Betfair Hurdle

The Betfair Hurdle is a Grade 3 National Hunt 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.

Betfair Hurdle
2020
Pic D'Orhy Ciel De Neige Remiluc

The event was established in 1963, and the inaugural running took place at Aintree. The race was originally sponsored by Schweppes, 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.[1] 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.[2]

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. Since 2012 the race has been sponsored by Betfair and known as the Betfair Hurdle.

Two winners of the race – Persian War and Make a Stand – subsequently achieved victory in the following month's Champion Hurdle. 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
Year Winner Age Weight Jockey Trainer
1963Rosyth[lower-alpha 1]510-00Josh GiffordRyan Price
1964Rosyth610-02Josh GiffordRyan Price
1965Elan610-07David NicholsonJohn Sutcliffe, jnr
1966Le Vermontois511-03Josh GiffordRyan Price
1967Hill House710-10Josh GiffordRyan Price
1968Persian War511–13Jimmy UttleyColin Davies
1969Abandoned because of frost
1970Abandoned because of snow and frost
1971Cala Mesquida710-09J CookJ E Sutcliffe
1972Good Review610-09V O'BrienJim Dreaper (Ir)
1973Indianapolis610-06Jeff KingJ E Sutcliffe
1974Abandoned because of waterlogged state of course
1975Tammuz710–13Bill SmithFulke Walwyn
1976Irish Fashion510-04Ron BarryMichael Cunningham
1977True Lad710-04Tommy StackW Swainson
1978Abandoned because of frost
1979Within The Law511-04Alan BrownPeter Easterby
1980 Bootlaces 6 10-09 Paul Leach David Barons
1981Abandoned because of frost
1982 Donegal Prince 6 10-08 John Francome Paul Kelleway
1983 no race 1983 [lower-alpha 2]
1984 Ra Nova 5 10-06 Paddy Farrell Nan Kennedy
1985 no race 1985–86 [lower-alpha 3]
1987 Neblin 8 10-00 Stan Moore Toby Balding
1988 Jamesmead 7 10-00 Brendan Powell David Elsworth
1989 Grey Salute 6 11-05 Richard Dunwoody John Jenkins
1990 Deep Sensation 5 11-03 Richard Rowe Josh Gifford
1991 no race 1991 [lower-alpha 4]
1992 Rodeo Star 6 10-10 Graham McCourt Nigel Tinkler
1993 King Credo 8 10-00 Adrian Maguire Steve Woodman
1994 Large Action 6 10-08 Jamie Osborne Oliver Sherwood
1995 Mysilv 5 10-08 Jamie Osborne Charles Egerton
1996 Squire Silk 7 10–12 Paul Carberry Andrew Turnell
1997 Make A Stand 6 11-07 Chris Maude Martin Pipe
1998 Sharpical 6 11-01 Mick Fitzgerald Nicky Henderson
1999 Decoupage 7 11-00 Jimmy McCarthy Charles Egerton
2000 Geos 5 11-03 Mick Fitzgerald Nicky Henderson
2001 Landing Light 6 10-02 Mick Fitzgerald Nicky Henderson
2002 Copeland 7 11-07 Tony McCoy Martin Pipe
2003 Spirit Leader 7 10-00 Norman Williamson Jessica Harrington
2004 Geos 9 10-09 Marcus Foley Nicky Henderson
2005 Essex 5 11-06 Barry Geraghty Michael O'Brien
2006 no race 2006 [lower-alpha 4]
2007 Heathcote 5 10-06 Jamie Moore Gary Moore
2008 Wingman 6 10-00 Jamie Moore Gary Moore
2009 no race 2009 [lower-alpha 5]
2010 Get Me Out of Here 6 10-06 Tony McCoy Jonjo O'Neill
2011 Recession Proof 5 10-08 Dougie Costello John Quinn
2012 Zarkandar 5 11-01 Ruby Walsh Paul Nicholls
2013 My Tent Or Yours 6 11-02 Tony McCoy Nicky Henderson
2014 Splash of Ginge 6 10-10 Ryan Hatch Nigel Twiston-Davies
2015 Violet Dancer 5 10-09 Josh Moore Gary Moore
2016 Agrapart 5 10-05 Lizzie Kelly Nick Williams
2017 Ballyandy 6 11-01 Sam Twiston-Davies Nigel Twiston-Davies
2018 Kalashnikov 5 11-05 Jack Quinlan Amy Murphy
2019 Al Dancer[lower-alpha 6] 6 11-08 Sam Twiston-Davies Nigel Twiston-Davies
2020 Pic D’Orhy 5 11-05 Harry Cobden Paul Nicholls
  1. The 1963 running took place at Aintree
  2. The 1983 running was abandoned due to snow and frost
  3. It was cancelled in 1985 because of snow and frost, and in 1986 because of snow
  4. The 1991 and 2006 editions were both abandoned due to frost
  5. The 2009 race was cancelled because of snow
  6. The 2019 race took place at Ascot after the original Newbury fixture was cancelled because of an equine influenza outbreak

See also

References
  1. "In the minor orb of horse racing the Schweppes Gold Trophy has created headlines of its own". The Independent. 8 December 1994. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  2. "The Little Book of Horse Racing". Anne Holland – The History Press Ireland. 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  • pedigreequery.com – Totesport Trophy Handicap Hurdle – Newbury.
  • sportingchronicle.com – Totesport Trophy Handicap Hurdle.
  • Ladbrokes Pocket Companion 1990/91. Aesculus Press. 1990. p. 53. ISBN 1-871093-21-X.
  • Race Recordings 1984–2004
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