Charles Wayne (Skip) Achuff Jr. Annual Memorial Stalwart of Steeplechase Award 

©Tod Marks

Following his passing in 2022, Skip Achuff’s family created the Stalwart of Steeplechase Award to recognize those who epitomize the qualities Skip brought to the sport.  Nominees for the award represent the sport of steeplechase with professionalism, integrity, and dedication; uphold the rules of the sport; and prioritize the safety of horses and jockeys. 

On behalf of the Achuff family, Radnor Hunt Races is proud to announce Toby Edwards as this year’s recipient of the second annual Stalwart of Steeplechase Award. 

Toby Edwards has been a driving force in the steeplechase world, contributing as a jockey, trainer, race director, and in countless other capacities—both in the saddle and behind the scenes.

Toby started riding officially when he was 17 years old in Lambourn, England, followed by The Curragh in Ireland, and then in the United States in 1990. Toby first visited the U.S. in 1988, riding in Ocala and at Belmont Park, returning the next year to get his first look at American jump racing at Saratoga. Edwards returned to the U.S. for good the following year, eventually ending up with a string at Springdale, riding nearly 500 races 1993 to 2001. Toby stepped into his first administrative role in 2002 when he became the Race Director of the Stoneybrook Steeplechase. He later served as the Race Director at the Block House Races in Tryon, NC.

Toby’s experience prompted the Carolina Cup Racing Association to task him with revitalizing the Carolina Cup Races and Springdale Racecourse in Camden, SC. Toby’s leadership helped steer the Carolina Cup through the COVID-19 pandemic and restored its status as a premier spring steeplechase. In the most significant improvement to Springdale Racecourse in decades, he created safer ground for horses and riders by installing the irrigation system. His crowning achievement came on November 17, 2024, when he succeeded in reviving the Colonial Cup Races after an eight-year hiatus. That day featured six races with purses totaling $342,000, the Colonial Cup highlighting the day as a Grade I race with a $150,000 purse.

Today, Toby continues to serve as Executive Director of the Carolina Cup Racing Association and Springdale Training Center, while also serving as Race Director for the Steeplechase of Charleston. In addition, he serves as Executive Director of the National Steeplechase Museum in Camden, SC, which preserves the history of the sport in America.