AIKEN - Donning a wide-brimmed, black straw hat adorned with salmon- and ebony-hued ostrich feathers, Sherry Maugans was a walking advertisement for the one-of-a-kind hats she and her mother sold at Saturday's Aiken Spring Steeplechase.
|
Barzulu (right), ridden by Matthew McCarron, heads for the finish as second-place finisher Shady Valley (center), ridden by Robert Walsh, follows close behind during the Regions Bank Imperial Cup race at the Aiken steeplechase.
Michael Holahan/Augusta Chronicle
|
"I like the feathers and the froufrou. My mother likes more warm colors and hats that are more simple," said Mrs. Maugans, 43, of Charleston, S.C. "But the bottom line is, if you like a hat, you will wear it."
The mother-daughter duo of hatters were among dozens of vendors who set up shop in the middle of Ford Conger Field for the 39th steeplechase, the second leg of the Aiken Triple Crown. After a chilly, overcast morning, the sun broke through the clouds like a horse out of the gates for the sellout crowd of about 30,000.
Watching the horses thunder down the backstretch and jump over the fences is a tradition. Alan Darlington, who trained horses for 17 years in Aiken and now serves as a senior patrol judge, carefully watched the horses and riders as they sped over grassy track.
"The spring steeplechase is always bigger than the fall," Mr. Darlington said. "I live in Charles Town, W.Va., but Aiken is such a great, pleasant place to train horses."
Gillian Johnston, of Orpington, England, the owner of two-time Imperial Cup winner Snowball Flannagan, says Aiken is one of her favorite racing venues.
|
Steeplechase fans line the fence as they root for their favorite horse at the Aiken Spring Steeplechase. A sellout crowd of about 30,000 turned out Saturday.
Michael Holahan/Augusta Chronicle
|
"I've been coming here for 20 years and I love the social aspect," Mrs. Johnston said. "The atmosphere is very laid-back, very similar to the way the English do it. Even though we all know each other, you all have a common love for horses."
Reach Karen Ethridge at (803) 648-1395, ext. 109.
IF YOU GO
What: The Aiken Polo Tournament
Where: Powderhouse Polo Field
When: Gates open at 11 a.m. Saturday; post time is 2 p.m.
Tickets: General admission costs $10 at the gate; tickets for children 6-12 cost $6 at the gate; children 5 and younger get in free
Contact: (803) 641-3406
E-mail this story
Printer-friendly version
