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Fortria
Fortria (foaled 1952) was an Irish National Hunt horse best known as the first dual winner of the Champion Chase and winner of the inaugural Mackeson Gold Cup. Although very successful over two miles, he also excelled at longer distances, and won the 1961 Irish Grand National and finished second in the 1962 and 1963 Cheltenham Gold Cups. Background Fortria was a bay horse bred by Mr. A. Craigie. His sire, Fortina, won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1947, the only entire (stallion) to do so. His dam, Senria also produced the 1957 and 1958 National Hunt Handicap Chase winner Sentina and the 1963 Irish Grand National winner Last Link. Fortria was owned by George Ansley and put into training with outstanding Irish trainer Tom Dreaper, who later trained Arkle. Fortria was ridden by Irish jockey Pat Taaffe. Career Early career Fortria made his debut in a maiden hurdle over two miles at Mullingar in 1957, where he finished ninth to Prince Swallow. He then finished third in th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Queen Mother Champion Chase
The Queen Mother Champion Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. As part of a sponsorship agreement with the online betting company Betway, the race is now known as the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles (1 mile 7 furlongs and 199 yards, or 3,199 metres), and during its running there are thirteen fences to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year during the Cheltenham Festival in March. It is the leading minimum-distance chase in the National Hunt calendar, and it is the feature race on the second day of the Festival. History The event was established in 1959, and it was originally called the National Hunt Two-Mile Champion Chase. It was given its present title in 1980 – the year of the Queen Mother's 80th birthday – in recognition of her support to jump ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fortria Chase
The Fortria Chase is a Grade 2 National Hunt racing, National Hunt Steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase in Ireland which is open to Horse racing, horses aged five years or older. It is run at Navan Racecourse, Navan over a distance of about 2 miles (3,219 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in November. The event is named after Fortria, a successful Irish-trained chaser in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It was formerly a Handicap (horse racing), handicap race, and it used to be open to horses aged four or older. It was given Grade 3 status in 1993, and its distance was extended by a furlong in 1996. It returned to its previous length in 2000, and at the same time it became a conditions race for five-year-olds and up. It was promoted to Grade 2 level in 2003. Records Most successful horse (3 wins): * Big Zeb – ''2009, 2010, 2011'' Leading jockey (7 wins): * Barry Geraghty – ''Private Peace (1999), Alcapone ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Irish Grand National
The Irish Grand National is a National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Fairyhouse over a distance of about 3 miles and 5 furlongs (5,834 metres), and during its running there are twenty-four fences to be jumped. It is a handicap race, and it is scheduled to take place each year on Easter Monday. It is the Irish equivalent of the Grand National, and it is held during Fairyhouse's Easter Festival meeting. History The event was established in 1870, and the inaugural running was won by a horse called Sir Robert Peel. The race took place at its present venue, and the winner's prize money was 167 sovereigns. In the early part of its history it was often won by horses trained at the Curragh, and there were ten such winners by 1882. The Easter Monday fixture regularly attracted racegoers from Dublin, and it became known as the Dubs' Day Out. Several winners of the Irish Grand Nat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mackeson Gold Cup
The Paddy Power Gold Cup is a Premier Handicap National Hunt racing, National Hunt Steeplechase (horse racing), chase in Great Britain which is open to Horse racing, horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and 4½ furlongs (2 miles 4 furlongs and 44 yards, or 4,064 metres), and during its running there are sixteen fences to be jumped. It is a Handicap (horse racing), handicap race, and it is scheduled to take place each year in mid November. The event was established in 1960, and it was originally sponsored by Mackeson Stout, Mackeson. It was known as the Mackeson Gold Cup until 1995, but since then it has had various sponsors and several title changes. It was backed by Murphy's Brewery, Murphy's from 1996, and by Thomas Pink from 2000. The bookmaker Paddy Power began supporting the race in 2003 and their sponsorship continued until the 2015 r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cheltenham Gold Cup
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs (3 miles 2 furlongs and 70 yards, or 5,294 m), and during its running there are 22 fences to be jumped. The race takes place each year during the Cheltenham Festival in March. The steeplechase, which is open to horses aged five years and over, is the most prestigious of all National Hunt events and it is sometimes referred to as the ''Blue Riband'' of jump-racing. Its roll of honour features the names of such chasers as Arkle, Best Mate, Golden Miller, Kauto Star, Denman and Mill House. The Gold Cup is the most valuable non-handicap chase in Britain, and in 2021 it offered a total prize fund of £468,750. History Early years The first horse race known as the Cheltenham Gold Cup took place in July 1819. It was a flat race, and it was c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pat Taaffe
Patrick Taaffe (9 March 1930, Dublin - 7 July 1992, Dublin) was an Irish National Hunt jockey who is best remembered as the jockey of Arkle. The pair dominated National Hunt racing in the mid-sixties, winning the Irish Grand National, the King George VI Chase, two Hennessy Gold Cups, three Cheltenham Gold Cups and the Whitbread Cup. Taaffe was born into a racing family. His father, Tom Taaffe, was a trainer who saddled the winner of the 1958 Grand National, Mr. What. A brother, Tos Taaffe, would become a leading jumps jockey. Taaffe started riding at an early age and won his first point-to-point in 1946 while still at school. In 1950, by this time a professional jockey, he joined the yard of trainer Tom Dreaper, where he remained as stable jockey until his retirement in 1970. Taaffe secured the first of two Grand National wins in 1955, riding the Vincent O'Brien trained Quare Times. The second was in 1970, when he rode Gay Trip, trained by Fred Rimell. There were also six vi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Punchestown Champion Chase
The Punchestown Champion Chase, currently known for sponsorship purposes as the William Hill Champion Chase, is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Punchestown over a distance of about 2 miles (3,219 metres) and during its running there are eleven fences to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year during the Punchestown Festival in late April. It was formerly a handicap race, and for much of the 1990s and early 2000s it was usually sponsored by BMW. It became a conditions race in 1999, and it was subsequently backed by Betdaq (2004) and Kerrygold (2005–09) and Boylesports (2010–19). The present sponsor, William Hill, began to support the event in 2021. The field usually includes horses which ran previously in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, and the last to win both races in the same year was Energumene in 2022. Records Most successful horse since 195 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tom Dreaper
Thomas William Dreaper (1898-1975) was a Irish steeplechase racehorse trainer, best known for having been the trainer of Arkle and Flyingbolt. Dreaper was born into a farming family in Donaghmore near Ashbourne on the County Meath-County Dublin border, and educated at St. Andrew's College, Dublin.Fuller, Bryony (1991) ''Tom Dreaper & His Horses'', Punchestown/Marlborough In 1916, he left school to work on the family farm with his father and elder brother. In his twenties he took up riding in point-to-points, with his first win coming in 1923 on Dean Swift, a horse he owned. In 1925 he rode his first winner under Rules. In 1930, his parents bought Greenogue, a 300-acre farm a few miles from Donaghmore, which Tom farmed himself, and in 1931 he took out a licence to train. His serious amateur career came to an end with a fall at Naas 1938, which left him in hospital for eight weeks, unconscious for two of them. Since he viewed himself primarily as a cattle-farmer, his training ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Navan Racecourse
Navan Racecourse is a horse racing venue at Proudstown near Navan, County Meath, Ireland, approximately 48 kilometres from Dublin. The course stages Flat racing but is best known for National Hunt racing. Navan Racecourse is owned by Horse Racing Ireland. The course is one and a half miles round with a home straight of three-and-a-half furlongs, left-handed with wide sweeping bends and an uphill finish from two furlongs out. There is a straight sprint course of six furlongs. Notable races References External linksOfficial website Racecourse Horse racing venues in the Republic of Ireland Racecourse A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also use ... Sports venues in County Meath {{horseracing-venue-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fortina (horse)
Fortina (1941–1968) was a French-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1947 Cheltenham Gold Cup. He was and remains the only entire horse to win the race. After establishing himself as a top-class steeplechaser in France he was sent to England and won the Gold Cup on his second British start. He was then retired to become a breeding stallion and became a very successful sire of National Hunt horses. Background Fortina was a chestnut horse bred in France. He was the best horse sired by Formor, a French bred stallion and a representative of the Byerley Turk sire line. Fortina's dam Bertina was a daughter of the leading French stallion La Farina and a female-line descendant of the influential Hungarian broodmare Kunst. Racing career Fortina began his racing career in France. He won four steeplechases and finished second to Lindor as a five-year-old in the 1946 Grand Steeplechase de Paris. In the autumn of 1946 he was bought by Lord Grimthorpe and brought to England to be t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arkle Challenge Trophy
The Arkle Challenge Trophy is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham, England, over a distance of about 2 miles (1 mile, 7 furlongs and 199 yards, or ), and during its running there are thirteen fences to be jumped. The race is for novice chasers, and takes place each year during the Cheltenham Festival in March. It is the leading minimum-distance chase for novices in the National Hunt calendar. It is the second race on the opening day of the festival. History The Arkle Challenge Trophy was introduced as a replacement for the Cotswold Chase, a previous event at the Cheltenham Festival, in 1969. Its title pays tribute to Arkle, a three-time winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup in the mid-1960s. The race was formerly scheduled to be run on the second day of the Festival, but it was switched to its slot on the opening day in 1980. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
