Steeplechase canceled

Backers of the Iroquois Steeplechase have called off the 2020 running of their storied racing event in the face of ongoing COVID-19 restrictions on large gatherings.

Held since 1941, this year’s Steeplechase was to have taken place June 27, a date chosen by organizers after they pushed back the 79th running of their event from May 9. The day’s races typically draw about 25,000 people to Percy Warner Park and have since 1981 raised more than $10 million for the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.