Category: Races

The Grand National aside, it’s hard to think of a more highly anticipated race than the Cheltenham Gold Cup. This grade 1 National Hunt race, run over a distance of 3 miles 2 1/2 furlongs (with 22 fences) at Cheltenham racecourse is for 5 year olds and up. It has a sizeable purse of £575,000, with over £325,000 going to the winner,making it the most valuable non handicap chase in the country. The race is part of the prestigeous Cheltenham Festival, with the Gold Cup taking place on the final day of the Festival.

Jockey, trainers and owners frequently set their sights on the Cheltenham Festival due to its reputation as the Blue Riband event of jump racing. Previous winners have included a who’s who of racing greats including Arkle (three years running from 1964 to 1966), L’Escargot (in 1970 and 1971), Desert Orchid (1989), Master Oats (1995), Best Mate (2003, 2004, 2005) and Kauto Star (2007 and 2009).

The first Cheltenham Gold Cup took place in 1819 and Spectre won the race picking up a 100 guineas prize in the process. At the time the event was actually a flat race, and it wasnt until 1924 that the race was held over the jumps. Moving from the old to the new course in 1959 the race was dominated in the mid 60’s by the aforementioned Arkle, one of the now legends of the sport of racing. The starting price (SP) of his third and final win was an incredibly short 1/10, which speaks to his perceived, and actual, superiority. To this day, he’s still the shortest odds winner of the race. The longest odds being the 100-1 offered on the 1990 winner Norton’s Coin.

Over the years the Gold Cup has had many others memorable moments, such as in 2015 when Coneygree became the first novice to win the race in 40 years, and Kauto Star becoming the first ever horse to ‘regain’ the Cheltenham Gold Cup title with wins in 2007 and 2009.

Winner of the 2018 Cheltenham Gold Cup was fancied 5-1 shot Native River, with Richard Johnson on board and trained by Colin Tizzard. The Irish bred, british trained thoroughbred is also a winner of the Hennessy Gold Cup, Welsh Grand National and Denman Chase (x2).

Each and every year the Epsom Derby (aka the Investec Derby, and the Derby) is one of the most highly anticipated events of the flat racing season. It’s classed as ‘one to watch’ for both casual and serious followers of horse racing and is held on the first Saturday of June each year at the Epsom downs racecourse in Surrey. The race is named after the 12th earl of Derby and prize money for the first ever Derby was £1,065. Serious money at that time.

The race is for three year old horses and distance 1 mile 4f 6y on a left hand track. The inaugural Derby took place in 1780 which gives you a clear idea of how much history is attached to the race and how much winning it means to every jockey, trainer and owner with an involvement in flat racing.

In the 1800’s and beyond the Epsom Fair which at the time coincided with the Epsom Derby was a big draw, with a focus on entertainment offered by musicians, clowns and magicians. Charles Dickens famously attended the event in the 1850s and a famous painting ‘Derby Day’ by William Powell Frith brings that time to life. The event has since fizzled out though.

The Epsom Derby is one of the five Classics, all of which are races from a similar time period which are seen as representing the height of achievement in flat racing. For a horse to win more than one of these races marks it out as being exceptional. The races that make up the British Classic races are: 1000 Guineas, 2000 Guineas, Epsom Oaks, Epsom Derby and St Leger Stakes. The Epsom Derby is also part of the Triple Crown, which consists of the 2000 Guineas, Epsom Derby and St Leger.

Wartime aside, the Epsom Derby has always been held at Epsom racecourse and the reputation of the race has travelled around the world, where there are regional versions of the Derby. Derby Italiano, the Deutsches Derby, the Irish Derby and the Prix du Jockey Club and others all took their inspiration from the event.

Lester Piggott’s legendary reputation was in part cemented due to his performance in the Derby. He’s won the event 9 times, including such legendary rides as Sir Ivor and Nijinsky. The 2018 winner was 16-1 Masar riden by William Buick and trained by Charlie Appleby. Odds-on favourite Sacon Warrior underperformed on the day, placing forth. It was the first Derby win for the Godolphin stable.

Inaugurated on 18th April 1809, The 2000 Guineas is a Group one flat racing event that takes place in late April or early May each year, just prior to the 1000 Guineas. The 1000 Guineas is for three year old fillies, whereas this, the 2000 Guineas race is for both colts and fillies.The race is over a straight 1 mile at Rowley Mile, Newmarket and the purse for the event is some £500,000, with £283,550 going to the winner in 2018.

The race is one of the five Classics, a group of prestigious races from the 18th and 19th century that have come to represent the pinnacle of flat racing achievement. Winners of one or more of the Classics (1000 Guineas, 2000 Guineas, Epsom Oaks, Epsom Derby, St Leger Stakes) are a rarity, hence doing so really does catapult a horse into the history books. No horse has ever won all five of the British Classic Races, the closest is Formosa in 1868 and Sceptre in 1902.

An arguably more doable version of the above achievement is the Triple Crown which consists of the 2,000 Guineas, the Derby and the St Leger. The 2000 Guineas is sometimes seen as a trial for the Derby with Camelot ‘doing the double’ in 2012. In the same way the Greenham Stales and Craven Stakes can act as a trial for the 2000 Guineas.

It took perhaps 50 years for the 2000 Guineas to be held in as high regard as it still is to this day, and its stellar reputation has led to versions of the race popping up around the world, from Europe to Australia: the Irish 2,000 Guineas, the Poule d’Essai des Poulains , the Australian Guineas , Satsuki Shō and more besides.

Leading jockey at the 2000 Guineas is Jem Robinson with 9 wins, leading trainer Aidan O’Brien also with 9 wins and owner Sue Magnier whas 10 wins. The O’Brien Magnier pairing has proved very successful in the race in recent years with these recent wins: King of Kings (1998), Rock of Gibraltar (2002), Footstepsinthesand (2005), George Washington (2006), Henrythenavigator (2008), Camelot (2012), Gleneagles (2015), Churchill (2017), Saxon Warrior (2018) . Saxon Warrior was the 3-1 winner in 2018 just ahead of 50-1 shot Tip Two Win.

The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a group one flat race inaugurated on 28th April 1814. It takes place in late April or early May of each year at Rowley Mile, Newmarket and is a race suited to three year old fillies (whereas the 2000 Guineas is a race for both colts and fillies). The race is run over a mile long course and is one of the five British Classic races with the others being the 2000 Guineas, Epsom Oaks, Epsom Derby and St Leger Stakes.

The Classics were grouped together due to their combined history and reputation, and combined represent an opportunity to enter the history books. Minding has won two Classics, Nijinksky three. We have to go back to 1901 for a horse with four Classics wins, and that accolade goes to Sceptre. Sceptre won the 2000 Guineas in record time, then the 1000 Guineas two days later, soon after came a win at the Oaks and St Leger. Only a bruised foot stopped the Epsom Derby being added to the list. Nowadays, the 1000 Guinease takes place on the Sunday after the 2000 Guineas.

As well as having the honour of being part of such a prestigeous group of races, it’s also part of the Fillie’s Triple Crown (which consists of this race, the Oaks and the St Leger. The purse for the 1000 Guineas is also fairly considerable, with a £500,000 purse for the race with over half of that going to the winner.

The impact of the 1000 Guineas is felt beyond our borders, with European variations springing up in Germany, France, Ireland and Italy. Even Japan holds an event called Oka Sho, which is based on the 1000 Guineas format.

Leading jockey in the race is George Fordham with seven wins, leading trainer Robert Robson with eight and leading owner, the 4th Duke of Grafton with eight wins. All of these records came in the 1800’s. In looking for a recent record, we can find one very recent one though. In 2018 the Richard Hannon jnr trained Billesdon Brook won the 1000 Guineas at odds of 66/1 with bookmakers, the biggest price in the history of the race.

“I was so happy at halfway and was counting down the horses I had left to pass at the two-furlong marker. I just hoped she would keep running, but she sailed all the way to the line” said Hannon.