The inaugural running of the U.S. Steeplechase Championships will take place Saturday, Oct. 17. The event will consist of 12 races contested for $700,000 in purse money at two different race meets on the steeplechase schedule: the Far Hills Race Meet in Far Hills, N.J., and the International Gold Cup at Great Meadows in The Plains, Va.

The National Steeplechase Association (NSA) has entered into a three-year multimedia deal with NBC Universal Sports to televise five hours of live coverage of the event, as well as to provide online and broadband coverage, beginning at noon (Eastern). The agreement also includes coverage of additional NSA events in 2010.

“We’re very excited to add this great new event to the Universal Sports stable, and to promote U.S. Steeplechase competition to our wide audience,” said Carlos Silva, president and CEO of Universal Sports. “We look forward to having a long-term relationship with the NSA for years to come.”

Far Hills will conduct a six-race program headlined by the $250,000 Grand National. The six races from the International Gold Cup will be highlighted by the 3 1/2 mile Gold Cup. The races will be run on an alternating basis at 20-25 minute intervals from meet to meet with the first race at Far Hills scheduled to begin at 12:45 p.m. The 89th annual Far Hills Race is expected to draw more than 50,000 spectators to Moorland Farms in central New Jersey. The 72nd International Gold Cup Race Meet is expected to bring more than 35,000 fans to the northern Virginia countryside