Meadowlark Farm Tailgate

Another new competitor in 2009, Meadowlark Farm even brought the oriental rug to the tailgate. Delicious food, wonderful presentation & good fun!

Celebrate Tradition

Donnal Laffert’s tailgate is always a delight!

Hunt Theme

These first time Tailgate competitors really have it all together – great food – great theme & attention to detail! We look forward to seeing them again next year!

Beach Party

Tim Wheeler & his trusty ‘OlRemus’ bring the beach to the Infield of Montpelier!

Grand Prize – Most Fun

T.R.U.E.G.R.I.T.S – this group of friends just plain knows how to have fun. Everyone contributes to the day with a wide range of cheer & food from ‘Montpelier Raspberry Champagne’ to ‘Oyster Shooters’.

Chef’s Choice Winner

Pat Price tailgate of elegant homemade traditional fare won the hearts & tastebuds of the judging team. Details included homemade condiments and desserts.

Hats Off To Tradition

Grand Prize Winner Best Theme

2009 Tailgate Competition Winners

The first Saturday in November always brings out the best of times in Orange Virginia! As we made our way around the Race course our judging team was blessed by excellent weather, outstanding food and great fun.

Grand Prize Best in Theme: Hats off to Tradition – Douglas Ponton and the 2 Elaines
Winner of weekend for 2 at the Boars Head Inn & 2 julep cups and a 1 year subscription to Piedmont Virginia Magazine  (Thank you Competition Sponsors Piedmont Virginian Magazine for this wonderful prize!)
Runner up Best in Theme: Howell Taylor – Meadowlark Farm
Winner of delightfully abundance gift basket from Its About Thyme in Culpepper VA

Grand Prize Chef’s Choice Award: Pat Price – Pat wowed Chef Patrick O’Connell with her superb traditional menu.
Winner of dinner for 2 and overnight accommodations at the Inn of Little Washington.
(Thank you Chef Patrick & the Inn at Little Washington!)
Runner up Chef’s Choice Award: Donald Laffert
Winner of Two Tickets to a Featured Event of your Choice at the 2010 Castleton Festival
(Thank you Lorin & Dietlinde Maazel, Artistic Directors)

Most Fun! Award: Hands down winners: T.R.U.E. G.R.I.T.S, this group of friends knows how to enjoy the races!
Winner of  AmTrak travel miles. (Thank you AmTrak)
Runner up Most Fun! Award: Tim Wheeler and ‘olremus’  Fun Beach Party style!
Winner of selection of VA Wines.

All Winners presented with Subscription to Piedmont Virginian Magazine.  All entries recieved certificate of appreciation & copy of Piedmont Virginian Magazine featuring Chef Patrick O’Connel.

Press Release: Orange,VA

2007 Winner Tailgate Competition

RENOWNED CHEF PATRICK O’CONNELL TO SERVE AS “CELEBRITY TAILGATE JUDGE” FOR MONTPELIER HUNT RACES

Accommodations and Dinner at the Inn at Little Washington, and a Weekend at the Boar’s Head Inn to be Awarded to Prestigious Steeplechase Tailgate Competition Winners

Orange, Va.—The Montpelier Steeplechase and Equestrian Foundation today announced that Patrick O’Connell, renowned chef and proprietor of the Inn at Little Washington, will serve as the celebrity judge for the annual Dolley Madison Tailgate Competition. The competition will take place on Saturday, November 7, 2009, during the 75th Running of the Montpelier Hunt Races on the grounds of James Madison’s Montpelier.

“Tailgating is a favorite tradition among Montpelier Hunt Races attendees,” said Martha Strawther, executive director of the Montpelier Steeplechase and Equestrian Foundation. “This year we are honored to host Chef Patrick O’Connell as our celebrity judge. Chef O’Connell is known for his exquisite taste and eye for detail. We are certain contest participants will delight in the chance to visit with him one-on-one.”

The Dolley Madison Tailgate Competition, sponsored by “The Piedmont Virginian” magazine, will begin at 10:30 a.m. This year’s top prizes include a one-night stay and dinner at the Inn at Little Washington, and a weekend stay at the Boar’s Head Inn in Charlottesville. There is no entry fee. Contestants must declare their intent to participate by calling the Montpelier Steeplechase and Equestrian Foundation office at 540.672.0027 by 12:00 noon on Friday, November 6, 2009, the day before the races.

Patrick O’Connell, will be part of a three-judge panel that will evaluate contestants’ entries at their individual parking spaces. O’Connell’s Inn at Little Washington was the first establishment to be awarded five stars for its restaurant and five stars for its accommodations by the “Mobil Travel Guide.” It also rated excellence as the first establishment to earn the AAA 5 Diamond Award—AAA’s highest honor—in both food and accommodation. O’Connell and the Inn at Little Washington boast a myriad of other prestigious awards including: five James Beard Awards; top honors in “The International Herald Tribune’s” Top 10 Best Restaurants in the World; and a number one ranking in America in the Zagat U.S. Hotel Survey. Additionally, “Travel & Leisure Magazine’s” World’s Best Awards recognized the Inn at Little Washington’s dining room as number one in North America and number two in the world. Chef O’Connell’s Mondavi Award for Culinary Excellence earned him the title “Pope of American Cuisine.” He also serves as president of the North Atlantic Relais Gourmand and serves on the Relais Gourmand International Board of Directors.

Additional Dolley Madison Tailgate Competition judges will be Thom Pellikaan, a past multi-year contest winner, and Candy Lynn, founder and former owner of Cooks and Connoisseurs, a specialty food shop and cooking school in New Bern, N.C.

For information of how to purchase race tickets, go to www.montpelierraces.com. On race day, Hunt Race ticket holders will be able to tour James and Dolley Madison’s newly restored home for a reduced price of $10.

Marion duPont Scott and her brother, William duPont, Jr., founded the Hunt Races on their Montpelier front lawn in 1934. The annual event quickly became a beloved tradition in Orange County, VA. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the running of the Montpelier Hunt Races—the only such race held on a presidential home site.

Mrs. Scott is often called “America’s First Lady of Racing” for her many contributions to the equine industry. She and her brother, William, created many of the nation’s best-known steeplechase and flat track racing venues including: Delaware Park; the Fair Hill Natural Resources Area; and Camden Race Course. She also bred and owned several champions, including: Trouble Maker, the 1932 Maryland Hunt Cup winner; and Battleship, the first American-bred horse to win the British Grand National Steeplechase. Mrs. Scott also provided the funds to build the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center, located in Leesburg, Va.

About the Montpelier Hunt Races

Montpelier has a rich horse history. A great horse lover himself, James Madison bred and raised horses at Montpelier, and even co-owned a racehorse. The tradition continued years later under the stewardship of Scott who, in 1929, built a steeplechase course and a flat track at Montpelier, and initiated the Montpelier Hunt Races soon thereafter. Scott died in 1983, and in accordance with her wishes, her heirs transferred Montpelier to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Scott’s legacy continues today with the running of the Montpelier Races, a premier event on the National Steeplechase Association’s circuit. The race is always held on the first Saturday in November.

James Madison’s Montpelier

Montpelier is the lifelong home of James Madison, Father of the Constitution, architect of the Bill of Rights, and president of the United States. Now that the home’s recent $25 million architectural restoration is complete, visitors can see the progress of “A Presidential Detective Story: Rediscovering the Furnishings and Décor of James and Dolley Madison” through daily guided tours. They can also participate in hands-on crafts, cooking, and archaeology; leisurely stroll the garden and forests; take in the galleries and many other attractions on the property’s 2,650 acres. Nestled in the rolling foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Montpelier is located in the heart of Virginia’s wine country on Route 20, four miles south of Orange, Va. Montpelier is a National Trust Historic Site. To learn more, visit www.montpelier.org

###

NOTE TO THE Media To arrange for press credentials for the Montpelier Hunt Races, contact Martha Strawther at 540.672.0027 or by email info@montpelierraces.com. Please contact the Hunt Races office for digital color images of the Hunt Race, and tailgating. Please contact Elizabeth Loring, assistant director of communications, at 540.672.2728, x 111 or eloring@montpelier.org for images of Montpelier.

Grand Prize Weekend for Two

Enjoy a weekend for Two at the historic Boar’s Head where history and charm meet. Located in historic Charlottesville, Virginia, home of Thomas Jefferson. Join us for a weekend that includes two nights of Deluxe Accomodations for two; Buffet Breakfast for two on Saturday and Sunday Brunch for two. Winner will also recieve 2 Julep cups for the day’s beverages.

Compliments of Piedmont Virginian our sponsors for the Tailgate Competition