Atlanta Steeplechase Announces New Race Date and Chairman

The 49th Running of the Atlanta Steeplechase foresees positive changes with a date change and new Board structure.

Coming up on its 49th year, the Atlanta Steeplechase continues to be one of the great Southern traditions on Georgia’s calendar of spring events and in 2014 it is positioned to be the premiere sporting event for the Metro Atlanta Area on Saturday April 19th.

While the Steeplechase always draws a substantial crowd – a date change from the 2nd weekend in April to the 3rd weekend in April for 2014 is predicted to break records regarding crowd size and sponsorship support.

“We are thrilled to move the date for the Atlanta Steeplechase to the third week in April and we appreciate the National Steeplechase Association’s support for this change,” commented George Chase, Jr., newly elected Chairman of the Atlanta Steeplechase Board of Stewards. “Already our Atlanta based sponsors are very receptive to our change in date for 2014 and onward. For the metro area general public, the new date is much more attractive when choosing family activities. Our challenge is to make the Atlanta Steeplechase the premiere sporting event in Georgia for the third weekend in April."

Claudia Laughridge of the Terry Reid Group commented, “The Terry Reid group is incredibly proud to be associated with the Atlanta Steeplechase. We have always personally loved the Atlanta Steeplechase and wanted to do more and now that Terry Reid Hyundai is a major sponsor of the event, we are able to be an anchor for the community in order for us to wrap our arms collectively around the event. We love to entertain clients at the Masters as well and it was difficult to juggle for the 2013 race so it’s great to know we won’t have to worry about dividing our attention in 2014.

In addition to the date change, The Atlanta Steeplechase is proud to announce George E. Chase, Jr. as the new Chairman of the Board of Stewards.  Mr. Chase, is the son of one of the founding members and has never missed an Atlanta Steeplechase since its inception in 1966. The first NSA-sanctioned Atlanta Steeplechase race was started by George Chase Sr. and John Wayt Jr. along with John Lundeen, Tom Martin and Cot Campbell. The event is now held at Kingston Downs with crowds growing over the years to 25,000.  Two other members of an Atlanta Steeplechase founding family also hold leadership positions within the recently appointed Executive Board.  The new Executive Board was created to lead the 48 year old tradition into a new era of joint responsibilities across the team.  As the Atlanta Steeplechase is instilled with tradition, it is only fitting that families supporting the event since its beginning are still heavily involved. The Board of Stewards also recognizes that the success of the event hinges on new members and fresh ideas.  Therefore, the Executive Board is comprised of both existing and new supporters of the event:

George E. Chase, Jr. – Chairman
John Wayt, III – Treasurer
Mike Dever – Secretary
Jim Wayt – Operations
Jo Leinbach – Marketing
Steve Adams – Fundraising
Jackie Wammock – Member-at-Large

The Atlanta Steeplechase is a non-profit horse-racing event benefiting the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. There are five races on a turf course where horses must take at least nine jumps at full speed, plus a flat race. In addition, there are Jack Russell terrier races, a hat parade and contest, and many other activities that make for a fun day for the entire family.

For more information about sponsoring or attending the Atlanta Steeplechase, please visit www.atlantasteeplechase.org or call 404-237-7436.