Celebration Chase

The Celebration Chase is a Grade One National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of about 1 mile 7½ furlongs (1 mile, 7 furlongs and 119 yards, or 3,126 metres), and during its running there are thirteen fences to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year in late April.

Celebration Chase
Grade One race
LocationSandown Park
Esher, England
Inaugurated2001
Race typeSteeplechase
SponsorBet365
WebsiteSandown Park
Race information
Distance1m 7f 119yd (3,126 metres)
SurfaceTurf
TrackRight-handed
QualificationFive-years-old and up
Weight11 st 7 lb
Allowances
7 lb for mares
Purse£150,000 (2019)
1st: £85,827
Celebration Chase
2019
Altior Sceau Royal God's Own

History

The event has its origins in 2001, when the Cheltenham Festival was cancelled due to a foot-and-mouth crisis. Replacements for some of the Festival's races were held at Sandown in late April, and the equivalent of the Queen Mother Champion Chase was a Grade 1 event called the Championship Chase.

The following year the race returned as the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Celebration Chase, in memory of the Queen Mother (1900–2002), who frequently attended racing at Sandown. The event was downgraded to Class B level, but it continued to attract high quality chasers. It was promoted to Grade Two status in 2005, and at this point its title was shortened to the Celebration Chase.

The race is currently sponsored by Bet365, and it takes place at a meeting which features both jump and flat races. Other events at this meeting include the Bet365 Gold Cup, the Gordon Richards Stakes and the Sandown Mile. The Celebration Chase was upgraded to Grade One by the British Horseracing Board from its 2014 running.[1]

Records

Most successful horse (3 wins):

Leading jockey (4 wins):

Leading trainer (5 wins):

  • Paul Nicholls – Cenkos (2002, 2004), Andreas (2008), Twist Magic (2009), Sanctuaire (2012)
  • Nicky Henderson - French Opera (2011), Sprinter Sacre (2016), Altior (2017, 2018, 2019)

Winners
Year
 Winner
 Age
 Jockey
 Trainer
2001 Edredon Bleu 9 Tony McCoy Henrietta Knight
2002 Cenkos 8 Barry Geraghty Paul Nicholls
2003 Seebald 8 Tony McCoy Martin Pipe
2004 Cenkos 10 Barry Geraghty Paul Nicholls
2005 Well Chief 6 Timmy Murphy Martin Pipe
2006 River City 9 Tom Doyle Noel Chance
2007 Dempsey 9 Timmy Murphy Carl Llewellyn
2008 Andreas 8 Ruby Walsh Paul Nicholls
2009 Twist Magic 7 Ruby Walsh Paul Nicholls
2010 I'm So Lucky 8 Tom Scudamore David Pipe
2011 French Opera 8 Tony McCoy Nicky Henderson
2012 Sanctuaire 6 Daryl Jacob Paul Nicholls
2013 Sire de Grugy 7 Jamie Moore Gary Moore
2014 Sire de Grugy 8 Jamie Moore Gary Moore
2015 Special Tiara 8 Noel Fehily Henry De Bromhead
2016 Sprinter Sacre 10 Nico de Boinville Nicky Henderson
2017 Altior 7 Nico de Boinville Nicky Henderson
2018 Altior 8 Nico de Boinville Nicky Henderson
2019 Altior 9 Nico de Boinville Nicky Henderson
no race 2020 [lower-alpha 1]
  1. The 2020 running was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom[2]

See also

References
  1. "British Horseracing Authority Announces Upgrades to Jump Pattern Races for 2013/14". Archived from the original on 2 August 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
  2. "Coronavirus: Horse racing in Great Britain suspended until end of April". BBC Sport. 17 March 2020.
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