{"id":6862,"date":"2016-03-25T10:10:14","date_gmt":"2016-03-25T14:10:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=6862"},"modified":"2016-03-25T10:10:14","modified_gmt":"2016-03-25T14:10:14","slug":"brandywine-hills-point-to-point-runs-on-april-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=6862","title":{"rendered":"Brandywine Hills point to point runs on April 3"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_1317691\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Photo-1-for-Press-Release-2-300x240.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1317691\" class=\"wp-image-1317691 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Photo-1-for-Press-Release-2-300x240.jpg\" alt=\"Photo-#1-for-Press-Release-#2\" width=\"300\" height=\"240\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1317691\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The annual Brandywine Hills Point to Point race takes place on April 3. Many young jockeys participating in the pony races take it very seriously. Photo by Daria Killinger.<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\">POCOPSON \u2014 Beautiful seasonal weather has arrived in Chester County \u2013 just in time for a favorite family springtime event, the Brandywine Hills Point-to-Point on Sunday, April 3. Once again, the cross country horse races will be held at Brandywine Red Clay Alliance\u2019s Myrick Conservation Center on Route 842, located approximately six miles west of West Chester and three miles east of Unionville.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">The gates will open at 11:00 a.m. with the children\u2019s pony races kicking off the action at 12:30\u00a0p.m. Many successful steeplechase jockeys got their first taste of racing by participating in pony races.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Lezlie Hiner, director of Work to Ride, says her four students who will be riding in the pony races are very excited. Work to ride, based at Chamounix Stables in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, is a non-profit community-based prevention program that aids disadvantaged urban youth though constructive activities centered on horsemanship, equine sports and education. \u201cWe look forward to coming here every year,\u201d says Hiner. \u201cI think we started doing the [Delaware Valley Point-to-Point race] series in 2001.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Hiner\u2019s group of young jockeys this year consists of Marisol, Julian, Esteban and Moe.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">\u201cThey are really geared up! And have been practicing really hard\u2013 even in the cold and dark,\u201d she says with a chuckle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">As two of her students are very new to racing, Hiner says, <span class=\"s1\">\u201cIt <\/span>will be interesting to see how <span class=\"s1\">my <\/span>little guys do. And then there\u2019s Moe\u2019s pony, aptly named \u201cBetty the Brat\u201d \u2013 you just never know what stunt she might pull!\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Following the pony races will be five timber races\u2013 ladies, novice, heavyweight, open and foxhunter, are each run over a course of 17 solidly built jumps approximately three miles in length. Spectators can see much of the action from a stationary point which is perfect for a tailgate party.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">The fun day also includes a raffle offering a great assortment of prizes. Brandywine Hills is also known for its kids\u2019 activities including stick pony races, Indian lore tent, facepainting, photo booth and more.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\">Admission is by the carload, ranging from just $20 to $150 for premium spots. See <a href=\"http:\/\/www.brandywineredclay.org\/\"><span class=\"s2\">www.brandywineredclay.org <\/span><\/a>or call 610-793-1090 for more information or to purchase parking passes and\/or raffle tickets in advance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>POCOPSON \u2014 Beautiful seasonal weather has arrived in Chester County \u2013 just in time for a favorite family springtime event, the Brandywine Hills Point-to-Point on Sunday, April 3. Once again, the cross country horse races will be held at Brandywine Red Clay Alliance\u2019s Myrick Conservation Center on Route 842, located approximately six miles west of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6861,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[4102,3199],"class_list":["post-6862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-brandywine-hills-points-to","tag-brandywine-red-clay-alliance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6862","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6862"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6862\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6861"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}