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 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 Ra ...
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. 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 owned by Groupe Artémis, t ...
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
St. James's Place Wealth Management plc (branded as St. James's Place) is a British multinational wealth management business primarily based in Cirencester, England but with a network of 23 offices spread across different cities within the UK. I ...
. 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.
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.''
See also
*
Horse racing in Great Britain
Horse racing is the second largest spectator sport in Great Britain, and one of the longest established, with a history dating back many centuries. According to a report by the British Horseracing Authority it generates £3.39 billion total di ...
*
List of British National Hunt races
A list of notable National Hunt horse races which take place annually in Great Britain, under the authority of the British Horseracing Authority, including all races which currently hold Grade 1, 2 or 3 status.
History of the National Hunt Patt ...
*
Recurring sporting events established in 1904
Recurring means occurring repeatedly and can refer to several different things:
Mathematics and finance
*Recurring expense, an ongoing (continual) expenditure
*Repeating decimal, or recurring decimal, a real number in the decimal numeral syste ...
'' – this race is included under the title Foxhunter Chase.''
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 ...
:
** , , , , , , , , ,
** , , , , , , , , ,
** , , , , , , ,
** , ,
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