Long Walk Hurdle

Long Walk Hurdle
Grade 1 race
Location Ascot Racecourse
Berkshire, England
Inaugurated 1965
Race type Hurdle
Sponsor Jardine Lloyd Thompson
Website Ascot
Race information
Distance 3m 1f (5,029 metres)
Surface Turf
Track Right-handed
Qualification Four-years-old and up
Weight 11 st 7 lb
Allowances
7 lb for mares
Purse £100,000 (2014)
1st: £56,270
Long Walk Hurdle
2014
Reve De Sivola Zarkandar Aubusson

The Long Walk Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of about 3 miles and 1 furlong (5,029 metres), and during its running there are fourteen hurdles to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year in December.

The event is named after The Long Walk, an avenue of trees in Windsor Great Park. It was first run in 1965, and it was initially a handicap race. It became a conditions race in 1971, and it was given Grade 1 status in 1990. Prior to the redevelopment of Ascot Racecourse, which took place during the period 2004–06, the distance of the race was 3 miles and 1½ furlongs.

Since 1971, four winners of the Long Walk Hurdle have gone on to win the World Hurdle in the same season – Derring Rose (1980–81), Baracouda (2001–02), My Way de Solzen (2005–06) and Big Buck's (2009–10, 2010-11 and 2011-12).

Winners since 1971

Year Winner Age Jockey Trainer
1971 St Patrick's Blue 6 Bill Smith David Tatlow
1972 Highland Abbe 6 Mr Richard Smith Les Kennard
1973 Soloning 8 Richard Pitman Fred Winter
1974 Go Bingo 5 David Munro Sam Hall
1975 Lanzarote 7 John Francome Fred Winter
no race 1976 [1]
1977 John Cherry 6 Steve Smith Eccles Harry Thomson Jones
1978 Kelso Chant 6 Steve Charlton Jumbo Wilkinson
1979 John Cherry 8 Steve Smith Eccles Harry Thomson Jones
1980 Derring Rose 5 John Francome Fred Winter
no race 1981 [1]
1982 Mayotte 7 Paul Richards Richard Holder
1983 Crimson Embers 8 Stuart Shilston Fulke Walwyn
1984 Kristenson 7 Michael Williams Roger Fisher
1985 Misty Dale 7 Phil Tuck Jenny Pitman
1986 Out of the Gloom 5 Peter Scudamore Reg Hollinshead
1987 Bluff Cove 5 Richard Dunwoody Reg Hollinshead
1988 French Goblin 5 Peter Hobbs Josh Gifford
1989 Royal Athlete 6 Dean Gallagher Jenny Pitman
1990 Floyd 10 Graham Bradley David Elsworth
no race 1991 [1]
1992 Vagog 7 Martin Foster Martin Pipe
1993 Sweet Duke 6 Carl Llewellyn Nigel Twiston-Davies
1994 Hebridean 7 Adrian Maguire David Nicholson
1995 Silver Wedge 4 Jamie Osborne Oliver Sherwood
1996 Ocean Hawk 4 Carl Llewellyn Nigel Twiston-Davies
1997 Paddy's Return 5 Norman Williamson Ferdy Murphy
1998 Princeful 7 Richard Dunwoody Jenny Pitman
1999 Anzum 8 Richard Johnson Alan King
2000 Baracouda 5 Thierry Doumen François Doumen
2001 Baracouda 6 Thierry Doumen François Doumen
2002 Deano's Beeno 10 Tony McCoy Martin Pipe
2003 Baracouda 8 Thierry Doumen François Doumen
2004 Baracouda [2] 9 Tony McCoy François Doumen
2005 My Way de Solzen [2] 5 Robert Thornton Alan King
2006 Mighty Man 6 Richard Johnson Henry Daly
2007 Lough Derg 7 Tom Scudamore David Pipe
2008 Punchestowns 5 Barry Geraghty Nicky Henderson
2009 Big Buck's[3] 6 Ruby Walsh Paul Nicholls
2010 Big Buck's[3] 7 Tony McCoy Paul Nicholls
2011 Big Buck's 8 Ruby Walsh Paul Nicholls
2012 Reve De Sivola 7 Richard Johnson Nick Williams
2013 Reve De Sivola 8 Richard Johnson Nick Williams
2014 Reve De Sivola 9 Daryl Jacob Nick Williams

1 The race was abandoned in 1976 and 1991 because of frost, and in 1981 because of snow.
2 Due to the closure of Ascot Racecourse for redevelopment, the race was switched to Windsor in 2004, and Chepstow in 2005.
3 It took place at Newbury in 2009 and 2010 after the original fixtures at Ascot were cancelled due to snow.

See also

References