The Sefton Novices' Hurdle is a Grade 1
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: ...
hurdle race 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 four years or older. It is run at
Aintree
Aintree is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England. Historically in Lancashire, it lies between Walton and Maghull on the A59 road, north-east of Liverpool city centre, in North West England.
It ...
over a distance of about 3 miles and half a furlong (4,964 metres), and during its running there are thirteen hurdles to be jumped. The race is for
novice
A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A ''novice'' can also refer to a person (or animal e.g. racehorse) who is entering a profession with no prior experience.
Religion Buddhism
...
hurdlers, and it is scheduled to take place each year during 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 ...
meeting in early April.
The event was established in 1988, and it was originally called the White Satin Novices' Hurdle. For a period it was classed at Grade 2 level. The race was given its present title in 1993, and it was promoted to Grade 1 status in 1995.
In recent years the Sefton Novices' Hurdle has usually featured horses which ran in the previous month's
Spa Novices' Hurdle, and the last to achieve victory in both races was at Fishers Cross in 2013.
Records
Leading jockey (3 wins):
*
Tony McCoy
Sir Anthony Peter McCoy (born 4 May 1974), commonly known as AP McCoy or Tony McCoy, is a Northern Irish former National Hunt horse racing jockey. Based in Ireland and the UK, McCoy rode a record 4,358 winners, and was Champion Jockey a reco ...
– ''Unsinkable Boxer (1998), Black Jack Ketchum (2006), At Fishers Cross (2013)''
*
Barry Geraghty
Barry Geraghty (born 16 September 1979) is a retired Irish jockey. He is the second most successful jockey of all time at the Cheltenham Festival.
Geraghty rode his first winner in January 1997 and three years later he became the Irish Champi ...
– ''Sackville (2000), Iris's Gift (2003), Beat That (2014)
Leading
trainer (4 wins):
*
Nicky Henderson
Nicholas John Henderson (born 10 December 1950) is a British racehorse trainer. He has been British jump racing Champion Trainer six times.
Background
His father was Johnny Henderson who was one of the founders of the Racecourse Holdings Tru ...
– ''Rustle (1988), Beat That (2014), Santini (2018), Champ (2019)''
Winners
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 1988
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 its original title, White Satin Novices' Hurdle.''
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– ''Sefton Novices' Hurdle – Aintree''.
{{Race Meeting, Grand National Meeting, Turf
National Hunt races in Great Britain
Aintree Racecourse
National Hunt hurdle races
1988 establishments in England