Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase

The Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase is a National Hunt chase introduced to fill the Cheltenham Festival roster.

The race is run over three miles and seven furlongs on the opening day and is open to all horses of five-years-old or older. The race is a handicap, which means the better horses in the race must carry more weight to even out the field.

There are 32 fences to be jumped during the race, which makes it one of the most interesting battles on the opening day of the festival. There is a prize fund of roughly £50,000 that makes a nice return for the winner and ensures jockeys push their horses every inch of the course.

History of the Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase

The history of the Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase started in 2005 when it was announced that a fourth day was to be added to the Cheltenham Festival. This produced the need for additional races to fill the race cards on each day and this chase was born.

Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase Title Holders

Only one horse holds the Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap title for most wins. Garde Champetre romped to back-to-back wins over successive years (2008 and 2009) and is naturally the best horse in the event’s history.

Nina Carberry holds the jockey title for having ridden the most winners with a total of three wins; Heads onthe Ground (2007) and Garde Champetre (2008 and 2009).

Enda Bolger holds the Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase title for having trained the most winners with a total of four from six races; Spot thedifference (2005), Heads onthe Ground (2007) and Garde Champetre (2008 and 2009).

Grand National Warm-Up

The race has grown in popularity since it was first started because it’s recognised as a chance to throw horses in at the deep end before the Grand National, the biggest race in the jump calendar.

The Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase is one of three cross country races held at Cheltenham with the other two taking place in November and December. The sponsorís name has been included in the title of the race since it was included in the Cheltenham Festival. Glenfarclas started sponsoring the race in 2008.

Spot thedifference was the first horse to win the race jockeyed by Jamie McNamara and trained by Enda Bolger. Spot thedifference is one of three horses to have won the race at the age of 12-years-old.

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Popular Cheltenham Festival Betting

The Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase is a popular Cheltenham Festival betting race. It comes after the Champions Hurdle, which is often dominated by one or two very strong horses.

The most popular Cheltenham Festival betting races, besides from the big races, are the races where there is real value over a long race. The 32 obstacles means the favourite for the Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase can make a mistake at the first jump and a 100/1 outsider can go on and win.