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In Nashville, Tennessee, amidst the bustling competition of the Iroquois Steeplechase where jockeys and horse owners vie for top prizes, a beloved tradition continues to steal the spotlight: the parade of foxhounds.
On Saturday, over 20 foxhounds, a breed known for their prowess in running alongside horses and hunters, graced the turf course. As the excitement of race day began, spectators eagerly snapped photos and videos of the hounds in action.
The huntsman, accompanied by his team known as whippers-in, faced the challenging task of guiding the hounds through the course. This task becomes even more daunting with the presence of thousands of fans in the infield, not to mention the tempting aromas of tailgating delights.
According to Charles Montgomery, a master and huntsman with the Mells Foxhounds, one particular hound was so charmed by the adoration of fans that she strayed from the course. “She had the best time,” Montgomery recounted, noting her fondness for the beer tents.
Montgomery humorously added that this hound enjoyed the beer tent so much that she repeated her detour the following year. Consequently, she is no longer part of the race day lineup.
The Iroquois Steeplechase is one of the premier American steeplechase races, with a total of $730,000 awarded in purses, on a grass turf course with hurdles that opened in 1941 as a Works Progress Administration project. The Nashville race was founded by members of the Hillsboro Hounds, another fox hunting club in the Nashville area.
Steeplechase racing and fox hunting are wedded together, said Stephen Heard, one of the trustees of the Iroquois Steeplechase and a member of the Mells Foxhounds group. The tradition came from the British Isles, where horses were raced from church steeple to church steeple and trained to jump obstacles like fences while hunting with dogs.
“Many of the horses that we use fox hunting are ex-steeplechase horses, Heard said.
With 25,000 spectators who are eating and drinking in tents and in the stands, the dogs need some time to adjust to the noise and smells.
“I took one dog last year and he heard the speakers and he said, ‘This is not for me,’” Charles Montgomery said.
“It’s high pressure,” said Boo Montgomery, one of the whippers-in. When a child held out a fried chicken leg through the rails one time, it was a temptation no hound could resist. “You couldn’t fault Brightly for stopping and having a snack,” she said, of one of the foxhounds.
Charles Montgomery said he usually will bring the veteran hunting hounds who can guide the younger ones along the course. On the morning of the race, the hounds bounded off their trailer, eager to sniff grass and chew on sticks and roll in the clover.
The hounds wear GPS-equipped collars whenever they hunt and when they come to the racetrack. That came in handy last year when a dog got spooked and took off into the wooded park nearby.
While the racetrack is not their normal working environment, the hounds seem to enjoy the challenge that comes with kicking off the horse races, Boo Montgomery said.
“It’s a great exposure for hunting to get to see these hounds and the horses,” Boo Montgomery said. “It’s nice to be able to show off.”