The 79th Iroquois Steeplechase is Selling a Safer-At-Home Alternative

The Iroquois Steeplechase is an iconic sporting event that has been Nashville's rite of spring since 1941. Held the second Saturday of May at Percy Warner Park, the annual event attracts more than 25,000 spectators and is Music City's celebration of time-honored traditions, Tennessee hospitality and southern fashions. The event also supports several philanthropic causes and has donated more than $10 million to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt since 1981.

The Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt is one of the nation's leading children's hospitals, treating and helping to prevent a full range of pediatric health issues from colds and broken bones to complex heart diseases and cancer. The Department of Pediatrics within the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine is currently ranked fourth in the nation in the total receipt of research funding from the National Institutes of Health. Children’s Hospital’s physicians are nationally recognized innovators in their fields who are discovering new ways to cure and prevent a host of childhood diseases. Their work is preventing and finding new treatments for diseases such as premature birth, cancer, heart disease, spina bifida, trauma and many other conditions, and is an investment in the future. Achieving ten out of ten nationally ranked pediatric specialties in 2018, Children’s Hospital was again named among the nation’s “Best Children’s Hospitals” for the twelfth consecutive year by U.S. News & World Report. The Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, a nonprofit organization, opened in 2004, expanded its physical space in 2012, and is currently adding four new floors and 160,000 total sq. ft. The new expansion will help advance the size and scope of the hospital's mission. To learn more, visit childrenshospitalvanderbilt.org.

This, year, with safer at home precautions in place on the normal race day in May, the event had been re-scheduled to the end of June. Despite best hopes, even that date to gather with thousands of revelers proved impossible for planners to allow. In light of COVID-19 and the safety of all participants involved in the seventy-ninth running of the Iroquois Steeplechase, presented by Bank of America, the organization is launching a “Party In A Box” and “Cooler At Home Tailgate” for a safer-at-home celebration on the event’s canceled race day - June 27th. In making the announcement, Iroquois Steeplechase Chairman Dwight Hall said, “Since box-holders won’t be able to come to their box on our race day, we’re bringing a box to them. This way, families and friends can still gather and celebrate Nashville’s grand tradition in their own homes and backyards while watching highlights from previous years on News Channel 5.”

WTVF News Channel 5 is producing and broadcasting an Iroquois Steeplechase special to be broadcast on Saturday, June 27th from 6 to 7 p.m. The broadcast will share highlights of the races from previous years, explore the history of Nashville’s grand tradition and recognize and honor the primary event beneficiary The Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. Chairman Dwight Hall added, “We can’t stress enough the importance of raising funds in 2020 to ensure the future of the Iroquois Steeplechase for years to come. We must secure funds to continue operations and to handle expenses which range from course maintenance to fencing, barn upkeep, party decks, irrigation for eleven acres of the course plus all operational expenses such as staffing, insurance, rent and ordinary business expenses. We want our patrons to enjoy the spirit of the Iroquois Steeplechase as they help ensure our future. We hope this helps keep us alive as we jump this hurdle together.”