Baseball is still considered by some to be "The National Pastime," although many would argue these days that it has been surpassed in popularity by football and NASCAR racing. But it wasn't all that long ago that racing - horse racing, that is - was the most popular spectator sport in this country. Given the choice between watching an interminable pitcher's duel or a spirited horse race, I would pick the horse race every time.

The Kentucky Derby is right around the corner May 1, but we've got an equally good race - or series of races, actually - coming up next weekend, and a lot closer to home.

It's the annual Atlanta Steeplechase, which is held each spring at Kingston Downs on the outskirts of Rome in a bend of the Etowah River.

Steeplechasing is a little different from The Kentucky Derby - but every bit as exciting. Unlike the Derby, steeplechases are run on a grass track that is interspersed with brush hurdles rising four or five feet high that the horses and jockeys must clear along the way. But like the "Run for the Roses," the horses are thoroughbreds, the jockeys professionals, the colors vivid and the pageantry rich. The Steeplechase won't have a worldwide TV audience and won't be watched by millions, but you can count on between 20,000 and 30,000 partygoers crowding into Kingston Downs for the day, many of them with traditional mint juleps or other beverages in hand.

The not-for-profit 501(c) 3 Atlanta Steeplechase benefits the Starlight Children's Foundation of Georgia and the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. The Starlight Foundation is dedicated to improving the quality of life for children who suffer from serious or life-threatening illnesses as well as debilitating injuries. Meanwhile, the Friends of the Steeplechase organization provides therapeutic riding activities to children and adults with mental, physical, behavioral and developmental disabilities. Sales from souvenirs at the event benefit the Coosa Valley chapter of the American Red Cross.

The Atlanta Steeplechase has accumulated nearly 45 years of tradition and took place for its first five years at Horseshoe Bend in Roswell, which at the time was still "country," rather than suburban sprawl. But the sprawl caught up with the race, prompting a move in 1971 to Seven Branches Farm just outside Cumming in Forsyth County. But plans for routing a state highway through the site prompted another move in the mid-1990s, this time to the present site along the Etowah. Unlike the Forsyth location, this track is in a natural bowl-shaped little valley, allowing spectators to view the entire race from anywhere along the track.

And that's not all there is to see, by any means. The track is lined with huge colorful party tents sponsored by various metro corporations. The infield is filled with partygoers as well - sort of like the infield of a NASCAR racetrack, just more fashionably dressed. For a more exclusive experience, there is the panoramic view from "The Hill" overlooking the finish line. Tailgating there is apt to take place next to a Rolls-Royce or vintage Jaguar and feature silver candelabras and champagne.

Ticket prices for the day range from $30 general admission on up to $2,000 for a table for eight in The Chairman's Tent. For more, go to the Steeplechase Web site at AtlantaSteeplechase.org or dial (404) 237-7436. General admission tickets can be bought online at ticketmaster.com or charged by phone at (404) 249-6400. By the way, there are no ticket sales at the event.

A couple more tips if you should decide to go: Wear comfortable shoes. The event is taking place in a horse pasture, after all. And don't make the mistake the Kirby family made a few years back and forget to apply sunscreen until it was too late!

Joe Kirby is Editorial Page Editor of the Marietta Daily Journal and co-author of the new "Then & Now: Marietta Revisited."