Corgi Chaos: A Race for Glory at the Steeplechase of Charleston

It’s eleven o’clock on a brisk, sunny Sunday, and thousands of onlookers jostle for position along the Stono Ferry Racetrack in Hollywood, South Carolina. A bugler summons the competitors to their posts, and the crowd, dressed in pastel and tweed and jaunty feathered hats, holds its breath. One of the most anticipated races at the Steeplechase of Charleston is about to begin.

“And they’re off!” booms the announcer as laughter breaks from the onlookers. For in this race, there are no Thoroughbreds thundering down the track—there are a dozen Welsh corgis. A few understand the assignment; they beeline for their owners at the finish line. Most dawdle, content to bask in the limelight and mingle with spectators.

In just under a minute, it’s all over as a spritely red-and-white named Bailey claims victory in the Steeplechase’s inaugural Corgi Cup. “I’ve never actually interviewed a dog before,” admits the announcer as Bailey, in the arms of owners Abby and Trevor O’Brien, snuffles and huffs into the microphone during the awards ceremony.

What was the champion’s tactic? “We made sure not to let him run around before the race too much,” Trevor says of the one-and-a-half year old corgi, a first-time racer. “We kept him pent up with energy.” 

For the second of two races, it’s a pint-sized tricolor named Finn who wins by a nose. While some owners rely on luck or a squeaky toy, Finn and his owners took their training seriously. “We live in an apartment, and one of us would stand at one end of the hallway and one would stand at the other end, and we’d race him back and forth,” says Hayley Olsson. Both sets of owners had learned about the event through a local Facebook group for corgi meetups. “The corgis always chase one another at the park, so we knew they’d probably enjoy this,” she adds. 

 

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