Foxhunter Chase Challenge Cup: Cheltenham Festival Race18 Mar 1999: Ben Pollock on Castle Mane (R) and Philip Fenton on Elegant Lord in action during the Christie's Foxhunter Chase Challenge Cup at the Cheltenham Festival in Gloucestershire, England. (Mike Hewitt /Allsport)

The Foxhunter Chase Challenge Cup is the third last race run at the annual Cheltenham Festival and represents the culmination of the Hunter Chase season.

The Foxhunter Chase Challenge Cup is one of the oldest races to be run at the Cheltenham Festival, and was first run in 1904 when Mr J Widger rode his own horse, Palmy Boy, to victory. The Foxhunter Chase Challenge Cup is a class B chase run over the same course and distance as the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The Foxhunter Chase Challenge Cup is open to horses aged five and older who have fulfilled a set of qualifying criteria related to experience in foxhunter chases. Horses race a distance of 3 miles 2½ furlongs and the top three shares a prize fund of £40,000 – the richest in foxhunter chase racing.

Foxhunter Chase Challenge Cup Winners

Six horses have won the Foxhunter Chase Challenge Cup on two occasions, with no horse going on to claim three victories in the race. Most recently Double Silk, Fantus and Earthmover have all achieved two wins in the race.

The Foxhunter Chase Challenge Cup, Cheltenham Festival race, is regarded as the Gold Cup for amateur jockeys. The race is particularly notable for producing female jockey winners, including the first female race winner at the Cheltenham Festival – Caroline Beasley on Eliogarty in 1983. Since then four other female jockeys have gone on to win the race.

Phil Nicholls has been the most successful trainer of Foxhunter Chase Challenge Cup winners since the turn of the millennium with two of his horses winning the event.

Foxhunter Chase Challenge Cup Betting

The Foxhunter Chase Challenge Cup features runners ranging from horses making the transition to chases, to others ending their steeplechase careers. Therefore Foxhunter Chase Challenge Cup betting is all about weighing freshness and experience against experience and slower pace.

Keep an eye on the Foxhunter Chase Challenge Cup, Cheltenham Festival race, betting markets as the race approaches for an indication of who experienced punters are backing, keeping in mind that 16 out of the last 21 winners won their last race immediately prior to the Cheltenham event.

We recommend William Hill for the best horse race betting experience.