Camden's Early Racing History

We are pleased to reprint the following history, courtesy of the National Steeplechase Museum.

Camden, settled in 1731, is South Carolina's oldest inland town. It was founded as an upcountry outpost and accessible to Charleston, a fine coastal town settled in 1670 that offered lifestyle with English roots. It seemed that the "Sport of Kings" took hold as soon as colonists gained firm footing and began amassing property and wealth. By 1734 Charleston advertised racing and by 1760 the York and Newmarket Courses had been built followed by the Washington Course after the Revolutionary War.

There seemed brisk trading of blooded horses between Carolinians, Virginians and Englishmen. There was also thievery, as newspapers report the hanging of one Gray Briggs, horse thief, in Camden  in 1794. Racing of that era was in four, three, two and one mile heats run on the flat with same horses participating in one or all.

The Camden Jockey Club was established in the early 1800's and the first formal track ran along downtown streets Laurens, Mill, Lyttleton and DeKalb Streets. In 1832 Kershaw County deed references show that the Jockey Club wished to relocate to an area at the terminus of Chesnut Street, but no track was built. Instead The Hawthorne Course was built on what is now the northeast corner of Springdale Race Course. The great filly Albine raced there in 1859 and 1860, and beat Planet the following year in a match race at Charleston which rivaled the 1823 "Great Match Race" on New York's Union Course.  

The Hawthorne Course was sold in 1869 with all racing ceased as Camden shouldered the aftermath of The War between the States.

The Camden Training Center

Like Phoenix rising, The Camden Training Center has had a bygone heritage and the track which exists today.  The Camden Jockey Club reorganized to acquire lands from the old Adamson Plantation and others. It was the same area that had been considered before the War.  On December 11, 1873 The Camden Journal joyously reported:

Races Run Yesterday at the Camden Course.

Mr. Ellerbee, Mr. Cantey, Mr. Sanders and Mr. Ancrum, presided over racing at the Camden Course. The first day's weather was inauspicious, but into the next day buggies were rolling up Broad Street to the new track -- just barely completed, but one of the best in the State and in fine racing condition.  It was a gala week reuniting friends who had not met since the War. The gents were well mannered and the ladies provided a fair view as they surveyed the racing.

In 1876, the course offers a three day meet featuring heats, dashes, sweepstakes, a consolation and, of all things, a one and a half mile hurdle race over six fences -- $100 purse.

Though sporting blood was high, economics of the time doomed the success of the  Camden Course. By 1884 it was sold on the courthouse steps by the Master in Equity and returned once again to agriculture.  But things were looking up! Florida was not yet a destination and Pinehurst, Aiken and Camden attracted the sportsmen from the northeast in droves. Hotels were built and the Camden Riding and Driving Club built the one half mile track for training and three polo fields were in use. There was golf, tennis, field sport and a built in host of land rich, penny poor gentlemen to create a haven in Camden. In the final flush of this "hotel era" Marion duPont Somerville discovered Camden.   

Harry Kirkover and Ernest Woodward had built adjacent Springdale Race Course in 1927-28 primarily as a Mecca for steeplechasing. It was a training center and host, in consort with the Camden Hunt (est. 1926), of the Washington Day Races and The Camden Hunter Trials. In 1930 they ran the first Carolina Cup Races -- alive and well today.

Marion took on the amassing of her training center in 1935 and 1936, acquiring the old Camden Course, one of the old polo fields, the mile and one half track of the old Camden Riding and Driving Club and several assorted adjacent parcels. She developed the track area, built a horse show facility "Under the Pines" on Battleship Road (destroyed during Hugo) and redistributed some land to the county for the Battleship Road Athletic Center and Habitat for Humanity. Until her death in 1983, Marion duPont Scott remained a tireless advocate for the world of racing and breeding.

The track was known as Wrenfield. In the 30's she had horses here and at Springdale. She established winter residence at Holly Hedge on Green Street.

In 1954 she purchased Springdale Race Course -- amassing nearly 1000 acres between both training centers. Ray Woolfe, then Dale Thiel managed both operations under the name Camden Training Center.

Upon her death, the property was divided with Springdale Race Course and 600 acres entailed to The State of South Carolina and Wrenfield -(the flat track) to be sold.  The 359 acres and improvements were purchased in 1985 by William Farrish who re-established the name Camden Training Center. Farrish owns Lane's End Farm in Kentucky and for many years had horses in training here. The Lane's End barn on the premises is one of the newest buildings. In September of 2001 Camden Training Center was sold to Henrietta Alexander (duPont and King Ranch connections)  d/b/a/ Lyttleton LLC and she operated  it until she decided to leave Camden. It was sold to the current owners d/b/a Carlyle Development  LLC in 2005.

STAKE HORSES OF NOTE WITH CONNECTIONS TO CAMDEN TRAINING CENTER

Ambassador of Luck

Annie Lip

Assault Lane

Bail Jumper

Battleship

Bronze Babu

Celtic Ash

Chief ton

Chompion

Clef D'Argent

Coastal

Coronado's Quest

Counterpart

Damascus

Distorted Humor

Forego

French Colonial

Hoist the Flag

Hollin Blade

Honorable Miss

Inside Information

Jazil

Lure Peach

Miss Buffham

Mongo

Oompau

Phalanx

Private Terms

Proud Delta

Revedere

Rhythm

Ruffian

Solid Mist

Temperance Hill

Tom Rolfe

Tureta