The Celebration Chase is a Grade One

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 which is open to

horses The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million ...

aged five 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 r ...

over a distance of about 1 mile 7½

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 hor ...

s (1 mile, 7 furlongs and 119 yards, or ), and during its running there are thirteen fences to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year in late April.

History

The event has its origins in 2001, when 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 Ra ...

was cancelled due to a

foot-and-mouth Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) or hoof-and-mouth disease (HMD) is an infectious and sometimes fatal viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including domestic and wild bovids. The virus causes a high fever lasting two to six days, followe ...

crisis. Replacements for some of the Festival's races were held at Sandown in late April, and the equivalent of the

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 ...

was a Grade 1 event called the Championship Chase. The following year the race returned as the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Celebration Chase, in memory of the

Queen Mother A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also used to describe a number of ...

(1900–2002), who frequently attended racing at Sandown. The event was downgraded to Class B level, but it continued to attract high quality chasers. It was promoted to Grade Two status in 2005, and at this point its title was shortened to the Celebration Chase. The race is currently sponsored by Bet365, and it takes place at a meeting which features both jump and flat races. Other events at this meeting include the

Bet365 Gold Cup The Bet365 Gold Cup is a Grade 3 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of about 3 miles and 5 furlong ...

, the

Gordon Richards Stakes The Gordon Richards Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 1 furlong and 209 yards () ...

and the Sandown Mile. The Celebration Chase was upgraded to Grade One 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.

Records

Most successful horse (3 wins): *

Altior Altior (foaled 6 May 2010) is an Irish-bred British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse who competes in National Hunt races. After winning one of his three National Hunt Flat races he was unbeaten in five hurdle races including the Sharp Novices' ...

- ''2017, 2018, 2019'' Leading jockey (4 wins): * Nico de Boinville - ''Sprinter Sacre (2016), Altior (2017, 2018, 2019)'' Leading trainer (7 wins): * Paul Nicholls – ''Cenkos (2002, 2004), Andreas (2008), Twist Magic (2009), Sanctuaire (2012), Greaneteen (2021,2022) ''

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 ...

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pedigreequery.com
– ''Celebration Chase – Sandown.'' {{Race Meeting, Bet365 Ultimate Celebration, Turf National Hunt races in Great Britain Sandown Park Racecourse National Hunt chases Recurring sporting events established in 2001 2001 establishments in England

History

Records

Winners

See also

References