The Becher Chase is a Premier Handicap
National Hunt
In horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Republic of Ireland, National Hunt racing requires horses to jump fences and ditches. National Hunt racing in the UK is informally known as "jumps" and is divided into two major distinct branches: ...
steeplechase
Steeplechase may refer to:
* Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles
* Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...
in Great Britain which is open to horses aged six years or older. It is run at
Aintree
Aintree is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England. Historically in Lancashire, it lies between Walton and Maghull on the A59 road, north-east of Liverpool city centre, in North West England.
It i ...
over a distance of about 3 miles and 2 furlongs (3 miles 1 furlong and 188 yards, or 5,201 metres), and during its running there are twenty-one fences to be jumped. It is a
handicap race, and it is scheduled to take place each year in November or December.
It is run over the same fences as Aintree's most famous race, the
Grand National
The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap ...
, and it serves as an early-season trial for that event. Two winners have gone on to win the Grand National; Amberleigh House and Silver Birch. Earth Summit won the race in 1998 following his Grand National win the previous April.
One of the obstacles jumped is
Becher's Brook
Becher's Brook ( ) is a fence jumped during the Grand National, a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England. It is jumped twice during the race, as the and fence, as well as on four other occasions du ...
, which is named in memory of
Martin Becher
Martin William Becher (1797 – 12 October 1864) was a former soldier and steeplechase jockey in whose memory the Becher's Brook obstacle at Aintree Racecourse is named. (1799–1864). The Becher Chase was established in 1992, when a new race meeting was introduced at Aintree. For the twenty years prior to this, the Grand National meeting had been the venue's only horse racing fixture of the year. The Becher Chase was upgraded to Grade Three by the
British Horseracing Board (BHA) from its 2014 running and was re-classified as a Premier Handicap from the 2022 running when Grade 3 status was renamed by the BHA.
Records
Most successful horse (2 wins):
* Into The Red – ''1994, 1996''
* Hello Bud - ''2010, 2012''
* Walk In The Mill - ''2018, 2019''
* Vieux Lion Rouge - ''2016, 2020''
Most successful jockey (2 wins):
* Chris Maude - ''Indian Tonic (1993), Young Hustler (1995)''
*
Tony Dobbin
Tony may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer
* Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...
- ''Into The Red (1996), Feels Like Gold (1999)''
*
Sam Twiston-Davies
Sam Twiston-Davies is a British National Hunt racing jockey. He was the retained jockey of ten-times British jump racing Champion Trainer Paul Nicholls. He won the 2015 Queen Mother Champion Chase on Dodging Bullets. His father is trainer Nig ...
- ''Hello Bud (2010, 2012)''
* James Best - ''Walk In The Mill (2018, 2019)''
Most successful trainer (6 wins):
*
Nigel Twiston-Davies
Nigel Twiston-Davies (born 16 May 1957, Crickhowell) is a British racehorse trainer specialising in National Hunt racing. He is based at stables at Naunton, Gloucestershire.
He began training in 1981 and sent out his first winner, Last of the Fo ...
- ''Indian Tonic (1993), Young Hustler (1995), Earth Summit (1998), Hello Bud (2010, 2012), Blaklion (2017)''
Winners
* ''Weights given in
stone
In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
s and
pounds.''
See also
*
Horse racing in Great Britain
Horse racing is the second largest spectator sport in Great Britain, and one of the longest established, with a history dating back many centuries. According to a report by the British Horseracing Authority it generates £3.39 billion total di ...
*
List of British National Hunt races
A list of notable National Hunt horse races which take place annually in Great Britain, under the authority of the British Horseracing Authority, including all races which currently hold Grade 1, 2 or 3 status.
History of the National Hunt Patter ...
References
*
Racing Post
''Racing Post'' is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing and sports betting publisher which is published in print and digital formats. It is printed in tabloid format from Monday to Sunday. , it has an average daily circulation of 6 ...
:
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** , , , , , , , , ,
** , , , , , , , , {{Racing Post, 769488, 2020, 12, 05, 32
----
aintree.co.uk– ''2009 John Smith's Grand National Media Guide''.
pedigreequery.com– ''Becher Chase – Aintree.''
External links
* Race Recording
* Official Site of the Becher Chas
National Hunt races in Great Britain
Aintree Racecourse
National Hunt chases
Recurring sporting events established in 1992
1992 establishments in England