The John Francome Novices' Chase is a Grade 2
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: ...
chase
Chase or CHASE may refer to:
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in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at
Newbury, Berkshire, over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 furlongs (2 miles 3 furlongs and 187 yards, or 4,367 metres), and during its running there are sixteen fences to be jumped. The race is for
novice
A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A ''novice'' can also refer to a person (or animal e.g. racehorse) who is entering a profession
A profession is a field of work that has ...
chasers, and it is scheduled to take place each year in late November or early December.
Prior to 1991 the event was known as the Hopeful Chase, but was then renamed as the Fulke Walwyn Novices' Chase, in memory of the racehorse trainer
Fulke Walwyn
Fulke Thomas Tyndall Walwyn CVO (8 November 1910 – 18 February 1991) was a British jockey and a celebrated racehorse trainer, who was particularly successful in National Hunt racing.
Life
Walwyn was born in Wrexham. His twin sister, Helen Joh ...
. It attained Listed status in 2001, and it was promoted to Grade 2 level in 2004. The race was renamed the Berkshire Novices' Chase in 2006. From 2011 to 2016 the race was sponsored by
Fuller's Brewery
Fuller's Brewery in Chiswick in the west of London was a family-run business from its foundation in 1845 until 2019. In that year, the brewing division of Fuller, Smith & Turner PLC was sold to the Japanese international beverage giant Asahi.
J ...
and run as the Fuller's London Pride Novices' Chase. Since 2017 it has been sponsored by
Ladbrokes
Ladbrokes Coral is a British gambling company founded in 1886. Its product offering includes sports betting, online casino, online poker, and online bingo. The business is split into two divisions, UK and International. UK operations are c ...
. The race was given its current name in 2023 after the previous John Francome Novices' Chase, a three-mile race, was withdrawn from the calendar.
Records
Leading jockey since 1987 (4 wins):
*
Barry Geraghty
Barry Geraghty (born 16 September 1979) is a retired Irish jockey. He is the second most successful jockey of all time at the Cheltenham Festival.
Geraghty rode his first winner in January 1997 and three years later he became the Irish Champio ...
– ''The Market Man (2008), Punchestowns (2009),
Bobs Worth
Bobs Worth (21 May 2005 – 20 January 2022) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He won the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle in 2011, the RSA Chase in 2012 and the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2013 at the Cheltenham Festival, ma ...
(2011), Champ (2019)''
Leading
trainer since 1987 (8 wins):
*
Nicky Henderson
Nicholas John Henderson (born 10 December 1950) is a British racehorse trainer. He has been British jump racing Champion Trainer six times.
Background
His father was Johnny Henderson who was one of the founders of the Racecourse Holdings Tru ...
– ''
Remittance Man
In British history, a remittance man was an emigrant, often from Britain to a British colony, supported by regular payments from home on the expectation that he stay away.
In this sense, remittance means the opposite of what it does now, i.e. mo ...
(1990), Bacchanal (2000), Katarino (2001), The Market Man (2008), Punchestowns (2009),
Bobs Worth
Bobs Worth (21 May 2005 – 20 January 2022) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He won the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle in 2011, the RSA Chase in 2012 and the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2013 at the Cheltenham Festival, ma ...
(2011), Champ (2019), Caribean Boy (2020) ''
Winners since 1987
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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pedigreequery.com– ''Berkshire Novices' Chase – Newbury''.
National Hunt races in Great Britain
Newbury Racecourse
National Hunt chases