, we were persistent, resilient and cohesive. The spring season will continue to challenge us. But this past year has served to put us in a position to weather that storm, too.”
COVID is not the first global event to curtail the Radnor Hunt Races, which were first run in 1928 at Chesterbrook, the former estate of A.J. Cassatt, president of the Pennsylvania Railroad and brother of Impressionist painter Mary Cassatt. The races were suspended from 1943
to 1945 due to World War II. In 1946, Radnor galloped back, as George Brooke II supervised the construction of a new course on the present Radnor Hunt club property with the aid of Morris Dixon, Thomas McCoy Jr. and George Strawbridge Sr.
Smith and the other race directors are champing at the bit to restore cherished racing traditions. “The high is when you have a safe meet and everyone had a wonderful time,” says Smith. SL
30 STEEPLECHASE LOOKBOOK 2021 | todaymediainc.com
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