William Hill Trophy

The William Hill Trophy is a Grade 3 race run at the Old Course at Cheltenham. The race is normally the third race to be run on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival each year. The race is three miles long and is open to horses of five-years-old or older.

There are nineteen fences in total for horses in this race to navigate. The prize purse available for the race is just under £100,000. The William Hill Trophy is a handicap race, which means the better horses have to carry extra weight to even out the field.

The William Hill Trophy is not the most anticipated race on the first day of the Cheltenham festival. However, the race holds a long and historic importance for man and animal alike.

History of the William Hill Trophy

The history of the William Hill Trophy is as fascinating as any other race at the festival. This race was originally known as the National Hunt Handicap Race before it was changed to include the sponsorís name. Bookmaker William Hill first sponsored the race in 1998 and has been the sponsor for every race since.

The history of the William Hill Trophy has traditionally seen the race being used by horses, jockeys and trainers as a warm up for the Grand National. There are very few other races that combine as many fences over three miles.

The first race was held in 1946 and was won by an eight-year-old horse called Dunshaughlin, ridden by Bobby O'Ryan and trained by Charles Rogers. The race has only been cancelled three times in the history of the William Hill Trophy in 1947 (frost), 1978 (excessive snow) and 2001 (foot and mouth crisis).

The oldest winning age of any horse in this trophy is 11 and there have been four eleven-year-old winners since 1946. Traditionally older horses enter this race as preparation for the Grand National.

Arkloin is the only horse to have won this trophy over a weight of 12 stones. Pat Taaffe rode Arkloin to victory in 1966 when the horse carried 12 stones and 5 pounds in weight as a handicap.

William Hill Trophy Records

There are many William Hill Trophy records that have been set throughout the decades. Some of these records may never be bettered and they hold prestigious value in the National Hunt world.

There have only ever been two horses with two wins in this trophy; Sentina and Scot Lane. An amazing ten jockeys have all ridden two winners each; Ted Vinall, Pat Taaffe, Johnny Haine, David Mould, Andrew Turnell, Craig Smith, Richard Dunwoody, Mick Fitzgerald, Paul Carberry and Robert Thornton.

Two trainers hold the William Hill Trophy records for most winners; Fred Rimmell and Fulke Walwyn. Both trainers have had four winning horses in the race.

Current William Hill Trophy Holder

The current William Hill Trophy holder is a horse called Chief Dan George. The current jockey title holder is Paddy Aspell and James Moffat is the current William Hill Trophy holder for the trainer category.