And they´re off at the gold cup!

VIRGINIA IS FOR HORSE LOVERS
After a week of constant rain the skies fi lled with abundant sunshine for over 24,000 spectators who descended upon Great Meadow near The Plains, Virginia, to celebrate the fall International Gold Cup Steeplechase Racing Classic.

CHAMPAGNE TOASTS
Country tweeds, the changing color of autumn leaves and an elegant Hunt Country backdrop set an outdoor stage that was admired by all. Jockeys hailing from fi ve diff erent countries competed for purses in excess of $100,000 during the seven nationally sanctioned races, which boasted a record number of horses in the field.

WINNERS CIRCLE
Randolph D. Rouse’s Fields of Omagh ridden by Tom Foley took home the famed Gold Cup trophy and its $35,000 purse. Kate Sandhoff won the time-honored tailgate competition for her hunt country cocktails and cuisine and over-the-top decorations. She received two fi rst-class roundtrip tickets aboard American Airlines to a destination of her choice.

Jennifer Cheadle, Chuck Ghoorah, Shannon Brewer, John Cecchi and Nancy Margaret Rey

David holiday, Hope Bass and Stuart Holiday	Michael and Holly Muldoon

jump	Cathy Kerkem and Mike Ferrell

Osmar Nunez and Sara Mohamedian

Colleen Hahn, Evelyn Keyer, Anissa Lubin and Joanna Banks	race for the finish

Robin Keys	Annabell and Talbot Rice

Sterling Young	Natalia Simonora and Chip Dent

PHOTOS BY KYLE SAMPERTON