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Remuneration (left) ridden by Bill Bernard, races down the stretch with Past Due, ridden by John Hamilton, during The Gaver Trophy one quarter mile race at the Aiken Track Trials. Remuneration won the race.
Kevin Martin/The Augusta Chronicle
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AIKEN - Austin Goodwin, 3, was sporting a pair of green-and-silver sunglasses while his grandmother, Lisa Wright, held him up to see his favorite part of the Aiken Trials - the fast horses.
"Every year, this is the one event that I don't miss," said Mrs. Wright, 40, of Aiken. "I've always come to this event since I was a child."
The bright sunshine and sapphire-blue skies Saturday drew thousands to the Aiken Training Track for the 62nd running of the Aiken Trials. The event, the first leg of the Aiken Triple Crown, gives younger horses a taste of racing in front of a large and energetic crowd.
"I don't have a total number, but I know that this is definitely one of the best years ever," said Aiken Trials Project Chairman Mike Fanning. "Parking and everything seemed to go very smoothly."
During Saturday's Aiken Steeplechase, the second leg of the Aiken Triple Crown, there will be no parking along streets in the Horse District. There will also be no parking at the Powderhouse Polo Fields because it will be the site of the Aiken Polo Round Robin Tournament on March 27, rounding out the third leg.
The Aiken Red Hat Society, better known as the Dames of Aiken, was in full color and full force, donning decorated hats of resilient red.
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Sarah Bernard, 4 (right) and her sister, Isabella, 2, ride stick horses at the Aiken Track Trials Saturday Billy Bernard, the girls' father, won the first race of the afternoon.
Kevin Martin/The Augusta Chronicle
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"Last year, you couldn't even walk into the infield without walking in mud," said "Queen Mom" Bobbie Ann Roberts. "This year, we can wear our hats and our heels, parade and sashay and just have fun."
While most of the crowd rushed to the rails to see the races, Katherine Smith and her father, Bill Franke, of Augusta, stayed in their lawn chairs in front of the paddock, where the horses were led out before the races. For the past 20 years, they have been coming to the Aiken Trials.
"I like this better than the races because you can see the horses up close, and they are beautiful," Ms. Smith said.
Penny Alexander and her husband, Jed, of Aiken, have been coming to the event since 1998.
"We've roasted here, frozen here and nearly drowned here. This year, it's wonderful," Mrs. Alexander said.
"We brought some friends here for their first time, and it definitely won't be their last."
WHAT: 38th Renewal of the Aiken Spring Steeplechase
WHEN: Gates open at 9:30 a.m. Saturday; first race is at 1 p.m.
WHERE: Ford Conger Field, off Powderhouse Road in Aiken
COST: $10 in advance, $15 on race day
Parking: Prices for permits vary in advance; limited race-day parking costs $10
CONTACT: Steeplechase office: (803) 648-9641
Reach Karen Ethridge at (803) 648-1395.
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