Queen Mother Chase - Key Facts

Below we list some important key facts vis a vie the Queen Mother Champion Chase. Hopefully some of the information may be useful when making your selection for this years race or if you intend to take advantage of a Queen Mother Champion Chase free bet.

• The National Hunt Two-Mile Champion Chase was first run in 1959 and the Queen Mother’s name was added to the race title in 1980, due to her profound services to National Hunt Racing and also to celebrate her 80th birthday.
• The race’s roll of honour includes plenty of multiple winners. Badsworth Boy (1983-85) is the only three-time winner. Two time winners are Fortria (1960 and 1961), Drinny’s Double (1967 and 1968), Royal Relief (1972 and 1974), Skymas (1976 and 1977), Hilly Way (1978 and 1979), Pearlyman (1987 and 1988), Barnbrook Again (1989 and 1990), Viking Flagship (1994 and 1995) and Moscow Flyer (2003 and 2005).
• Irish-trained runners have a great record in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, winning 19 of the 49 renewals. Newmill, trained by John Murphy and ridden by Andrew McNamara, was the most recent Irish-trained winner in 2006 Queen Mother Chase
• Irish Top Trainer, Tom Dreaper has the best record of any trainer in the race, winning six times with Fortria (1960 and 1961), Ben Stack (1964), Flyingbolt (1966), Muir (1969), and Straight Fort (1970). Of current trainers, Paul Nicholls (1999 Call Equiname, 2004 Azertyuiop and 2008 Master Minded) has the best record. Master Minded runs again this year and is the favourite in the Queen Mother Chase odds.
• Flyingbolt was the shortest-priced winner when succeeding at 1/5 in 1966, while Another Dolly, who was awarded the 1980 race at odds of 33/1, was the biggest outsider
• Pat Taaffe is the most successful rider with five wins, while Barry Geraghty (Moscow Flyer 2003 and 2005) and Ruby Walsh (Azertyuiop 2003 and Master Minded 2008) are the only current top jockeys to have landed more than one Queen Mother Champion Chase.
• The oldest horse to have won was the 12-year-old Skymas in 1977, while the youngest winner was Master Minded, who was just five years old when winning the 2008 Queen Mother Champion Chase.
• A small but select field is usually for the Queen Mother Champion Chase. The largest field was in 1999 when 13 runners went to lines up, while only five runners lined up in 1985, 1972, 1968, 1964, 1963 and 1961.
• The most successful owners are George Ansley, who enjoyed three wins with Fortria (1960 and 1961) and Straight Fort (1970), Doug Armitage also had three wins with the magnificent Badsworth Boy (1983, 1984 and 1985).
• Michael Dickinson trained the winner for three consecutive years with Rathgorman (1982) and Badsworth Boy (1983 & 1984). His mother Monica had taken charge of the training by the time of Badsworth Boy’s final success in 1985.
• In 1986, the Queen Mother Champion Chase winner Buck House subsequently met with that year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup heroine Dawn Run in a special arranged race at Punchestown in April, 1986. Dawn Run won by two and a half lengths, proving herself one of the best mares ever to grace a National Hunt race course.
• The Arkle Chase is a good guide for future success in the Queen Mother Champion Chase. Voy Por Ustedes (2007), Azertyuiop (2004), Moscow Flyer (2003 and 2005), Flagship Uberalles (2002), Klairon Davis (1996) and Remittance Man (1992) all won the novices’ event before going on to take Queen Mother Champion Chase. However it looks unlikely that Tidal Bay winner of the Arkle Chase last year will run in this and will probably line up in the Ryan Air Chase instead.