Missed the October 26 cutoff? You don't need a website to get a badge for the 91st Montpelier Hunt Races. You need the counter where you already buy fence staples, feed, or a bag of mulch. The organizers say that after online sales close, tickets are sold only at approved outlets or at the gate on race day, and the gate costs more. Most of those outlets are feed stores, garden centers, hardware stores, and banks in Orange County and the counties around it.
That list says a lot about the event. About 18,000 people are expected on Saturday, November 7, according to the Rapidan Register. The races are sold and run like a county occasion. The ticket counters are in farm stores, and the races on the card are named for horses that came out of Montpelier's own barn.
The counters that sell race tickets
Outlet sales opened October 1 and continue until race day. Here is the organizer's outlet list, grouped by town:
- Orange and Orange County: Montpelier Visitor Center, Ace Hardware–Orange, Blue Ridge Bank, Darnell's Garden Patch, Deep Roots Home & Garden, EverGro, E.V. Baker's Store, Farm Credit, and Locust Grove Hardware
- Montpelier: Montpelier Feed & Seed
- Gordonsville: Blue Ridge Bank and The Laurie Holladay Shop
- Madison: EverGro
- Louisa: EverGro and Blue Ridge Bank
- Culpeper: CFC Farm & Home Center and Deep Roots Home & Garden Center
- Charlottesville: Caspari, C'Ville Smoke Shop at Forest Lakes, and Schwarzschild Keller & George
- Farther afield: Saddlery Liquidators in Haymarket, EverGro in Upperville, Blue Ridge Bank and Whittingham in Fredericksburg, Changing Reins in Ashland, Tweed in Richmond, and Schwarzschild Jewelers in Carytown and Midlothian
Orange County has more locations on that list than any other place, and Montpelier Feed & Seed is about as close to the course as a ticket counter can be. The organizer's directory gives towns but not street addresses, so call ahead before you drive to a branch. The race office also takes calls at 540-672-0014, according to the Rapidan Register.
What a badge costs, and who needs one
The Daily Progress reported this fall that tickets run $30 each. The Rapidan Register says gate tickets will cost "slightly higher" than that, and the organizers haven't published the exact gate price. If you'd rather not pay the markup, an outlet visit during the week before November 7 is the simple way around it.
Every person entering the grounds needs a General Admission Badge. The organizer's FAQ exempts children 12 and under. The Daily Progress words it a little differently, saying children "younger than 12" get in free, so families with a 12-year-old should check with the race office.
Parking is sold separately, and every car needs its own pass. Two options are left:
| Parking option | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| General | $40 | Parking in the general lot, with a walk of up to a quarter mile to the infield |
| Infield | $120 | Unreserved parking inside the racecourse and a shorter walk |
| Subscriber, Member, Patron | $355 to $435 | Reserved spaces with admission for four; all sold out |
The infield pass doesn't include admission badges, so buy those separately. If your group is coming by bus or limo, there's a closer deadline. Those vehicles need a special pass arranged before October 31, which is this Saturday. Anything carrying more than 12 passengers counts as a bus and can't use reserved spaces.
A race card named for Montpelier's own horses
The races at Montpelier date to 1934. Marion duPont Scott started them after building a steeplechase course and a flat track on the property in 1929, and for years race day was the only time the private estate opened to the public, according to the Rapidan Register. Her racing stable campaigned Battleship, the first American-owned and American-bred horse to win the British Grand National. Mongo, a flat racing champion from the same stable, was inducted into the National Racing Hall of Fame at Saratoga this summer.
You can see that history in the 2026 schedule. The seven races are the Montpelier Foundation Cup, the Madison Plate, the Battleship, the Constitution Hurdle, the Montpelier Cup, the DuPont-McConnell, and the Grade 2 Noel Laing. The National Steeplechase Association's fall 2026 condition book puts total purses at $255,000. The Noel Laing carries $100,000 of that, the sixth race $45,000, the Montpelier Cup $40,000, and the Madison Plate $30,000. The Rapidan Register gives the total as "more than $240,000." Either way, the Noel Laing is the race serious steeplechase followers come for, and it runs last.
How the day runs
Gates open at 9 a.m. Here is the organizer's published order of events:
- 10:15 a.m. Jack Russell Terrier races
- 11:15 a.m. Stick Horse Race for children
- Noon First post
- After race one The Corgi Cup, now in its second year
- After race two Judging for the Hat Contest, sponsored by Dubarry of Ireland
- 2:15 p.m. Tailgate competition winner announced
- 4 p.m. Seventh and final race
The NSA condition book lists the first race at 12:30 p.m. The organizer's noon start is the time printed on the public schedule. This year's tailgate theme is "Birthday Party," for the nation's 250th anniversary, and the Kimpton Forum Hotel is supplying the prizes.
Between races, the Montpelier Market vendor village is open all day. The Rapidan Register lists hats, jewelry, boots, clothing, artwork, pet gifts, and cigars among the goods, and calls the races "the unofficial start of the holiday season" locally. This year's poster is a painting by Kelly Coffin, a Ruckersville artist, lifelong equestrian, and former Navy pilot. She will sign posters at the races and show more of her work. The original was unveiled September 24 at the Caspari store in downtown Charlottesville, which is also one of the ticket outlets. Tours of the Madisons' house cost extra. James Madison's Montpelier lists mini-tours for ticket holders from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Tailgate rules for packing the car
The rules page is short and strict:
- Animals: Only service animals that meet federal ADA requirements are allowed. Emotional-support animals and other pets are not, except for the registered racing Jack Russells and corgis.
- Food and drink: Alcohol is allowed, with an expectation of temperance. Grills are fine with small thermos-size propane tanks. Open fires and loud music are not allowed.
- Tents: Tents in reserved spaces can be no larger than 10 by 10 feet and must sit behind the vehicle and away from the rail. Officials can order a tent taken down for weather or blocked sightlines, and no tents are allowed on the rail.
- Leave at home: Glass drinking glasses, flags, and balloons. Take your trash with you.
The races run rain or shine. Food trucks and vendors on site cover anyone who would rather not grill.
The rest of November 7 in Orange County
Race day overlaps with several other local events, which helps if your household is splitting up for the day:
- Town of Gordonsville Veteran's Day Parade, 2 to 4 p.m., Main Street in Historic Gordonsville.
- Salute & Sip: A Military K9 Tribute at Horton Vineyards, 6399 Spotswood Trail, Gordonsville, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is free, and 10% of the day's sales go to the Military Working Dog Team Support Association.
- Keith Bryant live at The Barn at 678, 6045 Governor Barbour Street, Barboursville, 2 to 5 p.m.
- Opening reception for Michelle Geiger's "Submerged" at The Arts Center in Orange, 129 East Main Street, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The reception is free and starts after the last race. The exhibition runs through November 28.
Proceeds from the races go to the house behind the course. The Montpelier Steeplechase and Equestrian Foundation, the nonprofit that stages the races, has contributed more than $1 million to James Madison's Montpelier for constitutional education and historic preservation. If you want to go, buy your badge at Montpelier Feed & Seed or Ace Hardware–Orange in the next week and you'll pay less than at the gate.
Montpelier's course has been part of this county's horse country since Marion duPont Scott built it in 1929. If race day has you thinking about farms with gallops, pasture, or a barn of your own in Orange County, Will Driskill is glad to talk it through, at the races or afterward. Contact Will.
