Cheltenham Festival - Dawn Run Mares' Novices' Hurdle

Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle is one of Cheltenham Festival’s newest races. It has only been run twice having been introduced during the 2016 edition of the annual March festival.

It is run by horses of age four years and above. These compete over a distance of 3,240 metres (2 mi 1 furlong) on the left-handed New Course. Eight hurdles lay in the path of the horses as they look to sweep the better part of the £65,000 purse prize on offer.

The race takes the prefix Trull House Stud’ in line with sponsorship regulations.

Having only been introduced recently, the race offers a great opportunity for new racegoers and fans to identify with a race of their age. Fans have the opportunity to identify the very first winners and watch the race shape up and build history year after year.

This is also a fertile hunting ground for gamblers. Without so much history behind it, gamblers have reason to believe that bookmakers do not have much leverage when generating odds. The race, therefore, would appear like a pure game of chance to the gambler.

The commanding duo of Ruby Walsh and Willie Mullins is already doing its part on the track. Walsh, a top jockey at Cheltenham, has ridden Mullins-trained horses on both occasions of the race. Limini and Lets Dance, both aged five years, won the 2016 and 2017 races respectively.

The National Hunt classifies the Dawn Run as a grade 2 hurdles race. The fan response to the race in its first years has been satisfying, although not overwhelming yet. The presence of the experienced Ruby Walsh has obviously done it a lot of good.

And it can only get better. More jockeys and trainers will want to enter into its uncharted waters where they will feel they have the chance to set an early pace. This one is truly a race to watch out for.

Cheltenham Festival - Champion Bumper

The Champion Bumper is one of four grade one races run on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival. It is a flat race open to horses aged between four and six years competing over a distance of
3,319 metres (2mi 2/2 furlong) on the left-handed Old Course of the annual event’s venue.

This race enjoys a history of around a quarter-century having first been run in 1992. That first event was called the Festival Bumper and it held the same name until 1997 when it was renamed to the
current title. Most race fans of old and official publications still refer to it by the original title though.

Five-year-old horses have proven to be the most prolific competitors here. As of 2017, they had won 15 of the 26 events that had been run. Six-year-olds come second and four-year-olds coming last.
The reason for this could be that most four-year-olds of repute opt to register in other amateur categories like the Fred Winter as they look to rack up experience. The lesser popularity of flat races could also be a big factor.

This race was one of the casualties of the 2001 foot and mouth scare. That cancellation was the only time it failed to take place since its inception.

Willie Mullins is one of the biggest names in the Champion Bumper. He achieved a rare feat when he first came into it, riding self-trained Wither or Which to victory in 1996. He has trained horses
that have gone on to win on seven other occasions. He holds the record of most trained winners (8). He has had another successful partnership with Ruby Walsh. Walsh is the leading jockey in the Champion Bumper with three wins, all won atop Mullins-trained horses. The duo is really cementing their place in the horse racing history! Another one for sore eyes.

Cheltenham Festival - Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup

The Fulke Walwyn Challenge Cup is an ungraded race run on the third day of the Cheltenham Festival. It is a competition that brings together horses of a minimum age of five years with
amateur riders guiding them through a distance of 5,130 metres (3mi 1 furlongs). The lengthy distance has 19 fences placed strategically for the horses to manoeuvre over the left-handed turf New Course.

The races name pays tribute to two people. Kim Muir is a name in honour of a man who died in the Second World War. The name was picked by Mrs. Evan Williams, Kim Muir’s brother and was initially listed as Kim Muir Riders’ Steeplechase. The inaugural event was run in 1946 and won by eight-year-old Astrometer.

Fulke’s name was added to the race in 1991. Fulke was a massive personality at Cheltenham with a total of 211 victories, including 41 at the March festival. Adrian Maguire rode 11-year-old. Martin Pipe-trained Omerta to victory in the 1991 event.

Despite not having a current sponsor, the race has at times attracted a purse of up to £65,000.

There have been no record-setting horses in this race in recent years. The standing joint-record of two wins was set back in 1986. The jockeys’ record, however, is pretty recent. Jamie Codd (2009, 2011, 2015, and 2016) has been dominant over the last close to a decade and earned himself a record of four wins in the process.

Horses of advanced ages tend to perform better in this one. Since its inception, no five-year-old horse has finished in first place. Six-year-olds have won just twice. Horses of between seven and ten years have dominated the race with most wins. There have been just two wins recorded by 12 year-olds, one in 1981 and the other in 2015. Looks like it might be some time before that happens again, but we all know horseracing is never that easy to call!!

Cheltenham Festival - Mildmay of Flete Challenge Cup

The Mildmay of Flete is the only Grade 3 race that is run on the third day of the Cheltenham Festival. It is a chase race according to British National Hunt classifications. It admits horses of age five years and above to compete over a distance of 4,225 metres (2 mi 5 furlongs) on the New Course.

The chase is dotted with 17 fence obstacles that drill the racehorses and jockeys to a near limit.

The race has been in existence for over half a decade. The inaugural edition was held during the 1951 festival. It was given its name in honour of Mildmay of Flete who had died a year earlier. Flete had been a commanding figure at the festival, winning thrice in a short career. The first edition will be remembered for having been held in April as the course was waterlogged during the traditional month of March.

When nine-year-old horses Slender and Canford finished in a draw during that first race, history was made and the stage was set for one of the festival’s most competitive fixtures.

No single horse, jockey or trainer has been able to establish a lengthy dominance in this race. The two-race record is shared by The Tsarevich and Elfast. Fred Winter set the jockeys’ record in 1958 when he won his third race and that record has stood since. Three trainers- Bobby Renton, Nicky Henderson, and Martin Pipe- have a joint record of four wins.

This closeness and joint holding of records is a pointer towards the race’s tightness. The race has been run on every occasion since its inception save for the 2001 edition that disrupted the entire festival. The race has taken different prefix names over these years in order to meet sponsor requirements.

A purse of around £100,000 for a grade three race is also an indicator of the competition’s stature.