Frederick Cathcart (1859–1934) was a British impresario, who was the

Clerk of the Course A clerk of the course is an official in various types of racing. Horse racing In horse racing, the clerk of the course is the person responsible for track management and raceday preparation at a racecourse. Important tasks of the role include: ...

and

Chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

Cheltenham Racecourse Cheltenham Racecourse at Prestbury Park, near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, hosts National Hunt horse racing. Its most prestigious meeting is the Cheltenham Festival, held in March, which features several Grade I races including the Chel ...

from 1908 to 1934. He was responsible for the development of Cheltenham as the world headquarters of National Hunt racing, establishing the

Cheltenham Festival The Cheltenham Festival is a horse racing-based meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, with race prize money second only to the Grand National. The four-day festival takes place annually in March at Cheltenham Rac ...

as the leading National Hunt event in the racing calendar, and for instigating two of its major races – the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the

Champion Hurdle The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a ...

. In 1999, industry paper the

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 ...

named him at number 11 in the list of ''100 Makers of 20th Century Racing''. He was born in 1859, the son of a professional

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...

. He joined racecourse management firm Pratt & Co in 1895 and progressed to be senior partner. In 1911 he gave the National Hunt Meeting (the precursor to the Cheltenham Festival) a permanent home at Cheltenham and set about expanding it. Under his leadership, the inaugural runnings of the Cheltenham Gold Cup (1924) and

Champion Hurdle The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a ...

(1927) were held. On his death, one obituary read, "He was indefatigable in his efforts to increase the popularity and public appeal of the race meetings with which he was associated . . . Much of the success of the 'chasing at Cheltenham was due to Mr Cathcart's energy and enterprise." The

Cathcart Challenge Cup The Cathcart Challenge Cup was a Grade 2 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which was open to horses aged five years or older. It was run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and 5 furlongs (4,225 metres), and during ...

(later replaced by the

Ryanair Chase The Ryanair Chase 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 New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and 4½ furlongs (2 ...

) at the Cheltenham Festival meeting was named in his honour.

References

1859 births 1934 deaths Place of birth missing British businesspeople {{UK-horseracing-bio-stub