Steeplechase of Charleston will decide jockey of the year title – Charleston Post Courier

Last year, Michael Mitchell and Jack Doyle staged a season-long battle for top jockey honors on the National Steeplechase Association circuit. They were due to settle the matter at the season-ending event at the Steeplechase of Charleston.

But at the final fence of the final race before Charleston, Doyle suffered a season-ending injury during a fall, a fractured jaw that required his mouth to be wired shut.

Mitchell, an Englishman who has ridden all over the world, faced a decision. He could come to the Steeplechase of Charleston and attempt to break a tie with Doyle atop the NSA jockey standings. Or he could stay away and share the title with Irish rider Doyle.

He chose the sporting gesture.

Going down to Charleston, I was putting myself into a position where I was taking away from someone else," Mitchell told This is Racing. "Ive won. Jacks won. The only other outcome would be winning a race and taking that title away from Jack. Thats what hit me."

It was the opportunity to take it away from someone else. I know how hard Ive worked to try to get that title. The amount you stress over rides, the amount you stress over your weight, you put everything in for that season. For it to come to the last meeting and have someone take it away from you, when you have it, thats tough. Thats what clinched the decision for me.

This year, the NSA jockey title again comes down to the Steeplechase of Charleston, set for Sunday at Stono Ferry Racetrack in Hollywood.

Mitchell has 11 wins in a season cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, one victory ahead of Gerard Galligan, another Irish rider. Both are entered on mounts in Sunday's five races at Steeplechase of Charleston.

Like many jockeys, Mitchell is all too familiar with the dangers of his sport. He fell at the Queen's Cup in Charlotte in 2016, taking a kick to the head that resulted in a severe concussion, a broken cheekbone and fractured jaw. The jump-racing industry rallied to his aide through the American Steeplechase Injured Jockeys Fund.

Its part and parcel of a career, Mitchell told The Hunt Magazine. You just carry on.

The NSA's trainer of the year title already has been clinched by Hall of Famer Jonathan Sheppard, who has 16 wins this year.

The Steeplechase of Charleston is the final event on the NSA 2020 calendar, but is just the second of the year to allow spectators due to the pandemic. All of the NSA's spring events were canceled, including races in Aiken and Camden. Racing resumed with some spectator-less events in Virginia, and spectators were allowed last week in Pine Mountain, Ga.

The Charleston event, produced by The Post and Courier's parent company, applied to the S.C. Department of Commerce for an event exception, which was granted. Ticket sales have been limited to 50 percent of the 60-acre facilitys total capacity.

Among the safety guidelines in place for the event:

Each dedicated tailgate space will accommodate a group of up to five guests. Each party is encouraged to stay with their own party.

Ticketholders planning to join a tailgate group (but arriving separately) must use a ride-share service to the Stono Ferry track, as no guest parking will be available on site. All ticketholders will be part of a tailgate arrangement; the 2020 Steeplechase cannot accommodate single-ticket holders unattached to a tailgate party.

Guests will pack their own food and beverages to be enjoyed on race day; special catering services are available for hire for individuals or groups purchasing hospitality tents.

A wide-open vendor village will offer shopping and entertainment in a 100-percent touchless environment.

The event will feature double the number of sanitation stations and restroom facilities available last year, each of which will be cleaned regularly.

Masks will be required of all individuals any time they leave their dedicated space.

Reach Jeff Hartsell at 843-937-5596. Follow on Twitter @Jeff_fromthePC

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Steeplechase of Charleston will decide jockey of the year title - Charleston Post Courier