Festival Trials Day 2017

Festival Trials Day 2017 – A History of the Cotswold Chase

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Festival Trials Day 2017: The BetBright Trial Cotswold Chase was first run in 1980 as the Tote Double Chase with a total prize fund of £5,215.

BetBright sponsored for the first time in 2015 and, in 2017, the race carries a total prize fund of £100,000.

Field Size – The most runners to line up was 10 (2013), while three took part in 1982 and 1988.

Multiple Winners – See More Business is the only dual winner, scoring in 1998 and 2001.

Most Successful Owner – The most successful outright owner is John Hales, with two victories courtesy of One Man (1997) and Neptune Collonges (2011).

Most Successful Trainer – Champion Jump trainer Paul Nicholls has recorded four victories so far, through See More Business (1998 & 2001), Taranis (2010) and Neptune Collonges (2011).

Most Successful Jockey – Sir AP McCoy has been the most successful rider with three triumphs – Cyfor Malta (1999), Exotic Dancer (2007) and Neptune Collonges (2011). The only amateur rider to win has been Jim Wilson, who partnered Little Owl in 1981.

Mares – Two mares have been successful – Lesley Ann (1982) and Dubacilla (1994).

Greys – Four greys have won – One Man (1997), Grey Abbey (2005), Neptune Collonges (2011) and Smad Place (2016).

Betting – The race was staged at Wincanton in 2006 after Cheltenham could not race. The Seamus Mullins-trained See You Sometime was sent off the 18/1 outsider of five – the longest-priced winner. The shortest-priced winner was One Man, who obliged at odds of 2/5 in 1997.

Overseas-trained Winners 
Ireland (1): Rince Ri (2002)
France (1): Jair Du Cochet (2004)

Age – See More Business (2001), Grey Abbey (2005) and See You Sometime (2006) are the three oldest winners of the BetBright Trial Cotswold Chase. All were aged 11.

Record Time – 6m 24.20s, set by One Man in 1997.

Did You Know?

• Four BetBright Trial Chase winners have subsequently gone on to glory in the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup.

• The race was abandoned in 1987, 1992, 1996, and 2006 due to frost and snow.

• The Peter Easterby-trained Little Owl won the BetBright Trial Chase in 1981 before taking chasing’s Blue Riband in the same year. Master Oats achieved the same feat for trainer Kim Bailey in 1995.

• See More Business, successful in the 1998 BetBright Trial Chase and then again in 2001, captured the Gold Cup in 1999, while Looks Like Trouble achieved the double in 2000 for trainer Noel Chance.

• Dawn Run, who won one of the most memorable renewals Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1986, ran in the BetBright Trial Chase prior to her famous victory. Starting the 4/9 favourite, the great mare looked to be well in command when unseating her rider Tony Mullins at the 16th fence. She was remounted to finish fourth behind Misty Spirit. She returned to Cheltenham in March to land chasing’s championship event, becoming the only horse to win both the Champion Hurdle and the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

• Three BetBright Trial Chase winners have gone on to win the Randox Health Grand National, the most recent being the Oliver Sherwood-trained Many Clouds in 2015.

• West Tip (1985) and Neptune Collonges (2011) both scored at Aintree the year after their Cheltenham triumphs.

• The Giant Bolster, who retired at the age of 11 in November 2016, had a remarkable record at Cheltenham Racecourse, both on Festival Trials Day and at The Festival. He won three times on Festival Trials Day, taking the Timeform Novices’ Chase in 2011, the Grade Three Hugo’s Restaurant Barbados Trophy Handicap Chase in 2012 and the Grade Two BetBright Trial Cotswold Chase in 2014. The Giant Bolster took part at The Festival in seven connective years, finishing second, third and fourth in the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup.

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QUICK GUIDE TO FESTIVAL TRIALS DAY 2017 – CLICK HERE

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