The Christie's Foxhunter Chase Top facts

James Cameron - 29 Feb 2008

Here are our Christie's Foxhunter Chase Top facts

  1. The Christie's Foxhunter Chase is one of the oldest races at the Festival. The first running in 1904 was won by the 6/4 favourite Palmy Boy, owned and ridden by Mr J Widger. It is now the richest and most prestigious hunter chase of the season, worth a total of £40,000.
  2. In 2008, Christie's, the international auctioneers and valuation experts, will be sponsoring the race for the 30th year (including the 2001 cancelled contest).
  3. Since 1946 six horses have won the Foxhunter Chase twice although no horse has won it three times. The Callant won in 1956 and 1957, Whinstone Hill in 1958 and 1960, Colledge Master in 1961 and 1962, Double Silk in 1993 and 1994, Fantus in 1995 and 1997 and Earthmover in 1998 and 2004.
  4. Caroline Beasley became the first female jockey to win a race at The Festival when successful on Eliogarty in the 1983 Christie's Foxhunter Chase. Since then the race has been won four times by women - Katie Rimell on Three Counties in 1989, Polly Curling on Fantus in 1995 , Fiona Needham in 2002 on Last Option and Rilly Goschen on Earthmover in 2004.
  5. Three of the five 13-year-olds to have been successful at The Festival since 1946 have come in the Christie's Foxhunter Chase - Earthmover in 2004, Merry, who dead-heated in 1953 and Greenwood in 1950. The other two 13-year-olds to have won were Approval in the 1959 Vincent O'Brien County Hurdle and Willie Wumpkins in the 1981 Pertemps Final. They are the oldest horses to have succeeded at The Festival in this period.




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