The Thyestes 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: ...

handicap

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 ...

run in Ireland. It takes place at

Gowran Park Gowran Park is a horse race course in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the Annely Estate near the village of Gowran.The first meeting was held in 1914. and the first ever racecourse commentary in Ireland took place here in 1952. Gowran ...

Gowran Gowran (; ) is a town located on the eastern side of County Kilkenny, Ireland. The historic St. Mary's Collegiate Church is located in the centre of Gowran close to Gowran Castle. Gowran Park race course and Golf Course is located one km from t ...

County Kilkenny County Kilkenny ( gle, Contae Chill Chainnigh) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the South-East Region. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. Kilkenny County Council is the local authority for the cou ...

in January, over a distance of about 3 miles and 1 furlong (5,029 metres) and during the race there are 17 fences to be jumped. The race is usually contested by horses who go on to run in 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 has been won in recent years by two horses who have gone on to win the Grand National, in

Hedgehunter Hedgehunter (born 25 January 1996) is an Irish race horse, who won the 2005 Grand National steeplechase, ridden by Ruby Walsh and trained by Willie Mullins. He had fallen at the final fence the previous year when well placed. He then finished se ...

and

Numbersixvalverde Numbersixvalverde (born 1996) is an Irish race horse who won both the 2005 Irish Grand National and 2006 Aintree Grand National steeplechase, beating Hedgehunter by six lengths with Niall Madden in the saddle. Numbersixvalverde won his big r ...

. The most famous winners of the race were Arkle (1964) and

Flyingbolt Flyingbolt (1959 - 1983) was a famous racehorse. Officially he is the second best steeplechaser of all time, after Arkle. A comparison of their merits is probably best illustrated by the Official Handicapper, who at the end of the 1965-1966 ...

(1966). It currently has a maximum field of 18 runners. The race is sponsored by bloodstock auctioneers Goffs.

History

The race has been won by three time

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 ( ...

winner Arkle (1964),

Irish Grand National The Irish Grand National is a National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Fairyhouse over a distance of about 3 miles and 5 furlongs (5,834 ...

Queen Mother Champion Chase The Queen Mother Champion Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. As part of a sponsorship agreement with the onl ...

winner

(1966) and

Aintree 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 ...

winners

(2005) and

(2006). The race takes its name from the racehorse, Thyestes, named after a figure from Greek mythology. Thyestes, by

The Tetrarch The Tetrarch (1911–1935) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He was undefeated in a racing career of seven starts and was voted the best British-trained two-year-old of the 20th century according to the National Horse ...

(out of Tetratema), was bred by Major Victor McCalmont of Mount Juliet and trained by

Atty Persse Henry Seymour "Atty" Persse (1869–1960) was a British racehorse trainer. He was Champion Trainer in 1930. Persse was commissioned a second-lieutenant in the Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry The Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry (DLOY) was ...

at Stockbridge,

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

. Thyestes was rated the third-best two-year-old of 1930 as a result of his winning his only two races, the National Breeders Produce Stakes over 5 furlongs 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 ...

and the Rous Memorial Stakes over 6 furlongs at Goodwood. Thyestes never ran again due to injury and was retired to stud in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

. The Thyestes trophy was presented to the Kilkenny Show by Major Dermot McCalmont for a 5-year-old likely to make a good hunter. The trophy was won by a horse owned by Mr John McEnery of Rossenarra Stud, Kells, County Kilkenny and ridden by his son Martin. The McEnery family then presented it to Gowran Park for the first running of the Thyestes Chase in 1954.Horseracing History Online – Browse Archive (Races)
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Records

Most successful horse since 1988 (2 wins): * Wylde Hide – ''1995, 1996'' * Bob Treacy - ''1999, 2001'' * Priests Leap- ''2008, 2009'' * On His Own - '' 2012, 2014'' Leading

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

since 1988 (3 wins): * David Casey – '' This Is Serious (2002),

(2004), On His Own (2012)'' Leading trainer since 1988 (9 wins): *

Willie Mullins William Peter Mullins (born 15 September 1956) is an Irish racehorse trainer and former jockey. Career He commenced racehorse training in 1988 having previously worked as an assistant to his father Paddy Mullins and Jim Bolger. Willie is a fo ...

- '' Micko's Dream (2000),

(2004), Homer Wells (2007), On His Own (2012, 2014),

Djakadam Djakadam (foaled 12 May 2009) is a French-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse who competes in National Hunt races. Background Djakadam is a bay gelding bred in France by Richard Corveller. He was sired by Saint des Saints, a top class Fren ...

(2015), Invitation Only (2019), Total Recall (2020), Carefully Selected (2023)

Recent winners

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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200820092010
, , , , , , **, , , , , {{Racing Post, 831187, 2023, 01, 26, 184 National Hunt races in Ireland National Hunt chases Gowran Park Racecourse

History

Records

Recent winners

See also

References