Peterborough Chase

Peterborough Chase
2014
Wishfull Thinking Eduard Wonderful Charm

The Peterborough Chase is a Grade 2 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Huntingdon over a distance of about 2 miles and 4½ furlongs (4,124 metres), and during its running there are sixteen fences to be jumped. The race is currently scheduled to take place on the first Sunday in December. In 2014, the race's total prize fund is £60,000.

A race called the Peterborough Handicap Chase, over three miles, was first run on Tuesday 2nd December 1969. It was a new meeting with Huntingdon’s fixture allocation having been increased from six days to nine days for the 1969/70 season. It remained a three-mile handicap chase until 1977, after which it became a conditions chase over 2½ miles.

The first running as a 2½ mile conditions chase was in 1978 when it was run as the F A Standen Chase. It was first run under the name of the Peterborough Chase in 1979.

From its inception in 1969 it was always run on a Tuesday until 1997. It was moved to a Saturday in 1998 and remained so until 2007. In 2008 it was first run on a Thursday. The race will be run on a Sunday for the first time in 2014.

The only year the race was not run was in 1982 when the meeting was abandoned due to fog. In 1985 it was run as the Waterloo Meadows Centenary Chase.

The most successful horse in the race's history is Edredon Bleu, who won four consecutive runnings between 1998 and 2001. Wayward Lad (1981, 1983), Travado (1993, 1995) and Racing Demon (2006, 2007) are the only other multiple winners of the race.

Courtesy of Edredon Bleu's four wins, Racing Demon's two victories and additional successes from triple-Gold Cup winner Best Mate (2002) and Impek (2005), Henrietta Knight is the most successful trainer of the Peterborough Chase, winning a total of eight renewals. Captain Tim Forster and Nicky Henderson have both trained four winners apiece.

Desert Orchid, lining-up in the penultimate race of his long career, finished third in the 1991 Peterborough Chase. Ridden by Richard Dunwoody, the 12-year-old veteran finished third to Sabin Du Loir, beaten four lengths.


Winners since 1978

Year
 Winner
 SP
 Jockey
 Trainer
1978 Purdo 2/7f, 3 ran Bob Davies Nick Gaselee
1979 Chumson 100/30, 4 ran Mr Oliver Sherwood Fred Winter
1980 Border Incident 4/7f, 8 ran Ron Barry Richard Head
1981 Wayward Lad 1/4f, 4 ran Robert Earnshaw Michael Dickinson
1982 Race abandoned due to fog
1983 Wayward Lad 4/11f, 4 ran Robert Earnshaw Michael Dickinson
1984 Carved Opal 5/1, 5 ran John Francome Fred Winter
1985 The Mighty Mac 6/4, 6 ran Graham Bradley Mrs Monica Dickinson
1986 Western Sunset 7/2, 3 ran Hywel Davies Tim Forster
1987 Very Promising 2/7f, 3 ran Richard Dunwoody David Nicholson
1988 Townley Stone 4/5f, 3 ran George Mernagh John Webber
1989 Clever Folly 5/4f, 3 ran Neale Doughty Gordon W. Richards
1990 Pegwell Bay 11/10f, 3 ran Jamie Railton Tim Forster
1991 Sabin du Loir 4/7f, 4 ran Peter Scudamore Martin Pipe
1992 Remittance Man 1/5f, 4 ran Richard Dunwoody Nicky Henderson
1993 Travado 8/13f, 4 ran Jamie Osborne Nicky Henderson
1994 Martha's Son 2/1, 4 ran Rodney Farrant Tim Forster
1995 Travado 5/2, 7 ran Richard Dunwoody Nicky Henderson
1996 Dublin Flyer 4/9f, 6 ran Brendan Powell Tim Forster
1997 One Man 13/8f, 6 ran Richard Dunwoody Gordon W. Richards
1998 Edredon Bleu 5/1, 6 ran Jim Culloty Henrietta Knight
1999 Edredon Bleu 11/8f, 4 ran Jim Culloty Henrietta Knight
2000 Edredon Bleu 100/30, 5 ran Jim Culloty Henrietta Knight
2001 Edredon Bleu 10/11f, 4 ran Norman Williamson Henrietta Knight
2002 Best Mate 8/15f, 5 ran Jim Culloty Henrietta Knight
2003 Jair du Cochet 100/30, 6 ran Jacques Ricou Guillaume Macaire
2004 Le Roi Miguel 15/8f, 8 ran Ruby Walsh Paul Nicholls
2005 Impek 5/1, 11 ran Tony McCoy Henrietta Knight
2006 Racing Demon 13/8f, 5 ran Graham Lee Henrietta Knight
2007 Racing Demon 1/4f, 2 ran Tony McCoy Henrietta Knight
2008 Monet's Garden 5/1, 10 ran Davy Condon Nicky Richards
2009 Deep Purple 12/1, 7 ran Paul Moloney Evan Williams
2010 Tartak[1] 11/4, 7 ran Paddy Brennan Tom George
2011 Gauvain 15/2, 8 ran Noel Fehily Nick Williams
2012 Menorah [2] 7/2, 5 ran Richard Johnson Philip Hobbs
2013 Riverside Theatre 9/4f, 7 ran Barry Geraghty Nicky Henderson
2014 Wishfull Thinking 13/2, 6 ran Richard Johnson Philip Hobbs

1 The 2010 running took place at Newbury. 2 The 2012 running took place at Kempton Park after the original Huntingdon fixture was abandoned due to a frozen track.

References

See also