Sandown Tingle Creek Chase Day: Race List & Meeting Info

Day One Races - Tingle Creek Friday

Introductory Juvenile Hurdle

Class 2, 1m7f216y

Introductory horse races are typically aimed at horses that haven’t won more than two events at the same level, with this one being no exception. It’s for juveniles, so the age is limited to three-year-olds. Currently sponsored by Pinsent Masons, the Class two event is run over one mile, seven furlongs and two hundred and sixteen yards, with eight hurdles to jump.

Handicap Chase

Class 3, 1m7f119y

An event that has had numerous sponsors over the years, the Handicap Chase is run over one mile, seven furlongs and one hundred and nineteen yards. A steeplechase, the Class 3 race presents the participants with thirteen fences during its running. Open to horses aged four and over, they must have a rating of between 0 and 125 to take part.

Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase

Class 3, 2m4f10y

Run as a memorial race for Simon Jennings in 2019, this race is a Limited Handicap for novice chasers. Taking place over two miles, four furlongs and ten yards, it features seventeen fences and is for horses aged four and over. The Class 3 race asks competitors to jump seventeen fences and they’ll need to have a rating of between 0 and 135 to be part of the field.

Winter Novices’ Hurdle

Class 1, 2m3f173y

The final race worth drawing your attention to that is run during the Tingle Creek Festival is the Winter Novices’ Hurdle. It’s a Grade 2 race for horses aged four and over. Run over two miles, three furlongs and one hundred and seventy-three yards, the race is aimed at novice hurdlers and has nine jumps for them to negotiate during its running.

Prior to 1992 it was run over two miles, five furlongs and seventy-five yards, being lengthened to two mile and six furlongs from 1992 to 1999 before taking on its current length. You might know the race as the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle, give that that’s what it was called between 2011 and 2016 when it was sponsored by Neptune Investment Management. The Ballymore Group took on sponsorship responsibility in 2017.

The fact it’s for novices means that it’s never been won by the same horse more than once, but some interesting names have been into the winner’s enclosure in the past. It was one of the first major races that See More Business won, for example, before going on to add the likes of the King George VI Chase, the Betfair Bowl and, of course, the Cheltenham Gold Cup to his list of accolades.

Similarly Barton won this in 1998 and then a series of top-class hurdles in the years after. The likes of the Mersey Novices’ Hurdle and the Mildmay Novices’ Chase were all won by him during his career. The same can be said of Inglis Drever, who won this in 2003, the Champion Hurdle Trial in 2005 and the World Hurdle in 2005, 2007 and 2008. Perhaps the best known name is that of Neptune Collonges, who was successful in this race in 2005 before winning the Grand National seven years later.

In other words, make sure you keep a note of who won this race in your big black book of horse information! There have also been some decent jockeys who have stood on the winner’s podium at the end of the race. Barry Geraghty was the man on Neptune Collonges in 2005 before winning again with Vyta Du Roc in 2015, for example. Jamie Osborne and Peter Scudamore have both won it twice, too. Yet it’s Wayne Hutchinson, Tony McCoy and Richard Johnson who sit pretty at the top of the pile with three wins apiece.

This is the only one of the key races that Paul Nicholls can’t claim to be the overwhelming leader on the training front for. He’s got three wins to his name, but that’s not enough to beat Alan King’s five victories between 2008 and 2018. Jim Old, Jonjo O’Neill, Martin Pipe, Nicky Henderson and Philip Hobbs have also won the race more than once to date.

Amateur Riders’ Handicap Chase

Class 3, 3m37y

A race specifically for amateur riders and open to horses aged four and over with a rating of between 0 and 130, the Amateur Riders’ Handicap Hurdle is run over three miles and thirty-seven yards. There are twenty-one fences to jump in this Class 3 steeplechase, with boasts prize money just shy of £9,000 for the winner.

Novices’ Handicap Hurdle

Class 4, 1m7f216y

In 2019 this race was run in support of the Motor Neurone Disease Association. It is for horses aged three and over with a rating of between 0 and 120. Run over one mile, seven furlongs and two hundred and sixteen yards, the hurdling event is run under handicap rules and features eight hurdles. The prize money sits at around the £6,500 mark.

Day Two Races - Tingle Creek Saturday

National Hunt Novices’ Hurdle

Class 3, 2m

Organised by the National Hunt, this hurdle event for novices is run over one mile, seven furlongs and two hundred and sixteen yards. It’s for horses aged four and over and there are eight hurdles during its running. The prize money sits at more than £6,000 for this Class 3 event, which often has local sponsors attached.

Mares’ Handicap Hurdle

Class 3, 2m4f

Run in association with Elmbridge at the time of writing, this hurdle event sees weights assigned to the horses by the handicappers. It’s a Qualifier race, open to horses aged three and over that have a rating of between 0 and 130. It is run over a distance of two miles, three furlongs and one hundred and seventy-three yards and there are nine hurdles to jump.

Pertemps Handicap Hurdle

Class 2, 2m7½f

Another hurdling race that the handicappers have their say on, the event is sponsored by the Pertemps Network. It’s a Qualifier race and is run over two miles, seven furlongs and ninety-eight yards. Open to horses aged four and over, there are twelve hurdles for them to cope with in order to stand a chance of winning the £12,000 plus prize associated with this Class 3 race.

Henry VIII Novices’ Chase

Grade 1, 1m7½f

Lots of racecourses are delighted when they have one Grade 1 event to offer, so you can imagine the pleasure of Sandown Park that they can give people two on the same day. The Henry VIII Novices’ Chase is, as the name suggests, open to novice horses that are aged four or over with the following weight information:

• 4-year-olds: 10 stone 10 pounds
• 5-year-olds and up: 11 stone 2 pounds
• Filles and mares get a 7 pound allowance

Run right-handed over one mile, seven furlongs and one hundred and nineteen yards, the race features thirteen fences that must be negotiated by the participants if they’re hoping to get across the finish line first. King Henry VIII commandeered Esher to user as a royal hunting ground in the sixteenth century, which is why this race is named in his honour.

It was a Grade 2 race prior to 2011, which is when it was given its Grade 1 status. Despite being a race for novice chasers, horses still need to boast some decent ability over jumps to be able to get on the winners' roster for this one. Obviously no horse has won it more than once but the likes of Thisthatandtother, Contraband, Al Ferof and Altior have been victorious in the past.

Al Ferof, of course, won the November Gold Cup at Cheltenham in 2012, the year after he won this race, and was successful in the Amlin 1965 Chase and the Peterborough Chase in the years that followed. Altior, on the other hand, won this in 2016 before going on to win the likes of the Arkle Challenge Trophy, three Celebration Chases and the Queen Mother Champion Chase twice. That’s to say nothing of his Tingle Creek Chase win in 2018, proving that it’s worth making a note of how well a horse does in this race for future reference.

Adrian Maguire, Daryl Jacob, Noel Fehily, Ruby Walsh and Timmy Murphy have all been successful jockeys in this race twice, though Richard Dunwoody and Tony McCoy outstrip them all with three wins apiece. It’s similarly interesting for the trainers, given that Alan King, David Nicholson, Henrietta Knight and Nicky Henderson have all won it more than once but can’t compete with the seven wins that Paul Nicholls managed between 1998 and 2018.

December Handicap Hurdle

Listed, 2m

Sponsored by Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts at the time of writing, this Listed Class 1 race is run over one mile, seven furlongs and two hundred and sixteen yards. It’s for horses aged four and over with a rating of between 0 and 150, with the race featuring eight hurdles for them to jump. The prize money sits at in excess of £33,000 and if the Going is Heavy then you’ll have to wait about four minutes and sixteen seconds before the race reaches its climax.

Tingle Creek Chase

Grade 1, 1m7½f

There’s nowhere else to start but with the race that gives the event its name. First run in 1979, the great and good of the horse racing world have won this race over the years. Run over one mile, seven furlongs and one hundred and nineteen yards, the race is for horses aged four and up with the following weight information at play:

• 4-year-olds: 11 stone 1 pound
• 5-year-olds and up: 11 stone 7 pounds
• Fillies and mares get a 7 pound allowance

Run right-handed on the turf, the Tingle Creek Chase is a Grade 1 race that features thirteen fences during its running. It was named in honour of Tingle Creek, who was a popular jump horse in the 1970s. It was a handicap race until 1994, at which point it was given its Grade 1 status.

In terms of the great and the good having won the race in the past, we’re not exaggerating. Names such as Desert Orchid, Viking Flagship, Kauto Star and Master Minded have all been added to the winner’s list over the years. That should give you an indication that this race isn’t a pleasant little runaround but rather a tough test of a jumper’s ability to cut it at the highest level.

Whilst Waterloo Boy, Twist Magic, Sound Man, Sire de Grugy, News King, Moscow Flyer, Long Engagement and the aforementioned Master Minded and Kauto Star have all won the race twice, the leading horse in the race is Flagship Uberalles thanks to three wins in succession between 1999 and 2001. The 2000 race actually took place at Cheltenham at a slightly longer distance, too.

Given that Master Minded also won the Queen Mother Champion Chase and Melling Chase during his career, Kauto Star added two Gold Cups at the Cheltenham Festival to his roster and Desert Orchid won the Gold Cup, Irish Grand National and King George VI Chase, it’s entirely fair to think that the winner of this race will almost certainly go on to greater things if they haven’t done so already. This is a proper horse race.

It’s not just the best horses that take this race serious, either. The likes of Barry Geraghty, Jamie Moore and Ruby Walsh have all won the race more than once, with Richard Dunwoody leading the way as the race’s most successful jockey thanks to five wins during his career. It’s a similar situation with trainers when you bear in mind that David Nicholson, Nicky Henderson, Fred Winter, Edward O’Grady and Jessica Harrington have all won it more than once, but none can touch Paul Nicholls’ ten wins between 1999 and 2017.

London National Handicap Chase

Class 2, 3m5f

At the time of writing, the London National Handicap Chase is sponsored by the betting company Betfair and is open to horses aged five and over. Run over three miles, four furlongs and one hundred and sixty-six yards, there are twenty-four jumps for the horses to cope with during this steeplechase. A Class 2 event, the winner receives close to £31,000 in prize money.