Color, style, speed and rain mark 39th Point-to-Point steeplechase
There were three kinds of people who attended Point-to-Point Sunday: those who dressed for the weather; those committed to the derby aesthetic; and the ones who wore rubber boots below their spring dresses.
It was the 39th running of the steeplechase at the sprawling Winterthur estate and the rain and wind made their best effort — though without too much success — to dampen the spirited gathering of friends, family, community and racing enthusiasts from around the region. But the clouds were the only thing colored gray and couldn't compete with ladies' wild hats and the men's seersucker suits.
“It’s become something of a rite of spring. You come to Point-to-Point after the long winter, you reconnect with the community, have a great day, enjoy the outdoors and some magnificent steeplechase racing,” said Winterthur Communications Manager Liz Farrell.
“It’s funny because people have so much fun tailgating and mixing with friends and enjoying all the activities that they might forget there are horse races running. But they are, and you can hear them go by. It’s like thundering excitement. Just a great day for everybody.”
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It was past 1 p.m. when the first of four races got started on the 1.5-mile track which sliced through the festival grounds, but early arrivals were staking claim to vantage points and picnic spots for hours before. In the two tailgating sectors, spreads of all sorts were served to families and neighbors, often with themed tables and a hint of ostentation.
"“We’ve got great tailgate neighbors here. They’ve been keeping us in stitches," said Smyrna resident Eric Hamm, who'd come with his wife, Janette, for the first time since they started dating more than 14 years ago. “We haven’t been back since, so we thought for our 13th wedding anniversary today we’d get a tailgate spot, set up and enjoy.”
Knowing they'd come for the tailgate but not quite sure how to theme their table, the Hamms said the decision became simple once a seashell-patterned table cloth came out of the closet. The beach scene was equipped with a little surfboard name placard and a few other sun-and-sand tokens.
Some take the theme thing a little more seriously than others.
“It’s a great event, our family loves it and we make a big deal of it," said Lisa Fiorelli, down from West Chester, Pennsylvania, for her second year at Point-to-Point. “We just get out all of our fancy stuff and make a display."
On a strip of turf accented by tiny jockeys was a silver bowl surrounded by roses underneath an impressive wooden horse head. When you're expecting more than 20 of your closest friends and family, Fiorelli said, you might as well make sure your tailgate is "the winner circle.”
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For Kara Szamblrski and Phara Souffrant, a six-year veteran and a rookie in Point-to-Point attendance, the costuming is the most important part of the day — but still only one part.
"The style; the people watching; the horses; the beautiful cars; the beautiful carriages; the atmosphere," Szamblrski said of reasons to attend. "Color. All the girls are in lily. All the guys are in fun blazers that they'd only wear to the country club otherwise. Where else can you wear this but here?"
Added Souffrant: "I pulled out this hat just for this."
But for Wilmingtonian Val Cianfaro, a set of free tickets meant an excuse to buy a brand new hat. She and her friends, Mike Rocheleau and Lara Herman, found a space on the hill overlooking the racecourse to spread out their blankets and show off their fanciest dress.
"We were just trying to be as fancy as possible, as dapper as possible," Rocheleau said. "Everyone likes dressing up and feeling good."
Children dressed as sharply as their parents but were more inclined to break off in a run following whatever distraction just had appeared. And from packs of scent hounds trotting after their horse-mounted handlers to lines of Rolls Royces and their too-fancy tailgates, there were more than enough distractions to go around.
Keeping those cars and their owners in the right place has been Larry Murphy's job at Point-to-Point for the last 15 years. Retired from his working days, the Hockessin resident says the cars represent a dream while the horses, for him, take him all the way back to his childhood on the farm.
"I like working with the Rolls Royces because it's just wishful thinking — you can look; you can touch, but you can't have it," Murphy said. "But the horses. I grew up on a farm so I have a little affection for them. He and I use to have words, the horse. He didn't go where I wanted him to go. He wanted to go where he wanted to go. It's a challenge. The horse is the boss. You have to bend with him and he'll bend with you."
A view of the horses at Point-to-Point comes in two stripes.
The riders and horses participating in the steeplechase are the main event of the second largest professional sporting event in Delaware, behind only NASCAR, Farrell said. But last year the larger event lost George "Frolic" Weymouth, who founded the antique carriage procession which precedes the races at the very first Point-to-Point.
Though he's gone, the carriage parade now bears his name.
“It is the highlight for most people,” Farrell said. “That’s one of the No. 1 reasons they come, and we’re really glad it has continued.”
Contact Adam Duvernay at (302) 324-2785 or aduvernay@delawareonline.com.