The Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase is a Premier Handicap

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 in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at

Wetherby Wetherby () is a market town and civil parish in the City of Leeds district, West Yorkshire, England, close to West Yorkshire county's border with North Yorkshire, and lies approximately from Leeds City Centre, from York and from Harrogat ...

over a distance of about 3 miles (3 miles and 45 yards or 4,869 metres), and during its running there are nineteen fences to be jumped. It is a handicap race, and it is scheduled to take place each year on Boxing Day. The event is named in honour of Rowland Meyrick, who was appointed

Clerk of the course A clerk of the course is an official in various types of racing. Horse racing In horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) ...

at Wetherby in 1920. At this time Meyrick was also a member of the ''Wetherby Race Company'', an organisation which was formed to purchase the lease of the racecourse. The Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase held Grade 3 status from 2005, though it arguably reached its peak in the 1980s when Forgive 'n Forget and

The Thinker ''The Thinker'' (french: Le Penseur) is a bronze sculpture by Auguste Rodin, usually placed on a stone pedestal. The work depicts a nude male figure of heroic size sitting on a rock. He is seen leaning over, his right elbow placed on his left ...

both won it in the same season they would win 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 ...

. The race was re-classified as a Premier Handicap from the 2022 running when Grade 3 status was renamed by the

British Horseracing Authority The British Horseracing Authority, also known simply as the BHA, is the regulatory authority for horse racing in Great Britain. It was formed on 31 July 2007, after the merger of the British Horseracing Board (BHB) and the Horseracing Regula ...

Winners

* ''Weights given in

stones In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks form the Earth's ...

and pounds.''

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
– ''Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase – Wetherby.''

– ''Brief history of Wetherby Racecourse.'' * {{cite book, title=Ladbrokes Pocket Companion 1990/91, year=1990, publisher=Aesculus Press, isbn=1-871093-21-X, page=47 National Hunt races in Great Britain Wetherby Racecourse National Hunt chases Recurring sporting events established in 1957 1957 establishments in England

Winners

See also

References