Long Walk Hurdle
| Grade 1 race | |
| Location |
Ascot Racecourse Berkshire, England |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1965 |
| Race type | Hurdle |
| Sponsor | Jardine Lloyd Thompson |
| Website | Ascot |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 3m 1f (5,029 metres) |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Right-handed |
| Qualification | Four-years-old and up |
| Weight | 11 st 7 lb Allowances 7 lb for mares |
| Purse |
£100,000 (2016) 1st: £56,950 |
The Long Walk Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of about 3 miles and 1 furlong (3 miles and 97 yards, or 5,029 metres), and during its running there are fourteen hurdles to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year in December.
The event is named after The Long Walk, an avenue of trees in Windsor Great Park. It was first run in 1965, and it was initially a handicap race. It became a conditions race in 1971, and it was given Grade 1 status in 1990. Prior to the redevelopment of Ascot Racecourse, which took place during the period 2004–06, the distance of the race was 3 miles and 1½ furlongs.
Since 1971, five winners of the Long Walk Hurdle have gone on to win the World Hurdle in the same season – Derring Rose (1980–81), Baracouda (2001–02), My Way de Solzen (2005–06), Big Buck's (2009–10, 2010–11 and 2011–12) and Thistlecrack (2015–16).
1 The race was abandoned in 1976 and 1991 because of frost, and in 1981 because of snow.
2 Due to the closure of Ascot Racecourse for redevelopment, the race was switched to Windsor in 2004, and Chepstow in 2005.
3 It took place at Newbury in 2009 and 2010 after the original fixtures at Ascot were cancelled due to snow.
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