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40-514: The Game Spirit Chase is a Grade 2 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Newbury over a distance of about 2 miles and ½ furlong (2 miles and 92 yards, or 3,308 metres), and during its running there are thirteen fences to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year in February. The event was first run in 1953 and

80-408: A different track each year. The 'National Hunt Meeting' established itself in the racing calendar, in turn moving around such courses as Sandown, New market, Derby, Liverpool, Hurst Park, Lincoln, Leicester and many others. In 1904 and 1905, Cheltenham hosted the meeting, and although Warwick was awarded it for five years after that, it then returned to Cheltenham which became the permanent home of

120-443: A limited handicap . Since 2012 the race has been sponsored by Betfair and run under various sponsored titles. National Hunt racing In the UK , national hunt racing is divided into two major distinct branches, hurdling and steeplechase , as well as flat races called " bumpers ". Hurdling involves horses jumping over hurdles , while steeplechase involves the horses jumping over

160-612: A variety of different obstacles that includes plain fences , water jump or an open ditch. Some of the biggest National Hunt events of the year in the UK are the Grand National and the Cheltenham Gold Cup . The National Hunt season primarily occurs during the winter months when softer ground conditions make jumping safer for horses. The horses are significantly cheaper compared to sport horses for other equestrian sports, reason being

200-497: A whole host of other important races have been added to the National Hunt racing season, although many of these are geared towards generating betting turnover in the form of competitive handicaps that attract large numbers of runners. Given the sport's origins, Irish-bred and trained horses remain a dominant force in national hunt racing today. In 2005 and 2006, Irish-trained horses captured the three main prizes at Cheltenham and won

240-399: Is close to Esher railway station , served by trains from London Waterloo . There is a secondary exit from Esher station which is open on race days, this exit leads directly into the racecourse and Lower Green, Esher . Sandown Park was the site of a priory built by Henry II . All the occupants died of plague in 1349. Later, a hospital was built there, and when this was demolished, the land

280-537: Is named in memory of Game Spirit, a successful racehorse who was owned by the Queen Mother . During the 1970s Game Spirit won 21 races in six seasons. He also finished third in the 1974 Cheltenham Gold Cup and second in the 1976 Champion Chase . He died from a lung haemorrhage after racing at Newbury in March 1977. The Game Spirit Chase has held Grade 2 status since 1992. Before then it was classed at Listed level and run as

320-556: Is now known as the Bet365 Gold Cup. Sandown was the first course to amalgamate the Silver Ring and Tattersalls Enclosure, in 1973, after the course had been closed for several months to facilitate building a new stand. Sandown has two right-handed courses for flat racing and steeplechasing, both of which are about 1 mile 5 furlongs round. Hurdle races are run on the flat course. The courses are built on sandy soil and drain well. From

360-504: Is run after the Gold Cup over the same distance and is often referred to as the amateur Gold Cup. "Point to Point" racing is steeplechase racing for amateurs. Sandown Park Racecourse Sandown Park is a horse racing course and leisure venue in Esher , Surrey , England , located in the outer suburbs of London . It hosts 5 Grade One National Hunt races and one Group 1 flat race,

400-456: Is run over 4.3 miles (6.9 km). Notably, the 'Liverpool Grand Steeplechase' (to give its original name) was actually initiated in 1836, although the three earliest runnings have been overlooked in many historical chronicles. Organising steeplechasing in Britain, began with annual events being staged cross country over a number of fields, hedges and brooks, the earliest most notable of these being

440-597: Is the Grand National , run at Aintree in April each year. The race is a different sort of contest from the Gold Cup: it is a Grade 3 race, it is run over a distance of more than 4 miles (6.4 km), there are up to 40 runners, the course at Aintree is essentially flat, and the horses are handicapped (the best horses carry the most weight). Perhaps the most fundamental difference is that the Grand National fences are far bigger than

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480-572: The Eclipse Stakes . It regularly has horse racing during afternoons, evenings and on weekends, and also hosts many non-racing events such as trade shows, wedding fairs, toy fairs, car shows and auctions, property shows, concerts, and even some private events. It was requisitioned by the War Department from 1940-1945 for World War II . The venue has hosted bands such as UB40 , Madness , Girls Aloud , Spandau Ballet and Simply Red . The racecourse

520-793: The Scottish Grand National at Ayr Racecourse ; the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park Racecourse ; the Welsh National at Chepstow Racecourse ; and the Irish National at Fairyhouse Racecourse . National Hunt racing originated in Ireland , particularly in the southern counties. Early races were mainly two-horse contests known as "pounding races" that became popular in the early 18th century. These involved long trips across country where horses were required to jump whatever obstacles

560-676: The Cheltenham Festival is the Gold Cup . All races run at Cheltenham finish with a long uphill run-in in front of the stands. The Gold Cup is a Grade 1 race, run over a distance of 3 miles 2 + 1 ⁄ 2  furlongs (5.3 km). All horses carry the same weight in the Gold Cup. On numerous occasions the hill at the finish has found out the brave. Famous winners of the Gold Cup include Dawn Run (mare, ridden by Jonjo O'Neill), Arkle , Golden Miller, Best Mate, Desert Orchid & Kauto Star . The highest profile National Hunt race

600-534: The Grand National. Best Mate who captured the Cheltenham Gold Cup three successive times between 2002 and 2004, was Irish-bred, but trained and owned in England . In recent years, French-bred horses have also come to the forefront with horses such as Master Minded becoming the highest rated horse in Britain after winning the Queen Mother Champion Chase. Kauto Star who won the Gold Cup in 2007, 2009 and

640-535: The Jockey Club, so there was no difficulty about getting a licence... So successful was the Sandown venture that other suburban racecourses such as Hurst Park and Kempton Park came into existence." Hwfa Williams was clerk of the course at Sandown for about fifty years. In 1903, Mr F.H. Bayles praised Sandown in his book, ‘The Race Courses of Great Britain and Ireland’: "A movement for the betterment of English racing by

680-486: The National Hunt calendar are the Cheltenham Festival meeting and the Grand National meeting. The Cheltenham Festival is held at Cheltenham Racecourse over four days in the second week of March. On Friday, it features eleven grade one races, culminating in the Cheltenham Gold Cup , the most prestigious Chase race in the world. The Grand National meeting is held at Aintree over three days every April. Many of

720-627: The St Albans Steeplechase (first run in 1830). For some years, there was no regulation of steeplechasing . The sport gained a reputation as being a bastard relation of flat-racing and consequently fell into decline. A breakthrough came in the 1860s with the formation of the National Hunt Committee, and the running of the National Hunt Steeplechase. This steeplechase would form part of an annual race-meeting staged at

760-563: The best horses come to these festivals, which are watched by a huge television audience worldwide. Hundreds of millions of pounds are gambled on these festivals . Other important festivals are: the Galway Races – a hugely popular mixed (NH and flat) meeting in Ireland; Punchestown Festival – the Irish equivalent of the Cheltenham Festival; The Tingle Creek at Sandown Park Racecourse ;

800-443: The circuit, with a different winning post from the round course. The steeplechase course has eleven fences. After the winning post the runners take a right-hand bend to the first fence, taken slightly downhill on the outside of the flat course; then they turn into the back straight where they take two plain fences and an open ditch before crossing the flat course to take the water jump, then the three 'Railway' fences close together. On

840-417: The famous brewery, had supported jumping for many years (and had ridden in two Grand Nationals and completed the course both times) and conceived the idea of a sponsoring a valuable steeplechase at Sandown. The first Whitbread Gold Cup, over 3m 5f, with 24 fences, was won by the nine year old, Much Obliged (10/1), carrying 10st 12lbs, trained by Neville Crump, and ridden by J. East, with Mandarin second. The race

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880-471: The fences at Cheltenham and a number of fences incorporate significant drops. The best known fence is Becher's Brook which is 5 ft (1.5 m) high, but has a 7 ft (2 m) drop on landing and is often regarded as the biggest challenge on the course. Winners of the Grand National include Red Rum (won 3 times:1973, 1974, 1977), runner up twice (1975, 1976)); Mr Frisk (1990, the last winner to date to be ridden by an amateur jockey and still holds

920-505: The first 3 of a Grade 1 or 2 chase in the previous season from taking part. The two biggest Hunter Chases are the Aintree Fox Hunters' Chase and Cheltenham Foxhunter Chase . The Aintree Fox Hunters' is run as the feature race on the first day of the Grand National meeting over one circuit of the Grand National course. This gives amateur riders the chance to jump these famous fences before the professionals. The Cheltenham Foxhunter

960-543: The fixture. Further prestigious races were added to the card during the 1920s, such as the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Champion Hurdle. As steeplechasing entered its modern era, the Cheltenham Festival became the pinnacle of the season, providing a series of championship races at which virtually all top horses would be targeted. With the introduction of sponsorship (starting with the Whitbread Gold Cup in 1957),

1000-412: The home turn the 'chase course moves to the outside of the flat course, where the horses take the 'Pond' fence, three out, before a slight turn into the home straight for the final two fences, the second of which is divided into two, with half being an open ditch for the first circuit (or the first two circuits in 3m 5f races). There is a stiff climb from the final fence, with a run-in of 300 yards. Sandown

1040-677: The introduction of an enclosed meeting at Esher in Surrey, close by the Royal residence at Claremont, instituted in 1875, was the harbinger of racecourse reform; with the result that it has induced society to bestow upon it its patronage, by burying the bad reputation of many of its predecessors." Society did patronise Sandown Park, including the Prince of Wales who won the Eclipse Stakes in 1897 with Persimmon , and in 1900 with Diamond Jubilee . Sandown Park

1080-458: The landscape threw in their way. The first recorded race of this nature is traditionally said to have taken place between the towns of Buttevant and Doneraile in the north of County Cork in 1752. The distance of the race was 4.5 miles (7.2 km). The start and finish were marked by the church steeple in each town, hence the term " steeplechase ". Point-to-point races, amateur steeplechases normally run on farmland, remain hugely popular in

1120-654: The list of Grade 1-3 National Hunt races and the list of Group 1-3 Flat races . The capital of National Hunt racing in the UK is Cheltenham Racecourse , in the Cotswolds , which hosts the Cheltenham Festival in the third week of March each year, as well as other important fixtures during the NH calendar. There are numerous well-known trainers operating in the Cotswolds including Jonjo O'Neill , Richard Phillips, Tom George, Nigel Twiston-Davies, and latterly Kim Bailey. The highlight of

1160-628: The majority are geldings and have no breeding value. Jump Racing primarily takes place in France , Great Britain and Ireland , with some events also taking place in Australia , Canada and the United States . In Ireland, National Hunt racing receives much higher attendances than flat racing, while in Great Britain, it is more balanced, but the different seasons (there is little top-class flat racing in Britain from November to March) mean that most fans of

1200-471: The mêlée occurred is now named "Foinavon Fence"). Other NH races of note include the King George VI Chase , run at Kempton Park on 26 December and the Hennessy Gold Cup run at Newbury at the end of November. Hunter chases take place at national hunt racecourses but are only open to horses that have hunter certificates. Hunter certificates are issued to horses that have hunted for at least four days in

1240-405: The record for the fastest time); Aldaniti (1981, ridden by Bob Champion shortly after he had recovered from cancer. His story was made into a film); and Foinavon (1967, won at odds of 100/1 after a mêlée at the 23rd fence resulted in the majority of the field falling or refusing. Foinavon was far enough behind at that point to avoid the confusion and ran on to win by 20 lengths. The fence where

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1280-479: The same region and in many parts of rural Ireland and Great Britain , today. The first use of the term steeplechase on an official racecard was in Ireland in the early 19th century. The 'official' first running of the Grand National , held annually at Aintree in England, took place in 1839 and was won by an Irish horse, Lottery . The "National", as it is known, was run over 4.5 miles (7.2 km), but since 2013

1320-586: The season before racing starts in January. In addition, the jockey must be an amateur who has obtained a certificate from the hunt secretary. Unlike point-to-points , licensed trainers as well as amateur trainers may have runners in Hunter Chases. This often causes controversy when big name trainers run former Grade 1 horses in Hunter Chases as amateur trainers feel they are unable to compete. New rules which took effect in 2009, will prevent horses which have finished in

1360-421: The sport can enjoy both forms of racing at their pleasure. National Hunt horses are often bred for jumping, while others are former flat horses but they do not have to be Thoroughbreds : many French-bred jumpers are Selle Français or AQPS . Many horses begin their racing careers in amateur point-to-pointing where they compete over steeplechase races of three miles (4.8 km). The two main highlights of

1400-423: The winning post on the flat course, the ground rises round the first turn, then drops 20 feet in 100 yards. It continues to fall slightly to the beginning of the back straight. After this the course is mostly flat to the final turn, about four furlongs from the winning post. The home straight is testing as it climbs steadily until levelling about fifty yards from the post. The five-furlong course runs diagonally across

1440-435: Was absorbed into Sandown Farm. Lieutenant Colonel Owen Williams bought the land from Mr J.W. Spicer. The colonel had a younger brother, Hwfa (pronounced 'Hoofer'), who realised that it was an ideal site for horse racing. James Gill quotes Hwfa's wife, Florence, from her book written in 1935, 'It Was Such Good Fun'. "Hwfa as a husband was quite delightful because he was always thinking of something new. The organisation of Sandown

1480-459: Was one of his most successful ventures. Being so near London and situated where it was, Hwfa realised that Sandown could be turned into an ideal suburban racecourse. Its popularity was certain for there was no other racecourse so near or accessible to London. So Hwfa worked on his scheme and with that thoroughness and attention to detail that was always so characteristic of him, went into the smallest particulars. He had several friends with influence in

1520-527: Was one of the first courses to charge all for attending. It opened in 1875 and everyone had to pay at least half a crown . The first meeting was a mixed flat and jumps meeting over three days, starting on Thursday 22 April, and included the Grand National Hunt Chase, now staged at the Cheltenham Festival . The Grand International Steeple Chase took place on the Saturday, worth £2,130 to the winner, and

1560-486: Was second in 2008 is also French bred. Races are graded depending on their health and mental status. The most prestigious are Grade 1, then Grade 2, Grade 3, Listed, Handicaps, to Bumpers the least prestigious. The more highly graded races attract more prize money and better horses. (In flat racing the more prestigious races are Group 1, 2, and 3, then Listed). All National Hunt races are also classified in classes 1-7 (class 1 best). Graded and listed races are class 1. See

1600-610: Was the largest prize for a steeplechase that season, unusually even eclipsing that for the Liverpool Grand National. In 1875, Sandown became the first course in England to have a members' enclosure. On 24 January 1948, the BBC broadcast two steeplechases and a hurdle race from Sandown - the first time that horse racing was shown live on television anywhere in the world. The first sponsored National Hunt race took place at Sandown on 27 April 1957. Colonel W. H. Whitbread, chairman of

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