Plan Your Menu with Travel in Mind

When tailgating at Montpelier Races, it's essential to plan a menu that travels well and can be displayed for several hours. Finger foods are your best friends, as they make serving easy and allow your fellow tailgaters to graze throughout the day. Think about a spread of delectable crudites that can be nibbled at leisure. For those cooler fall days, consider hot dishes like chili or soup. These can be kept warm with insulated coolers (which aren't just for cold drinks) and tabletop heaters. Of course, no tailgate is complete without a well-stocked bar. For safety, opt for plastic or stemless glasses, and don't forget the garnishes – because what's a Bloody Mary without the iconic celery stick?

Let Your Decorations Shine

To set your Montpelier Races tailgate apart, go all out with decorations and displays. Start by planning a theme, and see if you can incorporate items you already have on hand. Some popular themes include fox hunting decor, fall themes with pumpkins, plaid, and autumn colors, and the classic racing theme featuring jockey silks and numbered saddlecloths. Flowers are always a lovely touch, and even simple branches of fall-colored leaves can make a significant impact on your setup.

Embrace the Annual Theme

At Montpelier, the Tailgate Contest keeps things fresh and creative by choosing a new theme each year. This year's theme is "Home on the Range," celebrating all things West of the Mississippi. Channel your inner cowboy or cowgirl and rustle up some dishes that will impress the judges… Think of chuck wagons, southwestern dishes, and other campfire favorites. Keep in mind that judging is based on a 50% score for food and a 50% score for presentation. To get in the mood for a Western extravaganza, consider renting a few old cowboy movies and immersing yourself in the Wild West spirit.

This year's chef judge is Jason Guckert from Main Street Tavern, one of the event sponsors. Joining him is Wine & Country, a long-time partner of Montpelier Races. Both Main Street Tavern and Wine & Country are great sources of inspiration for building your tailgate experience. Check out their ideas for tailgating and impressing your friends on their website: https://wineandcountrylife.com/virginia-steeplechase-tailgating-bar-ideas/. Additionally, you can take a look at their review of our 2021 Tailgate Contest winners to see what it takes to come out on top: https://wineandcountrylife.com/montpelier-tailgate-contest-2021/.

The Montpelier Races offer a unique and exciting tailgating experience that's a departure from the norm. With delicious food, creative decorations, and a bit of Wild West spirit, you can make your 2023 tailgate a memorable and winning affair. So, saddle up and get ready to enjoy the camaraderie and fun at the Montpelier Races Tailgate Contest – it's an event like no other!

Several years ago the Dolley Madison Hat Contest was started at Montpelier Races. It is free to enter and now has seven categories for judging; children’s entry, gentlemen’s entry and group entry being some of the most unique. There is even a category for the best racing theme which sometimes inspires participants to create a miniature track on the hat brim. But no matter what the category, original or elegant, child or group, it is all good fun! Judging is done by a local TV celebrity, this year Delaney Tharp will do the honors along with a member of the Montpelier Steeplechase Board of Directors and representative from Dubarry of Ireland, our long time Hat Contest Sponsor.

If you can’t arrange for a hat before Race Day, don’t despair! There will be several vendors in the Montpelier Market with hats for sale including Sequoia Springs and Sunflower Trading Co. From the fabulous to the practical you’ll be able to find a chapeau worthy of the day!

Every Sunday morning at 8AM several buses with the entire Cadet Corps from OCHC JROTC is on site, organized into groups, partitions the entire race site into manageable parts and begins picking up the bagged trash and litter from the 18,000 or so spectators. Accomplished like a military mission, with clear leadership from the cadets and a unfailing enthusiasm to do the job in record time, the clean up goes remarkably quickly. On Race Day the JROTC provides a color guard for the display during the National Anthem preceding the day’s racing.

But what is the JROTC? As congressionally mandated each military service must have a Junior Reserved Officer Training program to “instill in students in United States secondary educational institutions the values of citizenship, service to the United States, and personal responsibility and a sense of accomplishment.” JROTC’s mission, “To Motivate Young People to be Better Citizens”, is the guide post for the program’s success. From our experience the program at Orange County High School is accomplishing the mission with tremendous success. The Montpelier Hunt Races is in turn a supporter of the Military Ball hosted by the JROTC each spring. The ball follows military protocol with all cadet guests in uniform, a receiving line and a presentation for the fallen. As part of the Orange community, we are happy to support programs and opportunities like the JROTC which are such valuable opportunities for our secondary students.

Jack Russell Terrier Races evolved at “horsey” events because many horsemen value the dog for a pet because they are intelligent, spirited, independent and super affectionate. And they are also good jumpers, able to jump about 4 times their height! Like steeplechasing JRT races probably evolved from a simple dare and the more formalized event you see today was born!

The Jack Russell Terrier Races at Montpelier Races are the first event of the day, starting at 10:15am and they draw a great crowd of enthusiastic spectators. We have a loyal “stable” of participants including one dog who raced here for about 13 years, Mr. Niblett. At his passing his owners honored him with a perpetual trophy and the Mr. Niblett Memorial Race for Senior Dogs is always highly contested.

In the early 1900’s when William DuPont was searching for a home for his young family he looked at many properties in Virginia, and settled on Montpelier for its potential as an equestrian property. Soon barns and ponies were added. Much of the farm work was done with horses and an annual horse show was held on the grounds. When William died in 1928, he left the property to his daughter Marion, a rider herself who had recently become enamored with horse racing. She immediately began transforming it into a Thoroughbred breeding and training facility, with great success. 

Marion and her brother William designed and built the steeplechase course and the flat training track.  In the early 1930’s they started a horse race around the property which evolved into a true steeplechase race by 1934 , the Montpelier Hunt Races. For the Races, Marion opened the property to the public and it quickly became a not-to-be missed event in Orange County. Marion’s former husband, actor Randolph Scott, made an appearance at an early race meet, and she entertained the morning of the Races with a traditional oyster stew. After her death, in 1983, there was some concern that the Races would continue, but a generous family member stepped in to support the tradition as the property transitioned to a National Trust for Historic Preservation site. Eventually, admission would be charged to pay for all the expenses of the Races, including purses. Held the first Saturday in November, it is now so popular that Orange County residents say, “in Orange you might miss Christmas, but you don’t miss the Races”!

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Secretariat’s magnificent Triple Crown victory, which was the first after a dry spell of 25 years.  The public had begun to wonder if it was still possible. And then Secretariat more than delivered, breaking a track record in each race and winning the Belmont with an astonishing 31 lengths. He was a phenomenon, a wonder horse, and he belongs to Virginia in a unique way.

Not only was Secretariat born in Caroline County, Virginia,  the story of how his ancestor came to be in America has Virginia Roots.

In 1935, Kentucky was already eclipsing the commonwealth as the cradle of great racehorses. Marion DuPont, on her way to becoming the first lady of American Racing and owner of Montpelier the former home of 4th President James Madison, and her older brother William decided it would be a good idea to have a first rate Thoroughbred stallion stand at stud in Virginia. Marion travelled to England on a mission and picked out a well respected sire and successful racehorse, Blenheim II. But The Aga Khan would not sell except for steep price of $225,000, just shy of $5 million dollars in today’s currency. The DuPont siblings felt this was too great a price for them alone and they formed a syndicate including  Warren Wright (Calumet Farm), Arthur B. Hancock (Claiborne Farm), J.H. Whitney (Greentree Stud), John D. Hertz (Stoner Creek Stud), and Robert A. Fairbairn (Fairholme Farm) and themselves. He was imported after the 1936 breeding season and stood at Claibourne Farm, in Kentucky. So much for the Virginia Sire.

Blenheim validated Marion’s judgement. His first crop of foals in the US included Whirlaway, the 1941 Triple Crown winner. He was named leading sire in the US in 1941. His other great progeny are too numerous to elaborate here but among them was great-great grandson, Bold Ruler, and sire of Secretariat.

For more information about Marion DuPont visit www.montpelierraces.org

For more information about Blenheim II visit https://www.tbheritage.com/Portraits/Blenheim.html