The Grimthorpe Handicap Chase is a
National Hunt handicap steeplechase in England which is open to horses aged five years or older.
It is run at
Doncaster
Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated i ...
over a distance of about 3 miles and 2
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 i ...
s (3 miles, 2 furlongs and 1 yard or ) and during the race there are 19 fences to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year in late February or early March.
Prior to the early 1980s the Grimthorpe Chase was run over two miles and 150 yards. The distance was then nearly doubled to a stamina testing four miles and 100 yards.
The distance was changed again to the current trip in the 1990s, when it was run as the Velka Pardubicka Grimthorpe Chase, a reference to
Velká pardubická
Velká pardubická (Grand Pardubice Steeplechase) is a cross-country steeplechase run in Pardubice, Czech Republic since 1874. It takes place every year on the second Sunday in October.
The length of the steeplechase is , with 31 obstacles. It us ...
, a famous race run in the Czech Republic over varied obstacles. The race is now considered to be a trial for 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 handica ...
.
The race is named in honour of the Grimthorpe family who have been involved in racing for many years.
Ralph Beckett, 3rd Baron Grimthorpe owned Fragrant Mac (winner 1952 Scottish Grand National) and Fortina (winner 1947 Cheltenham Gold Cup).
Christopher Beckett, the fourth Baron, was a member of the
Jockey Club and director of
Thirsk Racecourse,
and the current Baron Grimthorpe,
Teddy Beckett, is chairman of
York Racecourse and racing manager to
Khalid Abdullah.
Winners since 1985
See also
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Horse racing in Great Britain
*
List of British National Hunt races
References
*
Racing Post:
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National Hunt races in Great Britain
National Hunt chases
Doncaster Racecourse