AIKEN - As the horses thunder across the turf of Ford Conger Field during the Aiken Steeplechase, Mimie Percival will be watching with the anxious eye of a professional focused on her own horses as they gallop for the title and a share of the purse money.
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Alan Young takes one of Mimie Percival's horses over a jump during early morning practice near Petticoat Junction.
Ron Cockerille/The Augusta Chronicle
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She's training six horses in her barn outside Petticoat Junction. Ms. Percival said she hopes to have at least two horses in the March 20 Triple Crown event: Unalienable Ride and Run in the Park. But it might be one of her other steeds - Ernie Bay, Chime Choir or John-n-Tom - which are currently scheduled to run in other towns on the steeplechase circuit.
"We never know which horses are ready for different races until we get closer to the race date," she said. "Everything can change depending on how the horse feels."
Ms. Percival will be one of many trainers watching from the sidelines at the Aiken Steeplechase. The second leg of the Aiken Triple Crown, the steeplechase usually draws about 30,000 spectators and has a total purse of $85,000. The event, which includes six races, is part of a national circuit that travels the East Coast.
The Aiken Steeplechase was first run in 1931, but it was suspended during World War II. Almost 40 years after its revival, the sight of thoroughbreds clearing tall, brush-covered fences at full gallop has become the Triple Crown's most popular event, drawing well-dressed swells and everyday people in baggy shorts.
"It certainly draws the biggest crowd," said Georgianna Conger, a board member of the Aiken Steeplechase Association. "Because it's the only event that is part of a national circuit."
Ms. Percival, who moved to the United States 25 years ago from England, is the only Aiken-based steeplechase trainer with horses running this circuit.
After managing a polo team for much of her time in the United States, she decided to come to Aiken five years ago. Her 400-acre farm has its own track and training equipment.
Training steeplechase horses is a relatively new discipline for Ms. Percival. She started training in the fall last year and ran two of her horses in five events. Her only horse to race in the Aiken Steeplechase, Run in the Park, came in fifth.
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Victor Percival, front, and Alan Young take horses owned by Mime Percival to the barn to get ready for an early morning ride near Petticoat Junction.
Ron Cockerille/The Augusta Chronicle
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"I learned to ride a horse before I could walk, so training them has been a lot of fun for me," she said. "Teaching a horse is like teaching a young child, and all of the horses have different personalities so you have to treat each one a little different."
Ms. Percival, with the help of her brother Victor Percival, will train six of the 16 horses she owns. It takes a lot of hard work to train even one horse, she said.
She said watching the event can be agonizing.
"It's terrifying," she said. "Everyone knows your horse is out there and it is much harder to compete at home than it is away."
Reach Peter Gilchrist at (803) 648-1395 or peter.gilchrist@augustachronicle.com.
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