Montpelier Hunt Races Tickets After Online Sales Close: Where to Buy and How Nov. 7 Unfolds

If you still need a badge for the Montpelier Hunt Races, where do you go after the website stops selling them? The 91st running is Saturday, Nov. 7, at James Madison's Montpelier, 11350 Constitution Highway in Montpelier Station. Monday, Oct. 26, was the last day to buy online. From then until race day, tickets are sold only at approved outlets or at the gate, and the gate costs more.

In the last stretch before the races, buying tickets is a local errand. You pick up badges and parking passes at the same counters where people in Orange County buy fertilizer, open a bank account or stop for a bag of feed. The choices you make there, especially about parking, decide how far you walk and when you need to arrive.

The counters selling tickets from Locust Grove to Gordonsville

The official outlet list shows sales at these locations since Oct. 1, 2026. The races ask you to call ahead and confirm stock before you drive over.

• Orange and Orange County: Montpelier Visitor Center, 540-672-2728; Ace Hardware–Orange, 540-308-7103; Blue Ridge Bank, 540-672-0990; Darnell's Garden Patch, 540-672-1449; Deep Roots Home & Garden, 540-854-5093; EverGro, 540-672-2977; E.V. Baker's Store, 540-423-1928; Farm Credit, 540-672-3644; Locust Grove Hardware, 540-972-1906
• Gordonsville: Blue Ridge Bank, 540-837-6360; The Laurie Holladay Shop, 540-832-0552
• Madison: EverGro, 540-948-5671
• Louisa: EverGro, 540-967-0229; Blue Ridge Bank, 540-967-2111
• Charlottesville: Caspari, 434-817-7880; C'Ville Smoke Shop at Forest Lakes, 434-245-1175; Schwarzschild Keller & George, 434-293-5011
• Culpeper: CFC Farm & Home Center, 540-825-2200

The race office also takes calls at 540-672-0014. The Rapidan Register reported on Oct. 21 that there are more than two dozen regional outlets. It also reported that tickets and parking passes will still be sold at the gate "at a slightly higher cost." The races have not published the gate price, so the outlet price is the only one you can count on before Saturday morning.

Two passes for every car, and the parking choice sets your walk

Admission and parking are separate purchases. The Daily Progress lists admission badges at $30 each and says children younger than 12 get in free. The races' FAQ page exempts "children 12 and under," so a family with a 12-year-old should ask the outlet which rule applies. Every vehicle also needs its own parking pass. A family of four with two children over 12 therefore spends $120 on badges before the car has a place to park.

Here is what remains for the car:

• General Parking, $40. You park in the general lot, at the bottom right of the grounds map, and walk to the infield of the racecourse. The FAQ says to count on a walk of up to a quarter-mile.
• Infield Parking, $120. These spaces are not reserved, so you park wherever space is open inside the course, and the walk is shorter. Badges are still sold separately.

All reserved parking is sold out, and so is the $190 Picnic Space with its reserved rail spot. The Infield pass costs $80 more than General, and what you buy with it is distance. It does not get you a spot on the rail. For anyone carrying chairs, a cooler and a toddler across a fall field, the extra $80 may be worth it.

Groups face a closer deadline. Buses and limousines need a special pass arranged before Saturday, Oct. 31. Any vehicle carrying more than 12 passengers counts as a bus and cannot use reserved spaces.

The Rapidan Register expects about 18,000 people. Gates open at 9 a.m., three hours before the first race, which gives a crowd that size time to park and walk in.

The morning belongs to the terriers and the stick horses

The program starts well before the first race. The official schedule runs like this:

1. 9 a.m. Gates open.
2. 10:15 a.m. Jack Russell Terrier Races.
3. 11:15 a.m. Stick Horse Races for children.
4. 11:45 a.m. Opening ceremonies.
5. Noon. First post.
6. After the first race. The Corgi Cup, in its second year.
7. About 1:05 p.m. Hat contest judging, sponsored by Dubarry of Ireland. Entry is free, and categories include racing theme, fascinator, original, group, child, elegant and gentleman.
8. 2:15 p.m. Tailgate competition winners announced.
9. 4 p.m. The Noel Laing, the last race on the card.

The tailgate contest has no entry fee, but you must contact the race office in advance to enter. This year's theme is "Happy Birthday, America!" for the nation's 250th anniversary. The Kimpton Forum Hotel, the races' official hotel, is providing prizes. The parade of hounds, a sidesaddle exhibition and a vintage-car display also fill the day.

Sources disagree slightly on the first post time. The official listing and the Daily Progress both say noon, and the Daily Progress gives later posts at 12:40, 1:20, 2, 2:40, 3:20 and 4. The National Steeplechase Association's fall condition book lists 12:30 p.m. If your plans depend on that half hour, call the race office.

Seven races, several named for Montpelier's own horses

Montpelier's racing history shows up in the race names. According to the races' own history, Marion duPont Scott and her brother, William duPont, held the first jump race at Montpelier in 1929, and the National Steeplechase and Hunt Association sanctioned its first race there in 1934. The Rapidan Register dates the Hunt Races from 1934 and notes that for years race day was the only time the private estate opened to the public. It also reports that her horse Battleship was the first American-owned and American-bred horse to win the British Grand National, and that Mongo, a flat racing champion she campaigned, was inducted into the National Racing Hall of Fame at Saratoga this summer.

The NSA Fall 2026 condition book lists this card:

The final race carries the largest purse on the card, at more than twice the next biggest. That gives people a reason to stay through 4 p.m. The races have also given back to the community. By the race foundation's own account, they have donated nearly $1 million in unrestricted funds to James Madison's Montpelier. They have also supported the Orange Volunteer Fire Company, Lake of the Woods Fire and Rescue, the Orange County High School JROTC, the Virginia Thoroughbred Project, the Temple Gwathmey Foundation and The Steeplechase Fund.

What goes in the car, and what stays home

The race FAQ is short and strict. People with a reserved rail space may set up one tent, no larger than 10 by 10 feet, behind the car. Propane grills are allowed only with thermos-size tanks. Open fires, loud music, glass drinking glasses, flags and balloons are not allowed. Tailgaters may bring alcohol, and the races expect people to drink in moderation. Food vendors sell on site as well. The 2026 pages do not include a cooler rule.

Leave the family dog at home unless it is credentialed for the terrier or corgi races. If you plan to bring a service animal, the races' 2024 "Plan the Perfect Day" guide covers service and emotional-support animals, and the race office can confirm this year's policy.

A signed poster, local bottles and three rooms of the house

The Rapidan Register says the races are "often considered locally to be the unofficial start of the holiday season." The Montpelier Market vendor village is part of the reason, with hats, jewelry, boots, clothing, artwork, pet gifts and cigars for sale. The Daily Progress reports the market will be open all day.

This year's poster painting is by Kelly Coffin, a Ruckersville artist, Navy pilot turned painter and lifelong equestrian. She will sign commemorative posters at the races and show more of her work. The original painting will be sold by silent auction, and there is a raffle for prizes.

The poster art also appears on bottles. According to the races' announcement, Chateau MerrillAnne, an Orange County winery, made a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Petite Manseng with 2026 labels, and Reservoir Distillery has a special reserve bourbon. Both are sold at the races and at the businesses themselves.

The house and the David M. Rubenstein Visitor Center are closed to the general public on race day. Race-ticket holders can buy a mini-tour of three rooms, including the upstairs Old Library, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Our team at Rappahannock Real Estate knows these roads and many of the counters on that outlet list, and we're glad to see the races running for the 91st time. If you're thinking about land or a home within an easy drive of Montpelier and want plain advice from people who know the area, Contact Us.