The Imperial Cup 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: ...

hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at

Sandown Park Sandown Park is a horse racing course and leisure venue in Esher, Surrey, England, located in the outer suburbs of London. It hosts 5 Grade One National Hunt races and one Group 1 flat race, the Eclipse Stakes. It regularly has horse racing ...

over a distance of about 2 miles (1 mile, 7

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...

s and 216 yards, or ), and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped. It is a handicap race, and it is scheduled to take place each year in March. The Imperial Cup was first run in 1907, and in its early years it was considered to be the most important hurdle race of the season. A notable winner during this period was Trespasser, who recorded three successive victories in the race from 1920 to 1922. It continued to be the most prestigious hurdling event until the launch of 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 1927. The race is run on a Saturday in March, three days before the start of 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 ...

. The sponsors of the Imperial Cup have offered a financial bonus prize to the owner of the winning horse since 1992, awarded if the horse goes on to win any race at the following week's Festival. Winners of this bonus have included Olympian (who won the

Coral Cup The Coral Cup is a Grade 3 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 distance of about 2 miles and 5 f ...

at Cheltenham), Blowing Wind ( County Hurdle) and Gaspara ( Fred Winter Hurdle). . The 2016 running was unsponsored and no bonus was offered. The bonus returned in 2017 when new sponsors Matchbook offered a £50,000 prize, which they increased to £100,000 for the 2018 running. The race was upgraded from Listed to Grade Three status by the

British Horseracing Board __FORCETOC__ From 10 June 1993 until 30 July 2007, the British Horseracing Board (BHB) was the governing authority for horseracing in Great Britain. It was created in 1993, and took on responsibilities previously held by the Jockey Club. This wa ...

from its 2014 running. It was re-classified as a Premier Handicap from the 2023 running when Grade 3 status was renamed by the

British Horseracing Authority The British Horseracing Authority, also known simply as the BHA, is the regulatory authority for horse racing in Great Britain. It was formed on 31 July 2007, after the merger of the British Horseracing Board (BHB) and the Horseracing Regulat ...

Records

Most successful horse since 1947 (2 wins): * Secret Service - ''1949, 1950'' * High Point – ''1952, 1953'' * Precious Boy – ''1991, 1994'' Leading jockey since 1947 (5 wins): *

Tony McCoy Sir Anthony Peter McCoy (born 4 May 1974), commonly known as AP McCoy or Tony McCoy, is a Northern Irish former National Hunt horse racing jockey. Based in Ireland and the UK, McCoy rode a record 4,358 winners, and was Champion Jockey a reco ...

– ''Blowing Wind (1998), Polar Red (2002), Korelo (2003), Gaspara (2007), Qaspal (2010)'' Leading trainer since 1947 (6 wins): *

Martin Pipe Martin Charles Pipe (born 29 May 1945), is an English former racehorse trainer credited with professionalising the British racehorse training industry, and as of 2021 the most successful trainer in British jump racing. The son of a West-Count ...

– ''Travel Mystery (1989), Olympian (1993), Blowing Wind (1998), Polar Red (2002), Korelo (2003), Medison (2005)''

Winners since 1947

* ''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.''

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 ...

: ** , , , , , , , , , ** , , , , , , , , , ** , , , , , , , , , ** , , , , * Timeform Chasers & Hurdlers Statistical Companion 1992–93
horseracinghistory.co.uk
– ''profile of Trespasser, a three-time winner of the Imperial Cup.'' * {{cite book, title=Ladbrokes Pocket Companion 1990/91, year=1990, publisher=Aesculus Press, isbn=1-871093-21-X, page=55

External links

* Race Recording

National Hunt races in Great Britain Sandown Park Racecourse National Hunt hurdle races Recurring sporting events established in 1907 1907 establishments in England

Records

Winners since 1947

See also

References

External links