NASHVILLE, Tenn. –The Iroquois Steeplechase, benefiting The Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, has been cancelled for 2020. Event organizers for the 79th annual event sponsored by Bank of America are planning a citywide safer-at-home celebration to honor Nashville’s grand tradition in place of the race meet that was to take place on June 27.
In making the announcement, Iroquois Steeplechase Chairman Dwight Hall said, “The highest priority of The Iroquois Steeplechase, a 501 (c) (3) organization, is the safety of the patrons and participants. It has been determined by rules and regulations from our city officials and health department that social distancing will still be in place on our scheduled date of June 27. The magic of the Steeplechase is the camaraderie among friends from boxes packed with 10 to 12 people to tailgaters hosting large group parties in the infield.”
Hall added, “We’re excited to announce in the coming days a citywide safer-at-home celebration planned for our patrons which will continue to create excitement for one of Nashville’s most highly anticipated events. Our race meet benefits charities that impact our community, so it is our obligation to continue that tradition through another alternative which is better fitting to our restrictions.”
The Iroquois Steeplechase will continue the tradition of donating to charitable organizations across Middle Tennessee and The Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt will remain the primary beneficiary of the event. Throughout the past 38 years, the Iroquois Steeplechase has donated more than $10 million to the hospital through the annual meet. Information to ticketholders will be available on the Iroquois Steeplechase website in the coming days.
About Iroquois Steeplechase
The Iroquois Steeplechase is an iconic sporting event that has been Nashville's rite of spring since 1941. Held the second Saturday of each May at Percy Warner Park, the annual event attracts more than 25,000 spectators and is Music City's celebration of time-honored traditions, Tennessee hospitality and southern fashions. The event also supports several philanthropic causes and has donated more than $10 million to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt since 1981. To learn more about Steeplechase, visit www.iroquoissteeplechase.org.
About Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt
The Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt is one of the nation's leading children's hospitals, treating and helping to prevent a full range of pediatric health issues from colds and broken bones to complex heart diseases and cancer. The Department of Pediatrics within the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine is currently ranked fourth in the nation in the total receipt of research funding from the National Institutes of Health. Children’s Hospital’s physicians are nationally recognized innovators in their fields who are discovering new ways to cure and prevent a host of childhood diseases. Their work is preventing and finding new treatments for diseases such as premature birth, cancer, heart disease, spina bifida, trauma and many other conditions, and is an investment in the future. Achieving 10 out of 10 nationally ranked pediatric specialties in 2018, Children’s Hospital was again named among the nation’s “Best Children’s Hospitals” for the 12th consecutive year by U.S. News & World Report. The Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, a nonprofit organization, opened in 2004, expanded its physical space in 2012, and is currently adding four new floors and 160,000 total sq. ft. The new expansion will help advance the size and scope of the hospital's mission. To learn more, visit https://www.childrenshospitalvanderbilt.org.