- International Hurdle
-
Grade 2 race
StanJames.com InternationalLocation Cheltenham Racecourse
Cheltenham, EnglandInaugurated 1963 Race type Hurdle race Sponsor StanJames.com Website Cheltenham Race information Distance 2m 1f (3,420 metres) Track Turf, left-handed Qualification Four-years-old and up Purse £150,000 (2009)
1st: £85,515The StanJames.com International is a Grade 2 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and 1 furlong (3,420 metres), and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year in December.
Contents
History
The event was established in 1963, and it was originally called the Cheltenham Trial Hurdle. The inaugural running was won by Scottish Memories, and in the following two years it was won by the Champion Hurdle winners Magic Court and Salmon Spray. Its title was changed to the Bula Hurdle in 1977, in honour of Bula, a dual-winner of the Champion Hurdle who was successful in this contest in 1972.
The first triple-winner of the Bula Hurdle was Bird's Nest, whose third victory came in 1980. This feat was matched in the late 1990s by Relkeel, a horse subsequently honoured by the naming of different race on the same card, the Relkeel Hurdle.
The online sportsbook StanJames.com sponsored the event for the first time in 2010. The StanJames.com International Hurdle is the second leg in the Road to Cheltenham, a Stan James sponsored series of top-class hurdles races culminating in the 2011 Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. The other two races are the Fighting Fifth Hurdle and the Champion Hurdle Trial.
The last horse to win both the International Hurdle and the Champion Hurdle in the same season was Rooster Booster in 2002–03.
Records
Most successful horse (3 wins):
- Bird's Nest – 1977, 1978, 1980
- Relkeel – 1997, 1998, 1999
Leading jockey (5 wins):
- Richard Johnson – Relkeel (1997, 1999), Rooster Booster (2002), Detroit City (2006), Menorah (2010)
Leading trainer (4 wins):
- Bob Turnell – Salmon Spray (1965), Bird's Nest (1977, 1978, 1980)
Winners
- Amateur jockeys indicated by "Mr".
Year Winner Age Jockey Trainer 1963 Scottish Memories 9 C. Finnegan Arthur Thomas 1964 Magic Court 6 Pat McCarron Tommy Robson 1965 Salmon Spray 7 Johnny Haine Bob Turnell 1966 Sempervivum 8 Willie Robinson Fulke Walwyn no race 1967 1968 Solway Sands 4 Brian Fletcher John McMurchie 1969 Celtic Gold 7 Stan Murphy Arthur Stephenson 1970 Pendil [1] 5 Paul Kelleway Fred Winter 1971 Canasta Lad 5 Jeff King Peter Bailey 1972 Bula 7 Paul Kelleway Fred Winter 1973 Comedy of Errors 6 Bill Smith Fred Rimell 1974 Comedy of Errors 7 Ken White Fred Rimell 1975 Sea Pigeon 5 Jonjo O'Neill Gordon W. Richards no race 1976 1977 Bird's Nest 7 Andrew Turnell Bob Turnell 1978 Bird's Nest 8 Andrew Turnell Bob Turnell 1979 Celtic Ryde 4 Martin O'Halloran Peter Cundell 1980 Bird's Nest 10 Andrew Turnell Bob Turnell no race 1981 [2] 1982 Ekbalco 6 Jonjo O'Neill Roger Fisher 1983 Amarach 5 Jimmy Duggan Roger Fisher 1984 Browne's Gazette 6 Mr Ronnie Beggan Monica Dickinson 1985 Corporal Clinger 6 Paul Leach Martin Pipe 1986 Floyd 6 Colin Brown David Elsworth 1987 Pat's Jester 4 Peter Niven Dick Allan 1988 Condor Pan 5 Charlie Swan Jim Bolger 1989 Cruising Altitude 6 Jamie Osborne Oliver Sherwood no race 1990 [2] 1991 Royal Derbi 6 Declan Murphy Neville Callaghan 1992 Halkopous 6 Adrian Maguire Mark Tompkins 1993 Staunch Friend 5 Declan Murphy Mark Tompkins 1994 Large Action 6 Jamie Osborne Oliver Sherwood no race 1995 1996 Large Action 8 Jamie Osborne Oliver Sherwood 1997 Relkeel 8 Richard Johnson David Nicholson 1998 Relkeel 9 Adrian Maguire David Nicholson 1999 Relkeel 10 Richard Johnson Alan King 2000 Geos 5 Mick Fitzgerald Nicky Henderson 2001 Valiramix [3] 5 Tony McCoy Martin Pipe 2002 Rooster Booster 8 Richard Johnson Philip Hobbs 2003 Rigmarole 5 Robert Thornton Paul Nicholls 2004 Back in Front 7 Davy Russell Edward O'Grady 2005 Harchibald 6 Paul Carberry Noel Meade 2006 Detroit City 4 Richard Johnson Philip Hobbs 2007 Osana 5 Paddy Brennan David Pipe 2008 Binocular [4] 4 Tony McCoy Nicky Henderson 2009 Khyber Kim 7 Paddy Brennan Nigel Twiston-Davies 2010 Menorah 5 Richard Johnson Philip Hobbs 1 Dondieu finished first in 1970, but was relegated to second place after a stewards' inquiry.
2 The race was abandoned in 1981 and 1990 because of snow.
3 The 2001 running took place at Newbury.
4 The 2008 edition was held at Ascot.References
See also
- Horseracing in Great Britain
- List of British National Hunt races
- Recurring sporting events established in 1963 – this race is included under its original title, Cheltenham Trial Hurdle.
Categories:- National Hunt races in Great Britain
- Cheltenham Racecourse
- National Hunt hurdle races
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
