What began as a small event in 1870 has grown into New Jersey’s biggest horse racing party. The 95th annual Far Hills Race Meeting, a fund-raising steeplechase event with some high-end tailgating thrown in, will be held Saturday, October 17, at Moorland Farm in Far Hills.
The event, which draws thousands of people every year, has only grown bigger over the past few decades. “When I was a kid [in the ’70s], there was nobody in the infield, and only half of the hill was occupied. It was a very very small event,” says Guy Torsilieri, chairman of the Far Hills Race Meeting. “If you repeat something that’s fun and nice and has a good cause behind it … you grow and grow and grow, and 95 years later, here we are.”
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The Essex Hunt
It began as the Essex Hunt, a fox hunt founded in Montclair in 1870. The organizers held races as a thank-you to the landowners who let them hunt on their property. In 1916, the event switched locations to what’s now known as Moorland Farm, and it’s been there ever since.
The Hunt, as it’s commonly known, is part of an East Coast-wide circuit of steeplechase racing, in which horses must jump over obstacles as part of the course. Torsilieri, also president of the National Steeplechase Association, says there are multiple reasons racegoers come to the Hunt. “For some people, it’s the world-class steeplechase racing that we have.
For some people, it’s a beautiful day out in the country. Other people, it’s a big social event.”
There isn’t a dress code, says Torsilieri. “A lot of people will come in jackets and ties, a lot of people will come dressed in their fall best, and other people will come very casual.” (Photos of past events show that plaid shirts, vests and LL Bean boots are favored garb for many racegoers, along with the occasional horse-head mask.)
The Hunt raises funds for the Somerset Health Care Foundation, the non-profit wing of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset. Since the 1950s, the Hunt has raised more than $18 million for the hospital, which named its cancer center “The Steeplechase Cancer Center” in honor of the event.
Now the Far Hills Race
Still, in recent years the event has become known more for some overenthusiastic partying. “We have for the last several years tried to crack down on people overindulging themselves, and we put in rules and regs the last several years,” says Torsilieri. “One was restricting or eliminating bringing in alcohol onto the New Jersey trains, and another was restricting alcohol coming in from the general admission, and we’ve seen some nice positive effects from that, though we still have more work to do. … There are areas on the site where we need to improve the behavior.”
According to reports, last year’s event resulted in roughly 30 arrests and summonses, for everything from destruction of property to trespassing and disorderly conduct. That was down from the reported 55 of the previous year.
The organization also increased ticket prices last year, which sparked criticism on social media. Torsilieri says, “There was a small reduction in attendance last year, which was, in our mind, not necessarily a bad thing, since we have had areas that were being overcrowded. So I don’t know if it was the price ticket increase, or it could’ve been other reasons.”
Last year’s event drew about 32,000, instead of the 35,000 of previous years. Torsilieri says he’d be fine with the same attendance this year. “We don’t need to overpopulate the property.”
Advance ticket sales run till October 16. Tickets are available online or at stores and banks in the area (see the Far Hills Race site for locations). General admission is $100.00 and parking is $30.00; on race day, admission is $200.00. Gates open at 8:00 am and the first race begins at 1:00 pm.
All photos: Courtesy Far Hills Race Association.
