Blog post
Steeplechase: the Irish roots of the first race
Racing horses between two churches
The name steeplechase is now given to an athletic race, where athletes race over hurdles and water jumps. Olympic gold is the highest achievement that an athlete can reach.
But the name steeplechase actually originated in a horse race, first held in Ireland in the 18th century.
As the name might suggest, that very first race took place in 1752 between two steeples in rural county Cork in the south of Ireland. At that time, church steeples were among the tallest buildings in the landscape.
On that night, Cornelius O'Callaghan and Edmund Blake were at dinner at Buttevant Castle, having a good time.
They made a bet between themselves to race from the steeple of Saint John's Church in Buttevant to that of Saint Mary's Church in the town of Doneraile.
The distance was around 4 miles, crossing countryside and rivers. The winner would be the first to touch the base of the steeple in Doneraile. The prize? More than 600 gallons of port.
Sadly, history has not recorded who actually won the race. But that race has gone down in history, with steeplechase races becoming a tradition.
By the early 1800s, races over fences on prepared race tracks were taking place in England, with the first recognised English National Steeplechase taking place in March 1830. Such steeplechases races can also be known as point-to-point races.
In 1839, the British Grand National race at Aintree was established, a race that is still run today over roughly the same distance of around 4 miles.
Today, steeplechase horse racing takes place in countries around the world - a tradition traced back to County Cork in 1752. And that sport has lent its name to a race between Olympic athletes over hurdles and water.
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