The 102nd Far Hills Race Meeting or “The Hunt” happened on Saturday, October 21, 2023. It is a well-dressed and respected event that many people look forward to, which takes place in Far Hills, New Jersey. Over 30,000 people attend with over a thousand volunteers. It was a cool day and people from around the country came to have fun and watch horses race. The Hunt’s general admission ticket is $110, but it is popular for families to reserve a parking spot and tailgate.
Originally, the Hunt was a fox hunting event in Montclair, NJ. The Essex Fox hounds, which was what the people hunting were called, created an event to thank the farmers for letting them hunt on their land. Ever since then, “The Hunt” this event has been happening every year since 1870, with the exception of World War II.
The Hunt offers different foods in food trucks. This year they offered Chicken Wings & Things, Empanada Guys, Grain & Cane, Oink & Moo BBQ, and a fan favorite, Playa Bowls. They don’t just offer food however, they also have what they call a “Vendor Village” which consists of a bunch of shops around New Jersey that come to the hunt to sell their merchandise. The village is quite popular, and this year, there were 19 Vendors.
99 years ago, this event started giving the money raised at this event to local charities. These charities include the Cancer Support Community Central in Bedminster, Bonnie Brae School in Basking Ridge, The Arc of Somerset County in Manville, Community in Crisis in Bernardsville, and Life Camp in Pottersville. The Hunt has given over $20 million to these charities. With these charities, The Hunt has been able to fund a new ambulance and help patients who don’t have enough money to pay their bills.
The Hunt has seven races and people can bet on each race to see who will win. The first race, the Horse St. John’s won, the second race L’Imperator, the third race was the horse Say Goodbye, then Gordon’s Jet, Scorpions Revenge, and the seventh race was won by the horse Who’s Counting.
Nora Jurczak ‘25, who attended Saturday’s race, shares that it “Was really fun this year. It’s always great to connect with people from all over and dress up for the races.”
The Hunt is a very exciting, annual event that lots of people look forward to and plan for ahead of time. It is a very social event, even more than it is a racing event since the horse races are only for a short amount of time, most of it is socializing and meeting new people.
