Jockey Club drops ‘fox’ from the name of the Cheltenham Foxhunter Chase in bid to improve its image
- Race was renamed St. James’s Place Festival Hunters’ Chase to improve image
- Race owners, the Jockey Club, said move was to protect ‘heritage’ of the race
- It is due to be held on the fourth day of Cheltenham Festival on March 19 2021
One of Cheltenham Festival‘s oldest races, formerly called the St James’s Place Foxhunter Challenge, has been renamed to remove the word fox.
The race will now be called the St. James’s Place Festival Hunters’ Chase in the hopes of improving and modernising the image of horse racing’s most anticipated hunter chase.
It is due to be held, as usual, on the fourth day of the Cheltenham Festival on March 19 2021 – despite the pandemic and the criticism the festival received for going head in 2020, as some claimed the event cost lives.
Maxine O’Sullivan riding It Came to Pass celebrates victory in the St. James’s Place Foxhunter Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase (Class 2) at Cheltenham Racecourse on March 13, 2020
A spokesman for Jockey Club, who own the race, told Racing Post: ‘Both the racecourse and the sponsor wanted to make the race clearly synonymous with the festival while protecting its heritage, including the important hunter chase race designation, and hopefully we’ve done that.’
The race is one of the oldest at the Festival, beginning in 1904. It is often referred to as the amateurs’ Gold Cup, as one of three to allow non-professional riders at the Festival.
Former champion of 2015 and 2016, Nina Carberry, told Racing Better: ‘I really like the name St. James’s Place Festival Hunters’ Chase – it reinforces the race’s connection with the Home of Jump Racing whilst also keeping its tradition as one of the sport’s most iconic Hunter Chases.’
Maxine O’Sullivan riding It Came to Pass jumps for the final fence on their way to victory in the St. James’s Place Foxhunter Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase
Maxine O’Sullivan riding It Came to Pass at Cheltenham Racecourse on March 13, 2020
Last year the race was won by outsider It Came To Pass, who caused a mighty 66-1 upset.
It was a family affair, as the winner was trained in County Cork by Eugene O’Sullivan, who sent out Lovely Citizen to take this prized hunter chase in 1991, and was ridden by his daughter, Maxine O’Sullivan.
Despite this change the Jockey Club’s other hunter chase at Aintree will remain the Randox Foxhunters’ Open Hunters’ Chase.