Stoneybrook Steeplechase

[CapeFearRiver10]

http://www.fayobserver.com/article?id=290388

"The popular tailgate contest is scheduled for 11 a.m. The hat contest is at 11:30 a.m. Each year, about 35 to 50 people throw their hats in the ring in hopes of being crowned winners. Prizes will be awarded in seven categories."

http://www.carolinahorsepark.com/chp_news.html

Here is the home site of the park! I hope this event keeps growing maybe they will finally build a Derby stadium. The attendance of this event has grown from 10,000 to 30,000 since 1999!

[ctl]

I was at Stoneybrook today, and I've attended every one for 20 years. Very small crowd today, but the weather was bad.

There was no Stoneybrook 1997-2000. It's more accurate to say that Stoneybrook attendance has been up and down since restarting at Carolina Horse Park. The first year, 2001, was a huge crowd -- basically like the crowds at the Walsh farm in Southern Pines, the original site. 2002 was substantially smaller, as people figured out that CHP was not a drunkfest like the Walsh farm was. 2003-2006 were variable, and 2007 was low because of Easter weekend.

I noticed there were considerably fewer vendors in the merchant area this year. Perhaps that reflects the 2007 fall-off. Couple that with the low turnout today, and CHP will have a difficult time building attendance in 2009.