• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

BettingSites.co

Betting Sites - Best UK Online Bookmakers & Sports Betting Websites

  • Home
  • Top 10
  • New Sites
  • Free Bets
  • Bookmakers
  • Sports
    • American Football
    • Athletics
    • Baseball
    • Basketball
    • Boxing
    • Cricket
    • Darts
    • Football
    • Formula 1
    • Golf
    • Greyhound Racing
    • Horse Racing
    • Ice Hockey
    • Rugby
    • Snooker
    • Tennis
    • UFC/MMA
  • Tips
  • Banking
  • Articles

Ladbrokes Champion Chase: Past Winners, Stats & History

Down Royal Festival
Course:
Down Royal
Jumps Course
Grade:
Grade 1
Length:
3m
Last Winner:
Envoi Allen @ 7/2
Prize Money:
€150,000 (2022)

Late October and early November is the time of year when the jumping action really begins to heat up as the new season kicks into gear. The first of the big Grade 1 contests comes over in Northern Ireland at the Country Antrim venue of Down Royal with the Ladbrokes Champion Chase.

The race was first run in 1999 as the James Nicholson Wine Merchants Champion Chase when it was won by Florida Pearl who went onto become a four-time winner of the Irish Gold Cup. Regularly attracting the top talent from both sides of the Irish Sea, the Paul Nicholls-trained superstar, Kauto Star, landed this prize twice during his illustrious career.

Ladbrokes Champion Chase Course Map (Jumps Course)

Down Royal Jumps Racecourse Map

Ladbrokes Champion Chase Past Winners

Year Winner SP Trainer Jockey
2022 Envoi Allen 7/2 Henry de Bromhead Rachael Blackmore
2021 Frodon 3/1 Paul Nicholls Bryony Frost
2020 The Storyteller 9/2 Gordon Elliott Keith Donoghue
2019 Road to Respect 5/2 Noel Meade Sean Flanagan
2018 Road to Respect 6/4 Noel Meade Sean Flanagan
2017 Outlander 16/1 Gordon Elliott Jack Kennedy
2016 Valseur Lido 2/1 Henry de Bromhead Ruby Walsh
2015 Don Cossack 2/11 Gordon Elliott Bryan Cooper
2014 Road To Riches 9/2 Noel Meade Paul Carberry
2013 Roi Du Mee 12/1 Gordon Elliott Bryan Cooper
2012 Kauto Stone 5/2 Paul Nicholls Daryl Jacob
2011 Quito De La Roque 11/4 Colm Murphy Davy Russell
2010 Kauto Star 4/7 Paul Nicholls Ruby Walsh
2009 The Listener 7/1 Nick Mitchell Andrew McNamara
2008 Kauto Star 2/5 Paul Nicholls Ruby Walsh
2007 Taranis 10/11 Paul Nicholls Ruby Walsh
2006 Beef or Salmon 11/4 Michael Hourigan Andrew McNamara
2005 Abandoned (bomb scare) - - -
2004 Beef or Salmon Evens Michael Hourigan Timmy Murphy
2003 Glenelly Gale 7/1 Arthur Moore Conor O'Dwyer

About the Ladbrokes Champion Chase

Down Royal Racecourse

Photo © HENRY CLARK (cc-by-sa/2.0)

Perhaps as a result of being relatively new as far as top horse races go, the Ladbrokes Champion Chase, formerly sponsored by JN Wine, took little time establishing itself as one of Down Royal’s most cherished races. Three years after its 1999 inception, the race was awarded Grade 1 status making it the sole top level race to feature at the Northern Irish course. The bump up in classification has helped bring a lot of high quality names to Down Royal with Kauto Star and Don Cossack two of the contests’ most famous winners.

Scheduled for early November, the event puts horses to the test over 15 fences and across a distance of about three miles. Those competing most be over five years of age and any mare taking part receives a seven pound allowance due to their gender. As Northern Irish racing comes under Horse Racing Ireland authority, the €125,000 race stands as the first Grade 1 spectacle of the Irish National Hunt season.

BOMB THREAT CANCELS 2005 RACE

Police Tape with Blurred Officers in Background

Cheltenham Gold Cup winner War of Attrition secured 14 victories across his career including three at Grade 1 standard. Both totals could well have been one higher had it not been for the cancellation of racing at Down Royal in 2005. Several telephoned bomb warnings left course chairman James Nicholson with no other choice than to put an immediate halt to the day’s racing. Most importantly, all 8,000 people at Down Royal left unharmed but hopes of rescheduling the action never materialised.

Having been the 6/4 favourite for the contest, the forced abandonment denied War of Attrition a fine shot on victory. The brown gelding did return to try his luck in both 2006 and 2009 however. His first attempt saw Beef Or Salmon deny him by a neck while in 2009 the then 10-year-old stood no chance against The Listener who won by a commanding 15 lengths.

COMFORTABLE WINS COMMON

Sometimes horses are made to work extremely hard in Down Royal’s Champion Chase but more often we have seen one runner sail clear on their way towards the finishing post. Since the first race in 1999, seven winners have won by at least 11 lengths, the longest margin of victory coming courtesy of Road To Respect when he blew the field away during a 16 length triumph in 2018. In the same space of time, only ten contests have been settled by fewer than four lengths so it is not usually a race that goes down to the wire.

Chart Sowing the Winning Distances of Ladbrokes Champion Chase Winners Between 1999 and 2021

GIGGINSTOWN MAKING PRESENCE FELT

Owned by Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary, the Gigginstown House Stud has been responsible for so many great winners over the years. With the number of horses they produce, their presence in Irish racing is a huge one and one particularly noticeable in this race. Road To Respect’s victory in the 2019 edition of this race made it seven in a row for Gigginstown and eight overall. Having grown a knack for producing talented stayers, you should definitely keep an eye on any entries they have in future renewals.

Chart Showing the Finishing Positions of Gigginstown House Stud Runners in the Ladbrokes Champion Chase Between 2006 and 2021

WAIT FINALLY OVER FOR SUCCESSFUL TITLE DEFENCE

Road To Respect’s wins in 2018 and 2019 meant that this race at last saw a reigning champion return to claim victory the following year. Kauto Star and Beef Or Salmon won this race on two separate occasions but for both, a year’s gap fell in between their Down Royal successes. Beef Or Salmon never had the option of initially defending his crown due to the abandonment of the 2005 renewal while Paul Nicholls opted to delay Kauto Star’s seasonal debut in 2009. Outlander did attempt to give the feat a go but could only manage third place and Kauto Stone fared no better when finishing second last in 2013.

Chart Showing the Performance of Reigning Ladbrokes Champion Chase Winners Between 1999 and 2021

Other Races of Note at Down Royal

  • Ladbrokes Champion Chase

Primary Sidebar

Sports Betting Guides

  • American Football
    • Super Bowl
  • Athletics
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Boxing
  • Cricket
  • Darts
    • BDO World Darts Championship
    • PDC World Darts Championship
    • PDC World Matchplay
  • Football
    • Football Articles
    • Premier League
    • Premier League Big Six
    • Championship
    • Football Cups
    • FA Cup
    • Champions League
    • World Cup
    • European Championships
    • Football Awards
    • English Football Teams & Leagues
    • Scottish Football Teams & Leagues
    • Irish Football Teams & Leagues
    • Welsh Football Teams & Leagues
  • Formula 1
    • Circuits
    • F1 Constructors Championship
    • F1 Drivers Championship
  • Golf
    • Golf Tournaments
    • The Open Championship
    • US Open Golf
    • The Masters
    • Ryder Cup
    • US PGA Championship
  • Greyhound Racing
    • Greyhound Racing Tracks
  • Horse Racing
    • Horse Racing Articles
    • Horse Races
    • Major Meetings
    • Horse Racing Fixtures
    • Racecourses
      • England
      • Ireland
      • Scotland
      • Wales
    • Horse Racing Series
    • Prize Money
    • Race Classes
      • Grade 1
      • Grade 2
      • Grade 3
      • Group 1
      • Group 2
      • Group 3
      • Handicaps
      • The Classics
  • Ice Hockey
  • MotoGP
  • Motorsport
    • MotoGP Circuits
  • Rugby
    • Super League
    • Six Nations
    • Rugby World Cup
  • Snooker
    • Masters Snooker
    • World Snooker Championship
    • UK Championship Snooker
  • Tennis
    • Wimbledon
    • US Open
    • French Open
    • Australian Open
  • UFC/MMA

Horse Racing Articles

  • What Is the Difference Between UK & Irish Racing?
  • How Many Grand Nationals Are There in the UK & Ireland?
  • What Are the Shortest Horse Races in the UK, Ireland & the World?
  • What Are the Longest Horse Races in the UK, Ireland & the World?
  • Two Year Old Racing: Famous Races, Race Types & Controversy
  • Horse Racing in Ireland: A Guide to Irish Horse Race Classifications
  • Has Any Horse Won All Five Classics?
  • Frankie Dettori's Magnificent Seven
  • Have Any Horses Won The Grand National More Than Once?
  • What's the Different Between Chases & Hurdles in Horse Racing?
  • Worlds Biggest Horse Races
  • Tic-Tac: The Bookies Secret Hand Signals Explained
  • Horse Racing Rule 4 Deductions Explained
  • Best Odds Guaranteed Explained
  • Picking Winners: How To Study Horse Racing Form
  • What is Totepool Betting?
  • The History of Horse Racing

Events By Country

  • Countries
  • UAE (Dubai & Abu Dhabi)
  • South Africa
  • India
  • New Zealand
  • France
  • Australia
  • Canada
  • USA
  • Ireland
  • UK
  • Saudi Arabia

Banking

  • Apple Pay
  • Bitcoin
  • Entropay
  • Neteller
  • PayPal
  • Paysafecard
  • Skrill

Popular Articles

  • Picking Winners: How To Study Horse Racing Form
  • Betting & Tax In The UK – Do I Have To Pay Tax On My Gambling Winnings?
  • Both Teams to Score & Goals Galore Explained
  • Multiples Betting Explained
  • Dead Heat Rules – What Happens In The Event Of A Tie?

Latest Articles

  • Horse Racing Fixtures
  • Scottish Racecourses
  • Welsh Racecourses
  • English Racecourses
  • Premier League Golden Boot
  • European Golden Shoe
  • Motorsport
  • Youghal Greyhound Stadium
  • Kilcohan Park Greyhound Stadium (Waterford)
  • Kingdom Greyhound Stadium (Tralee)

Recently Updated

  • Australian Open: Past Winners, Stats & History
  • Pegasus World Cup
  • Farmers Insurance Open
  • Cotswold Chase
  • Clarence House Chase
  • Best Online Bookies & List of UK High Street Bookmakers
  • The American Express
  • Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship
  • DP World Tour Championship
  • Nedbank Golf Challenge
  • Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
  • Open de France
  • Italian Open
  • BMW PGA Championship
  • Omega European Masters
  • Irish Open
  • BMW International Open
  • Porsche European Open
  • Dutch Open
  • British Masters
Copyright © 2023 BettingSites.co | 18+ BeGambleAware

Disclaimer: Please note that the legality of betting online varies between countries and it is your responsibility to verify that your actions are legal in the country you reside. All offers subject to terms and conditions. Please gamble responsibly - if you feel you may have a problem and need advice please visit Gamble Aware (UK) or Gamblers Anonymous.