Queen Mother Champion Chase
The Queen Mother Champion Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. As part of a sponsorship agreement with the online betting company Betway, the race is now known as the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles (1 mile 7 furlongs and 199 yards, or 3,199 metres), and during its running there are thirteen fences to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year during the Cheltenham Festival in March.
Grade 1 race | |
Location | Cheltenham Racecourse Cheltenham, England |
---|---|
Inaugurated | 1959 |
Race type | steeplechase |
Sponsor | Betway |
Website | Cheltenham |
Race information | |
Distance | 1m 7f 199y (3,199 metres) |
Surface | Turf |
Track | Left-handed |
Qualification | Five-years-old and up |
Weight | 11 st 10 lb Allowances 7 lb for mares |
Purse | £400,000 (2023) 1st: £225,080 |
2023 | ||
Energumene | Captain Guinness | Greaneteen |
Previous years | ||
---|---|---|
2022 | ||
Energumene | Funambule Sivola | Envoi Allen |
2021 | ||
Put The Kettle On | Nube Negra | Chacun Pour Soi |
2020-2011 | ||
---|---|---|
2020 | ||
Politologue | Dynamite Dollars | Bun Doran |
2019 | ||
Altior | Politologue | Sceau Royal |
2018 | ||
Altior | Min | God's Own |
2017 | ||
Special Tiara | Fox Norton | Sir Valentino |
2016 | ||
Sprinter Sacre | Un De Sceaux | Special Tiara |
2015 | ||
Dodging Bullets | Somersby | Special Tiara |
2014 | ||
Sire De Grugy | Somersby | Module |
2013 | ||
Sprinter Sacre | Sizing Europe | Wishfull Thinking |
2012 | ||
Finian's Rainbow | Sizing Europe | Big Zeb |
2011 | ||
Sizing Europe | Big Zeb | Captain Cee Bee |
2010–2001 | ||
---|---|---|
2010 | ||
Big Zeb | Forpadydeplasterer | Kalahari King |
2009 | ||
Master Minded | Well Chief | Petit Robin |
2008 | ||
Master Minded | Voy Por Ustedes | Fair Along |
2007 | ||
Voy Por Ustedes | Dempsey | River City |
2006 | ||
Newmill | Fota Island | Mister McGoldrick |
2005 | ||
Moscow Flyer | Well Chief | Azertyuiop |
2004 | ||
Azertyuiop | Flagship Uberalles | Tiutchev |
2003 | ||
Moscow Flyer | Native Upmanship | Cenkos |
2002 | ||
Flagship Uberalles | Native Upmanship | Cenkos |
2000–1991 | ||
---|---|---|
2000 | ||
Edredon Bleu | Direct Route | Flagship Uberalles |
1999 | ||
Call Equiname | Edredon Bleu | Direct Route |
1998 | ||
One Man | Or Royal | Lord Dorcet |
1997 | ||
Martha's Son | Ask Tom | Viking Flagship |
1996 | ||
Klairon Davis | Viking Flagship | Sound Man |
1995 | ||
Viking Flagship | Deep Sensation | Nakir |
1994 | ||
Viking Flagship | Travado | Deep Sensation |
1993 | ||
Deep Sensation | Cyphrate | Katabatic |
1992 | ||
Remittance Man | Katabatic | Waterloo Boy |
1991 | ||
Katabatic | Waterloo Boy | Nos Na Gaoithe |
1990–1981 | ||
---|---|---|
1990 | ||
Barnbrook Again | Waterloo Boy | Feroda |
1989 | ||
Barnbrook Again | Royal Stag | Beau Ranger |
1988 | ||
Pearlyman | Desert Orchid | Very Promising |
1987 | ||
Pearlyman | Very Promising | Desert Orchid |
1986 | ||
Buck House | Very Promising | Kathies Lad |
1985 | ||
Badsworth Boy | Far Bridge | Kyoto |
1984 | ||
Badsworth Boy | Little Bay | Artifice |
1983 | ||
Badsworth Boy | Artifice | News King |
1982 | ||
Rathgorman | Chinrullah | Drumgora |
1981 | ||
Drumgora | Anaglogs Daughter | Stopped |
1980–1978 | ||
---|---|---|
1980 | ||
Another Dolly | King Weasel | Hilly Way |
1979 | ||
Hilly Way | Dramatist | Young Arthur |
1978 | ||
Hilly Way | Menehall | Kilmakilloge |
It is the leading minimum-distance chase in the National Hunt calendar, and it is the feature race on the second day of the Festival.
History
The event was established in 1959, and it was originally called the National Hunt Two-Mile Champion Chase. It was given its present title in 1980 – the year of the Queen Mother's 80th birthday – in recognition of her support to jump racing. The Queen Mother was a successful owner of National Hunt horses, particularly chasers, and among these was Game Spirit – the runner-up in this race in 1976.
The Queen Mother Champion Chase was not sponsored before 2007, and between 2008 and 2010 it was backed by Seasons Holidays. The sponsor from 2011 until 2013 was online gambling firm Sportingbet. BetVictor held naming rights for the 2014 season before the current sponsor, sports betting company Betway, took over.[1]
Records
Most successful horse (3 wins):
- Badsworth Boy – 1983, 1984, 1985
Leading jockey (5 wins):
- Pat Taaffe – Fortria (1960, 1961), Ben Stack (1964), Flyingbolt (1966), Straight Fort (1970)
- Barry Geraghty – Moscow Flyer (2003, 2005), Big Zeb (2010), Finian's Rainbow (2012), Sprinter Sacre (2013)
Leading trainer (6 wins):
- Tom Dreaper – Fortria (1960, 1961), Ben Stack (1964), Flyingbolt (1966), Muir (1969), Straight Fort (1970)
- Nicky Henderson - Remittance Man (1992), Finian's Rainbow (2012), Sprinter Sacre (2013, 2016), Altior (2018, 2019)
- Paul Nicholls - Call Equiname (1999), Azertyuiop (2004), Master Minded (2008, 2009), Dodging Bullets (2015), Politologue (2020)
Leading owner (3 wins):
- George Ansley – Fortria (1960, 1961), Straight Fort (1970)
- Doug Armitage – Badsworth Boy (1983, 1984, 1985)
- John Hales - One Man (1998), Azertyuiop (2004), Politologue (2020)
Winners
Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Trainer | Owner |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1959 | Quita Que | 10 | Bunny Cox | Dan Moore | Mrs D. R. Brand |
1960 | Fortria | 8 | Pat Taaffe | Tom Dreaper | George Ansley |
1961 | Fortria | 9 | Pat Taaffe | Tom Dreaper | George Ansley |
1962 | Piperton | 8 | Dave Dick | Archie Thomlinson | Archie Thomlinson |
1963 | Sandy Abbot | 8 | Stan Mellor | George Owen | Mrs J. D. McKechnie |
1964 | Ben Stack | 7 | Pat Taaffe | Tom Dreaper | The Duchess of Westminster |
1965 | Dunkirk | 8 | Dave Dick | Peter Cazalet | Bill Whitbread |
1966 | Flyingbolt | 7 | Pat Taaffe | Tom Dreaper | Jean Wilkinson |
1967 | Drinny's Double | 9 | Frank Nash | Bob Turnell | Paul Mellon |
1968 | Drinny's Double | 10 | Frank Nash | Bob Turnell | Paul Mellon |
1969 | Muir | 10 | Ben Hannon | Tom Dreaper | Waring Willis |
1970 | Straight Fort | 7 | Pat Taaffe | Tom Dreaper | George Ansley |
1971 | Crisp | 8 | Paul Kelleway | Fred Winter | Sir Chester Manifold |
1972 | Royal Relief | 8 | Bill Smith | Edward Courage | Edward Courage |
1973 | Inkslinger | 6 | Tommy Carberry | Dan Moore | Mrs M. Jenney |
1974 | Royal Relief | 10 | Bill Smith | Edward Courage | Edward Courage |
1975 | Lough Inagh | 8 | Sean Barker | Jim Dreaper | A. Martin |
1976 | Skymas | 11 | Mouse Morris | Brian Lusk | Matt Magee |
1977 | Skymas | 12 | Mouse Morris | Brian Lusk | Matt Magee |
1978 | Hilly Way | 8 | Tommy Carmody | Peter McCreery | J. W. Sweeney |
1979 | Hilly Way | 9 | Ted Walsh[lower-alpha 1] | Peter McCreery | J. W. Sweeney |
1980 | Another Dolly [lower-alpha 2] | 10 | Sam Morshead | Fred Rimell | Ian Urquhart |
1981 | Drumgora | 9 | Frank Berry | Arthur Moore | D. Monahan |
1982 | Rathgorman | 10 | Kevin Whyte | Michael Dickinson | J. Lilley |
1983 | Badsworth Boy | 8 | Robert Earnshaw | Michael Dickinson | Doug Armitage |
1984 | Badsworth Boy | 9 | Robert Earnshaw | Michael Dickinson | Doug Armitage |
1985 | Badsworth Boy | 10 | Robert Earnshaw | Monica Dickinson | Doug Armitage |
1986 | Buck House | 8 | Tommy Carmody | Mouse Morris | Mrs Phil Purcell |
1987 | Pearlyman | 8 | Peter Scudamore | John Edwards | Valerie Shaw |
1988 | Pearlyman | 9 | Tom Morgan | John Edwards | Valerie Shaw |
1989 | Barnbrook Again | 8 | Simon Sherwood | David Elsworth | Mel Davies |
1990 | Barnbrook Again | 9 | Hywel Davies | David Elsworth | Mel Davies |
1991 | Katabatic | 8 | Simon McNeill | Andrew Turnell | Pell-Mell Partners |
1992 | Remittance Man | 8 | Jamie Osborne | Nicky Henderson | Tim Collins |
1993 | Deep Sensation | 8 | Declan Murphy | Josh Gifford | Robin Eliot |
1994 | Viking Flagship | 7 | Adrian Maguire | David Nicholson | Roach Foods Ltd |
1995 | Viking Flagship | 8 | Charlie Swan | David Nicholson | Roach Foods Ltd |
1996 | Klairon Davis | 7 | Francis Woods | Arthur Moore | Chris Jones |
1997 | Martha's Son | 10 | Rodney Farrant | Tim Forster | Hartigan / Ward-Thomas |
1998 | One Man | 10 | Brian Harding | Gordon W. Richards | John Hales |
1999 | Call Equiname | 9 | Mick Fitzgerald | Paul Nicholls | Coburn / Barber / Lewis |
2000 | Edredon Bleu | 8 | Tony McCoy | Henrietta Knight | Jim Lewis |
no race 2001 [lower-alpha 3] | |||||
2002 | Flagship Uberalles | 8 | Richard Johnson | Philip Hobbs | Gutner / Krysztofiak |
2003 | Moscow Flyer | 9 | Barry Geraghty | Jessica Harrington | Brian Kearney |
2004 | Azertyuiop | 7 | Ruby Walsh | Paul Nicholls | John Hales |
2005 | Moscow Flyer | 11 | Barry Geraghty | Jessica Harrington | Brian Kearney |
2006 | Newmill | 8 | Andrew McNamara | John Joseph Murphy | Mary Hayes |
2007 | Voy Por Ustedes | 6 | Robert Thornton | Alan King | Sir Robert Ogden |
2008 | Master Minded | 5 | Ruby Walsh | Paul Nicholls | Clive D. Smith |
2009 | Master Minded | 6 | Ruby Walsh | Paul Nicholls | Clive D. Smith |
2010 | Big Zeb | 9 | Barry Geraghty | Colm Murphy | Patrick Joseph Redmond |
2011 | Sizing Europe | 9 | Andrew Lynch | Henry de Bromhead | Ann & Alan Potts |
2012 | Finian's Rainbow | 9 | Barry Geraghty | Nicky Henderson | Michael Buckley |
2013 | Sprinter Sacre | 7 | Barry Geraghty | Nicky Henderson | Caroline Mould |
2014 | Sire De Grugy | 8 | Jamie Moore | Gary Moore | Preston Family & Friends |
2015 | Dodging Bullets | 7 | Sam Twiston-Davies | Paul Nicholls | Martin Broughton & Friends |
2016 | Sprinter Sacre | 10 | Nico de Boinville | Nicky Henderson | Caroline Mould |
2017 | Special Tiara | 10 | Noel Fehily | Henry de Bromhead | Sally Rowley-Williams |
2018 | Altior | 8 | Nico de Boinville | Nicky Henderson | Patricia Pugh |
2019 | Altior | 9 | Nico de Boinville | Nicky Henderson | Patricia Pugh |
2020 | Politologue | 9 | Harry Skelton | Paul Nicholls | John Hales |
2021 | Put The Kettle On | 7 | Aidan Coleman | Henry de Bromhead | One For Luck Racing Syndicate |
2022 | Energumene | 8 | Paul Townend | Willie Mullins | Tony Bloom |
2023 | Energumene | 9 | Paul Townend | Willie Mullins | Tony Bloom |
- amateur jockey
- Chinrullah finished first in 1980, but he was subsequently disqualified after testing positive for a banned substance
- The 2001 running was cancelled because of a foot-and-mouth crisis. A substitute race at Sandown was won by Edredon Bleu
See also
- Horse racing in Great Britain
- List of British National Hunt races
- Recurring sporting events established in 1959 – this race is included under its original title, National Hunt Two-Mile Champion Chase.
References
- bbc.co.uk – "Royalty absent and present" (2003).
- cheltenham.co.uk – Media information pack (2010).
- pedigreequery.com – Queen Mother Champion Chase – Cheltenham.
- sportingchronicle.com – Queen Mother Champion Two Mile Steeple Chase Past Winners.
- The Breedon Book of Horse Racing Records. Breedon Books. 1993. p. 231. ISBN 1-873626-15-0.