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Festival Hunters’ Chase: Past Winners, Stats & History

Cheltenham Festival
Course:
Cheltenham
New Course
Grade:
Class 2
Length:
3m 2½f
Last Winner:
Sine Nomine @ 8/1
Prize Money:
£50,000 (2024)

The course and distance are the same, and whilst the class of runner and prize money may be a notch or two below that of the Gold Cup, for the amateur riders taking part, the Cheltenham Festival Hunter Chase means just as much.

Previously know as the Foxhunter Chase, this is a race for amateur jockeys and is often referred to as the Amateur Gold Cup, though in 2021 professional riders competed in their place. Bryony Frost won this race prior to turning professional when riding Pacha Du Polder to victory for Paul Nicholls in 2017.

The highlight of the season for these jockeys is always a big field affair which makes for a cracking spectacle and betting heat.

Festival Hunters' Chase Course Map (New Course)

Cheltenham New Course Map

The 3m 2½f plots exactly the same course as the Gold Cup run before it. Starting at the end of the New Course straight, two fences are jumped before two complete circuits are navigated.

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Festival Hunters' Chase Past Winners

Year Winner SP Trainer Jockey
2024 Sine Nomine 8/1 Fiona Needham John Dawson
2023 Premier Magic 66/1 Bradley Gibbs Bradley Gibbs
2022 Billaway 13/8 Willie Mullins Patrick Mullins
2021 Porlock Bay 16/1 Will Biddick Lorcan Williams
2020 It Came To Pass 66/1 Eugene O'Sullivan Maxine O'Sullivan
2019 Hazel Hill 7/2 Philip Rowley Mr Alex Edwards
2018 Pacha Du Polder 25/1 Paul Nicholls Miss Harriet Tucker
2017 Pacha Du Polder 16/1 Paul Nicholls Bryony Frost
2016 On The Fringe 13/8 Enda Bolger Nina Carberry
2015 On The Fringe 6/1 Enda Bolger Nina Carberry
2014 Tammys Hill 15/2 Liam Lennon Mr J J Smyth
2013 Salsify 2/1 Rodger Sweeney Mr C J Sweeney
2012 Salsify 7/1 Rodger Sweeney Mr C J Sweeney
2011 Zemsky 33/1 Ian Ferguson Derek O'Connor
2010 Baby Run 9/2 Nigel Twiston-Davies Sam Twiston-Davies
2009 Cappa Bleu 11/2 Sheila Crow Richard Burton
2008 Amicelli 33/1 Cherry Coward Oliver Greenall
2007 Drombeag 20/1 Jonjo O'Neill J. T. McNamara
2006 Whyso Mayo 20/1 Raymond Hurley Damien Murphy
2005 Sleeping Night 7/2 Paul Nicholls Colman Sweeney

About the Foxhunter Chase: The Amateurs Tackle the Gold Cup Fences

Foxhunter and Hounds at Cheltenham Racecourse
Steven Jones, flickr

The Cheltenham Festival is exactly as one might imagine – a true festival of horse racing. All aspects of National Hunt racing are celebrated including the tradition of allowing amateur jockeys to race against each other.

That is the case with the Festival Hunter’ Chase which is a massive opportunity for amateur riders to grab the headlines at Prestbury Park.

After the Lord Mayor’s Show

Horse Jumping Fence at Cheltenham
Steven Jones, flickr

Amateur jockeys always view the chance to ride in the Festival Hunters’ Chase as a real honour as it is the race that that immediately follows the Cheltenham Gold Cup, for many the biggest race of the entire season. Moreover, the Festival Hunters’ Chase is run over the exact same distance of three miles and two and a half furlongs and over the same 22 fences.

The chance to see another race over the world famous New Course at Cheltenham ending with that daunting climb up the hill guarantees the crowds hang around to watch the Festival Hunters’ Chase. It also demands a lot from the runners and riders.

Before we get into what it takes physically to win the race it’s worth pointing out the mental toll that running at the Cheltenham Festival exacts on the horses.

They are the real stars of the show and get a lot of attention as soon as they arrive at Prestbury Park. It is understandable that some of them will react badly to the crowds and the noise and fail to give their best, especially if they have an inexperienced jockey on board. Punters would be advised to have a look at the character of the competitors before parting with any of their hard earned.

A Race for Specialists

Cheshire Forest Hunt Point to Point
Cheshire Forest Hunt Point to Point, John Harwood, flickr

The championship races at Cheltenham basically come down to class. There are specific characteristics needed to win them but each is designed to decide who is the best horse in a particular division. It’s not quite as straightforward with the Festival Hunters’ Chase.

The trainers who send their horses to the Festival Hunters’ Chase have normally come to the conclusion that they have done all they can in handicaps after either succeeding or failing to make an impact amongst graded company. Additionally, many Irish horses who developed a formidable point-to-point record at home have gone on to do well.

The British Horseracing Authority became concerned that the reputation of hunter chases in general and the Festival Hunters’ Chase was being diminished as big name trainers had begun dropping in horses capable of competing at a higher level into the field. So, they introduced changes in 2018 mandating that horses who contest hunter chases for licensed trainers were subsequently only able to run in hunter chases for the remainder of the season.

Those changes were broadly welcomed, especially by the many people in horse racing who hold hunter chasing close to their heart. It hasn’t stopped the biggest trainers from entering horses into the Festival Hunters’ Chase but should maintain the competitiveness of a race which has a reputation for providing thrilling finishes.

A list of the Hunter Chases run in the UK in the lead up to the latest Cheltenham Festival can be found here.

Capitalise on the Recent Trend of Multiple Winners

The qualifying criteria for the Festival Hunters’ Chase demands that horses must have finished in the top two twice in hunter chases or have won at least two point-to-points. This only serves to hammer home the idea that this is a race for specialist hunter chasers as does the recent trend of multiple winners.

Since its introduction to Cheltenham in 1904 a handful of horses have won the Festival Hunters’ Chase twice. So far, no horse has won it three times but that could change as multiple winners are becoming increasingly common. Below is a table showing the two time winners, including three such horses between the 2012 and 2018 editions.

Double Foxhunter Chase Winners: 1946 – 2024

Horse Trainer Jockey First Win Second Win
Pacha du Polder Paul Nicholls B Frost / H Tucker 2017 2018
On The Fringe Enda Bolger Nina Carberry 2015 2016
Salsify Roger Sweeney Colman Sweeney 2012 2013
Earthmover R Barber / P Nicholls J Tizzard / R Goschen 1998 2004
Fantus Richard Barber P Curling / T Mitchell 1995 1997
Double Silk Reg Wilkins Ron Treloggen 1993 1994
College Master Laurie Morgan Laurie Morgan 1961 1962
Whinstone Hill Bobby Brewis Bobby Brewis 1958 1960
The Callant Stewart Wight John Scott-Aiton 1956 1957

UK Hunter Chases Leading Up to the Festival

The Hunter Chase season begins in January, with a host of races in the lead-up to the Festival. Below is a full list of UK Hunter Chases and their winners between January and the start of the Cheltenham Festival in 2024.

UK Hunter Chases: January 8th – March 11th 2024

Course Date Hunters’ Chase Winner Class Prize Fund
Taunton 8/1/24 Geoffrey Bosley Regatta De Blanc (6/5) Class 5 £6,599
Kelso 14/1/24 Racing TV Super Citizen (4/6) Class 4 £6,600
Ludlow 18/1/24 Jumping For Fun Abandoned Class 5 £6,000
Warwick 22/1/24 Willoughby De Broke D’Jango (9/1) Class 6 £4,000
Hereford 29/1/24 PlanetSportBet Time Leader (9/4) Class 5 £5,000
Wincanton 1/2/24 Stewart Tory Memorial Quintin’s Man (12/1) Class 5 £6,500
Wetherby 3/2/24 Vickers Sine Nomine (6/1) Class 5 £5,000
Ludlow 7/2/24 Chase Meredith Memorial Captain Tommy (20/1) Class 4 £6,600
Bangor 9/2/24 John Hewitt Memorial Abandoned Class 4 £7,500
Leicester 15/2/24 Dick Saunders (Novices’) Abandoned Class 5 £6,000
Fakenham 16/2/24 William Bulwer Long Mem’ Secret Investor (5/6) Class 5 £5,000
Ffos Las 16/2/24 Vickers Abandoned Class 4 £7,000
Haydock 17/2/24 Walrus Spyglass Hill (9/1) Class 3 £15,000
Taunton 20/2/24 Jumping For Fun Macklin (7/2) Class 5 £6,599
Leicester 27/2/24 Jumping For Fun Bennys King (8/1) Class 3 £12,000
Leicester 27/2/24 Quorn Maiden Iskandar Pecos (2/5) Class 5 £6,000
Wincanton 28/2/24 Dick & Sue Woodhouse Mem’ Espoir De Guye (10/1) Class 5 £6,500
Southwell 4/3/24 Jumping For Fun Haven’t Time (10/1) Class 5 £5,000
Catterick 6/3/24 Jumping For Fun Gaboriot (3/1) Class 5 £5,000
Leicester 8/3/24 The Yeomanry Cap Du Mathan (11/10) Class 5 £6,500
Stratford 11/3/24 Oncourse Bookmakers Forest Chimes (9/2) Class 5 £4,600

UK Hunter Chases Following the Last Festival

The Hunter Chase season continues until the finale evening meeting at Stratford, usually in early June. The races and winners from those Hunter Chases between the start of the 2023 Cheltenham Festival and the Stratford race night in 2023 are shown below.

UK Hunter Chases: March 11th 2023 – 2nd June 2023

Course Date Hunters’ Chase Winner Class Prize Fund
Fakenham 17/3/23 Robert Hoare Memorial Bennys King (15/8) Class 5 £5,000
Carlisle 19/3/23 Cocklakes Billy Bronco (22/1) Class 5 £6,000
Ludlow 23/3/23 Treasure And Son Fix At All (16/1) Class 4 £7,000
Newbury 24/3/23 BetVictor Lift Me Up (7/2) Class 5 £4,600
Exeter 26/3/23 Totnes And Bridgetown Singapore Saga (11/8) Class 5 £5,000
Warwick 30/3/23 Air Wedding Firak (Evens) Class 6 £4,000
Ludlow 3/4/23 Eddie Mapp Memorial Fix At All (11/8) Class 4 £6,600
Fakenham 10/4/23 Queen’s Cup Janika (4/1) Class 4 £7,000
Exeter 11/4/23 Totnes And Bridgetown Shantou Flyer (Evens) Class 5 £5,000
Aintree 13/4/23 Randox Foxhunters’ Famous Clermont (9/2) Class 2 £50,000
Kelso 17/4/23 Buccleuch Cup Ballydonagh Boy (15/8) Class 4 £7,000
Exeter 21/4/23 Totnes And Bridgetown King’s Quay (10/1) Class 5 £5,000
Stratford 23/4/23 Jumping For Fun Sine Nomine (2/1) Class 5 £4,600
Hexham 24/4/23 AtTheRaces Firak (5/2) Class 5 £5,000
Kempton 24/4/23 Racing TV Espoir De Teillee (8/13) Class 5 £5,000
Ludlow 26/4/23 Magnus-Allcroft Memorial Secret Investor (8/13) Class 4 £6,600
Chepstow 28/4/23 Dunraven Bowl Honey I’m Good (5/4) Class 5 £5,600
Cheltenham 5/5/23 John Wyke Memorial Fier Jaguen (5/6) Class 5 £5,500
Cheltenham 5/5/23 Lycetts Insurance Brokers Quintin’s Man (18/1) Class 4 £10,000
Cheltenham 5/5/23 KTDA Fairly Famous (11/4) Class 4 £7,000
Cheltenham 5/5/23 Ineos Grenadier Premier Magic (8/11) Class 4 £10,000
Cheltenham 5/5/23 Barrie Wells Trust Mares’ Miss Seagreen (33/1) Class 4 £7,000
Cheltenham 5/5/23 Remembering Gabe Mahon Law Of Gold (11/8) Class 4 £7,000
Cheltenham 5/5/23 Royal Gloucs. Hussars Paloma Blue (9/1) Class 5 £5,500
Fakenham 9/5/23 Jumping For Fun Raleagh Flora (9/4) Class 5 £5,000
Kelso 10/5/23 Racing Together Time Leader (2/7) Class 4 £6,600
Hexham 13/5/23 Paxton’s Matts Commission (6/5) Class 4 £7,000
Newton Abbot 17/5/23 Totnes And Bridgetown Young Buck (5/6) Class 5 £5,000
Perth 17/5/23 Bruce Farms ‘Grassroots’ Shanroe Street (9/2) Class 5 £5,000
Huntingdon 23/5/23 Racing TV Kaproyale (15/8) Class 5 £4,600
Kelso 28/5/23 Borders Growers & Distillers Slievegar (4/5) Class 3 £12,000
Cartmel 29/5/23 Fraser Cup Walkin Out (85/40) Class 5 £7,000
Newton Abbot 31/5/23 Totnes And Bridgetown No Getaway (10/1) Class 5 £5,000
Cartmel 31/5/23 Cartmel Racecourse Time Leader (10/11) Class 5 £6,000
Stratford 2/6/23 Jumping For Fun Kaproyale (11/4) Class 5 £6,000
Stratford 2/6/23 Ladies Championship Final Shantou Flyer (6/4) Class 3 £12,000
Stratford 2/6/23 Champion Novices’ Sine Nomine (Evens) Class 2 £20,000
Stratford 2/6/23 Foxhunters Champion Secret Investor (5/1) Class 2 £22,000
Stratford 2/6/23 White Swan Hotel Sixteen Letters (11/8) Class 4 £8,650
Stratford 2/6/23 Grace & Dotty Captain Biggles (2/1) Class 4 £8,500
Stratford 2/6/23 Champion ‘P2P’ Bumper Penniless (11/1) Class 4 £6,500

Other Races of Note at Cheltenham

  • Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle
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  • Stayers’ Hurdle
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  • Triumph Hurdle
  • Triumph Hurdle Trial
  • Turners Novices’ Chase

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