Grand Annual Chase
| Grade 3 race | |
| Location |
Cheltenham Racecourse Cheltenham, England |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1834 |
| Race type | Chase |
| Website | Cheltenham |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 2m ½f (3,319 metres) |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Left-handed |
| Qualification | Five-years-old and up |
| Weight | Handicap |
| Purse |
£100,000 (2016) 1st: £51,255 |
The Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase is a Grade 3 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and 110 yards (3,319 metres), and during its running there are fourteen fences to be jumped. It is a handicap race, and it is scheduled to take place each year during the Cheltenham Festival in March.
The Grand Annual is the oldest race at the Festival, and it is also the oldest chase in the present National Hunt calendar. It was first run in April 1834, and it was initially contested over three miles of open country at Andoversford, near Cheltenham. The race was discontinued in the 1860s, but it was revived at the turn of the century. During the early 1900s it took place at several different venues, including Melton Mowbray, Leicester and Warwick. It returned to Cheltenham in 1913.
The name of Johnny Henderson (1920–2003), a banker and racehorse owner, was added to the race's title in 2005. Henderson, the father of trainer Nicky, realised in the early 1960s that the racecourse at Cheltenham was attracting the interest of property developers. To safeguard its future, and that of the Festival, Henderson and other Jockey Club members formed the Racecourse Holdings Trust, and raised £240,000 to purchase the venue.
The running order of the races at the Cheltenham Festival was altered slightly in 2009, and the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase is now the last event on the final day.
Most successful horse since 1946 (2 wins):
Leading jockey since 1946 (4 wins):
Leading trainer since 1946 (3 wins):
1 The race was cancelled in 1949 due to frost, and in 1955 due to snow.
2 It was abandoned in 1975 due to waterlogging.
3 The 2001 running was cancelled because of a foot-and-mouth crisis.
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