The St James's Place Festival Hunters' Chase is a

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 for amateur riders which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at

Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...

over a distance of about 3 miles and 2½ furlongs (3 miles 2 furlongs and 70 yards, or 5,294 metres), and during its running there are twenty-two fences to be jumped. It is scheduled to take place each year during 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 ...

in March. The event is contested over the same course and distance as the

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 ( ...

, and it is sometimes referred to as the "amateur Gold Cup". It was established in 1904, and the inaugural running was won by Palmy Boy. It was backed by the insurance company Sun Alliance and London in 1972 and 1973, and for the following five years it was run without a sponsor. The art auctioneers

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is ...

supported the race from 1979 to 2012 and from 2013 to 2015 it was sponsored by the Country Gentleman's Association. Since 2016 it has been sponsored by St. James's Place plc. The race's full title is the St. James’s Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Steeple Chase. Until 2020 the race was known as the St James's Place Foxhunters' Chase - the word "fox" was removed from the title prior to the 2021 running. Qualification for entry in the Festival Hunter Chase is based on a horse's previous performances in certain types of race within a specific period. To be eligible a horse must have finished first or second twice in hunter chases, or have won two open point-to-point races, or have won one open point-to-point race and finished first or second in a hunter chase. Only professional jockeys competed in the 2021 running as amateur riders were excluded from the Cheltenham Festival due to restrictions on grassroots sport for the

COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the United Kingdom, it has resulted in confir ...

Records

Most successful horse since 1946 (2 wins): * The Callant – ''1956, 1957'' * Whinstone Hill – ''1958, 1960'' * Master – ''1961, 1962'' * Double Silk – ''1993, 1994'' * Fantus – ''1995, 1997'' * Earthmover – ''1998, 2004'' * Salsify – ''2012, 2013'' * On The Fringe – ''2015, 2016'' * Pacha du Polder – ''2017, 2018'' Leading jockey since 1946 (3 wins): * Colman Sweeney – '' Sleeping Night (2005), Salsify (2012, 2013)'', Leading trainer since 1946 (4 wins): * Richard Barber – ''Rushing Wild (1992), Fantus (1995, 1997), Earthmover (1998)'' * Paul Nicholls – ''Earthmover (2004), Sleeping Night (2005), Pacha du Polder (2017, 2018)''

Winners since 1946

* ''All amateur jockeys except in 2021.''

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
– ''Foxhunter Chase – Cheltenham.''
pointtopoint.co.uk
– ''Point-to-Point and Hunter Chase Race Planner 2009/10.''

– ''Racenews Archive (28 February 2008).'' *

External links

* Race Recording

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint James's Place Foxhunter Chase National Hunt races in Great Britain Cheltenham Racecourse National Hunt chases Recurring sporting events established in 1904 1904 establishments in England

Records

Winners since 1946

See also

References

External links