Queens Cup
If you live in Charlotte or are fortunate enough to visit in the spring, you may want to make sure you allocate time to attend the Queen’s Cup held in nearby Mineral Springs every year on the last Saturday of April.Thousands come each year to see some of the most athletic thoroughbred horses in the country compete at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour as jockeys and horses clear four and a half foot jumps over a rolling turf course (of up to three miles). The purse comes in over 90,000, and friends and family enjoy spirited mingling and heart-felt socializing each year.If you’re planning to attend, our friends at the National Steeplechase Association have provided the following glossary terms to help anyone better understand the excitement they are seeing.
Allowance: A race restricted to horses with certain records. Example: A “non-winners of two” allowance is open only to horses with one victory or less.Claiming: Certain races are designated as “claiming races,” wherein a horse may be purchased (or claimed). The claim is made and money advanced before the race is started.Furlong: The standard measure in U.S. racing. One furlong equals one eighth of a mile.Maiden: A horse that has never won a race. In steeple chasing, a horse that has won on the flat is still a steeplechase maiden, meaning even a champion on the flat would “start over” as a maiden in steeple chasing.National Fence: A man-made fence used at most stops in the U.S. and in all major track steeple chasing, so named because the standard fence was developed by the National Steeplechase Association.Paddock: Area where horses are saddled before a race.Purse: Total money distributed in a race after the race is run. The winner usually collects 60 percent of total purse, with the balance portioned out and paid through fifth place.Start: Steeplechase races don’t start from a gate. Instead, horses are lined up in post position order and start from a standstill or a walk.Timber fence: Natural, wooden fence constructed of boards, logs or posts and rails.Wings: The panels on either side of a steeplechase fence which are designed to guide a horse to a fence.