The Melling Chase, currently known for sponsorship purposes as the Marsh Chase, is a Grade 1
National Hunt 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
Aintree over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 furlongs (4,023 metres), and during its running there are sixteen fences to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year in early April.
The event is named after
Melling, a nearby village which is made famous by Melling Road, a public road which crosses the racecourse. It was established in 1991, and it has held Grade 1 status throughout its history. The race is currently staged on the second day of the three-day
Grand National meeting.
The field often includes horses which ran in the
Queen Mother Champion Chase or the
Ryanair Chase at the previous month's
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 ...
.
Records
Most successful horse (2 wins):
*
Viking Flagship
Viking Flagship (1987–2000) was an Irish racehorse who began his racing career in October 1989 as a 2-year-old. He was first trained by his breeder, Eithne C Holdsworth, in Co. Kilkenny and then by Martin Pipe. He had 18 starts in Ireland wi ...
– ''1995, 1996''
* Direct Route – ''1999, 2000''
*
Native Upmanship
Native Upmanship is a former National Hunt racehorse. He was trained in Ireland by Arthur Moore and owned by John Magnier.
Early career
He made his racecourse debut in a National Hunt flat race in February 1998 at Gowran Park, where he f ...
– ''2002, 2003''
*
Moscow Flyer – ''2004, 2005''
*
Voy Por Ustedes
Voy Por Ustedes (foaled 26 April 2001) is a French-bred chaser.
Background
Voy Por Ustedes is owned by Sir Robert Ogden and trained by Nicky Henderson. He was originally trained by Guillaume Macaire in France and was subsequently sold to the M ...
– ''2008, 2009''
* Fakir D'oudairies - ''2021, 2022''
----
Leading jockey (4 wins):
*
Barry Geraghty – ''Moscow Flyer (2004, 2005), Finian's Rainbow (2012), Sprinter Sacre (2013)''
----
Leading
trainer (3 wins):
*
Nicky Henderson -''Remittance Man (1992), Finian's Rainbow (2012), Sprinter Sacre (2013)''
*
Paul Nicholls – ''Fadalko (2001), Master Minded (2011), Politologue (2018)''
Winners
See also
*
Horse racing in Great Britain
*
List of British National Hunt races
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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----
aintree.co.uk– ''2010 John Smith's Grand National Media Guide''.
pedigreequery.com– ''Melling Chase – Aintree''.
*
External links
* Race Recording
{{Race Meeting, Grand National Meeting, Turf
National Hunt races in Great Britain
Aintree Racecourse
National Hunt chases
Recurring sporting events established in 1991
1991 establishments in England