Off to the races: The 17th annual Legacy Chase
Photos and text by Karl Merton Ferron
Volunteers scrambled through the day, shuttling visitors back and forth. Children tossed footballs on hilltops. And adults tossed bean bags between races in the 17th annual Legacy Chase, part of the 2017 National Steeplechase Schedule, held on over 300 acres of preserved lands in the Hunt Valley area.
- Aflutter, ridden by jockey Jack Doyle, beats jockey Bernard Dalton, who rides Albus (3), to victory in the National Steeplechase Association race, during the 2017 Legacy Chase at Shawan Downs. (Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun Staff)
- Millie Hege, 13 of Owings Mills cheers for horses competing in the Roundtop Mountain Resort steeplechase, during the 2017 Legacy Chase at Shawan Downs. (Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun Staff)
- Michael McNamara, 2-1/2 of Baltimore places a stuffed zebra on his head during the 2017 Legacy Chase at Shawan Downs. (Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun Staff)
- From left, Worried Man (ridden by jockey Kieran Norris), Straight To It (9; jockey Brett Owings), Syros (jockey Sean McDermott), Cornhusker (jockey Mark Beecher) and Canyon Road (jockey Jeff Murphy) compete at a timber jump during the fifth race, called the Brown Advisory Legacy Chase, during the 2017 Legacy Chase at Shawan Downs. (Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun Staff)
- Part owner George Tydings smiles as trainer William Dowling (right) places the trophy above his head after their horse Rodriguez won the Brian Advisory Legacy Chase race, during the 2017 Legacy Chase at Shawan Downs. (Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun Staff)
- Toni Griswold holds the trophy after their horse Rodriguez won the Brian Advisory Legacy Chase race, during the 2017 Legacy Chase at Shawan Downs. (Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun Staff)
- Rodriguez, ridden by jockey Darren Angle (back left) has victory in hand as Cornhusker (2), ridden by Mark Beecher, and Worried Man, ridden by Kieran Norris (8) cross the finish line in the Brown Advisory Legacy Chase, during the 2017 Legacy Chase at Shawan Downs. (Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun Staff)
- People use shade at the picnic area to enjoy the afternoon during the 2017 Legacy Chase at Shawan Downs. (Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun Staff)
- Kindergarten-aged children start off in their stick horse heat during the 2017 Legacy Chase at Shawan Downs. (Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun Staff)
- Elise Reagan, 2-1/2 of Upperco, MD participates in the toddlers’ stick horse race during the 2017 Legacy Chase at Shawan Downs. (Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun Staff)
- Guy Gemmill of Stevenson works on a cork during the 2017 Legacy Chase at Shawan Downs. (Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun Staff)
- A view of the countryside, looking towards the finish line during the 2017 Legacy Chase at Shawan Downs. (Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun Staff)
Developed through the LPT (Land Preservation Trust) as a steeplechase course, spectators carted picnic foods, blankets and tables to the rolling hillside, braving unseasonably warm, humid day to enjoy eight horse races, as equestrians leapt over timber jumps while youngsters competed in stick pony racing and received temporary tattoos.
While the Legacy Chase supported GBMC HealthCare, the annual event took place on lands that could have been lost forever, had it not been saved by local residents, years ago. Shawan Farms’s 291 acres was sold in 1997 by its heirs as an opportunity to land preservation, which protects the fields and woodlands from development, which threatens the countryside. The LPT currently has permanently secured almost 13,000 acres and 340 properties from being developed in Baltimore County, according to its website.
Reacting after 475 acres of the historic Hayfields farm was seized and transformed to a golf resort, a dozen Baltimore County residents banded together, according to a 1997 article by Sun reporter Liz Atwood, to preserve the property which is two miles west of Interstate 83 off Shawan Road. With a $2.5 million contract, the group snatched up the site, which was available to developers.