The William Hill Hurdle is a Premier Handicap
National Hunt
National Hunt Racing, also known as Jump Racing, is a form of horse racing particular to many European countries, including, but not limited to: France, Great Britain and Ireland. Jump Racing requires horses to jump over fences and ditches.
In ...
hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at
Newbury over a distance of about 2 miles and ½ furlong (2 miles and 69 yards, or 3,282 metres), and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped. It is a
handicap race, and it is scheduled to take place each year in February. It currently has a maximum field of 24 runners.
The event was established in 1963, and the inaugural running took place 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, northeast of Liverpool city centre. In 2011 the parish had a p ...
. The race was originally sponsored by
Schweppes
Schweppes ( , ) is a soft drink brand founded in the Republic of Geneva in 1783 by the German watchmaker and amateur scientist Johann Jacob Schweppe; it is now made, bottled, and distributed worldwide by multiple international conglomerates, de ...
, and it was known as the Schweppes Gold Trophy.
Ryan Price won the first two runnings with Rosyth and trained four of the first five winners of the race. After Rosyth's second win, following four unplaced efforts in between, his jockey was suspended for six weeks and his trainer warned off. More controversy for Price and the Schweppes followed in 1967 when Hill House tested positive for a banned drug. However it was later shown that Hill House had manufactured his own cortisol.
Schweppes' sponsorship continued until 1986 when it was taken over by
Tote Bookmakers (later known as totesport). The race was titled the Tote Gold Trophy from 1987 to 2004, and the totesport Trophy from 2005 to 2011. From 2012 to 2024 the race was sponsored by
Betfair
Betfair is a British Gambling, gambling company founded in 2000. Its product offering includes betting exchange, sports betting, online casino, online poker, and online bingo. Business operations are led from its headquarters in London, alongsi ...
and known as the Betfair Hurdle.
William Hill took over the sponsorship from the 2025 running.
Two winners of the race –
Persian War and Make a Stand – subsequently achieved victory in the following month's
Champion Hurdle
The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt racing, National Hunt Hurdling (horse race), hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to Horse racing, horses aged four years ...
. Persian War holds the weight carrying record for the race when winning as a 5 year old in 1968 with 11 stones 13 pounds on his back.
Winners
* ''Weights given in
stone
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 compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
s and
pound
Pound or Pounds may refer to:
Units
* Pound (currency), various units of currency
* Pound sterling, the official currency of the United Kingdom
* Pound (mass), a unit of mass
* Pound (force), a unit of force
* Rail pound, in rail profile
* A bas ...
s.''
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 racing, National Hunt Horse racing, 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 Premier Han ...
*
Recurring sporting events established in 1963
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 ...
'' – the Betfair Hurdle is included under its original title, Schweppes Gold Trophy.''
References
*
Racing Post
''Racing Post'' is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing, and sports betting publisher published in print and digital formats. It is printed in tabloid format from Monday to Sunday. , it has an average daily circulation of 60,629 ...
:
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pedigreequery.com– ''Totesport Trophy Handicap Hurdle – Newbury.''
* {{cite book, title=Ladbrokes Pocket Companion 1990/91, year=1990, publisher=Aesculus Press, isbn=1-871093-21-X, page=53
External links
* Race Recordings (1982–2004
youtube.com
National Hunt races in Great Britain
Newbury Racecourse
National Hunt hurdle races
1963 establishments in England