The 77th running of the Iroquois Steeplechase Race in Nashville is largely considered to be a "right of spring," but here are some fun facts about the horse race you may not know:
- The Iroquois draws an average crowd of 25,000 on race day
- The Iroquois is the nation's oldest, continuously-run steeplechasing event
- Steeplechase refers to the jumps the horse hurdle on the course
- The winning jockey will go home with $200,000
- Steeplechase has raised more than $10 million for Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt since 1981
- The first Steeplechase race in the U.S. was run in 1834
- The first Steeplechase race in Nashville was run in the 1940s
- The Iroquois Steeplechase grounds were constructed in 1936 as part of the park's improvement projects of the Works Progress Administration (WPA)
- The average speed of a horse in the race is 30 mph
- The average steeplechase horse weighs 1,100 pounds
- The course is regarded as one of the best racing surfaces in the country
