What happened to the 4m chase @ Cheltenham??

How far are you going back ?

Picked a year or two at random in  the 2000s - and none run.

Looked back over 30 years at 1985/86/87 - NO 4 mile race.

They had National Hunt racing at Windsor, on New Year's Day then - and ran a 3m 4f Handicap Chase.

Remember Knock Hill winning it in the 80s.

Knock Hill won it 2 Jan 1986 and 31 Dec 1986.

Knock Hill won it 2 Jan 1986 and 31 Dec 1986.

The four mile handicap chase was last run, as the Miles Gosling Chase, on Jan 1st 2004. It was a class 2 race, but no longer attracting horses at that level because of the competition from the Welsh National, which by then had settled on Dec 27th - no idea if that was why they reduced the distance from 2005, but it seems the likeliest answer.

There was also a 3m 5f chase at the Sandown meeting in early January, the Mildmay/Cazalet Handicap, but that's gone now as well. And a week after that we once had the Brooke Bond Oxo National over 4m 1f at Warwick, a race now renamed and reduced to 3m 5f.

The Brooke bond oxo national there’s a name from the past

The 4 mile chase at  Cheltenhan used to be called the 'Fred Withington' and the Milmay Cazalet which was run at Sandwns New Year meeting is now run as the ' London 'National at the Tingle Creek meeting

I backed Knock Hill(30 year after-timed winner)

How time flies!!!!

It was a really significant race at one time. The 1990 and 1991 winners, Bigsun and Seagram, both went on to win the 3M handicap chase at the Festival ten weeks later, and of course Seagram topped that by winning the National as well.

I can't remember what won last week but I remember backing Bear On Board in that 4 miler

1 of the most amazing races i have ever seen was this race when memberson(think that was the horses name) came from a different county to catch knock hill on the run in.

i bet knock hill so a aftertimed loser.

You can relive that nightmare here - it really is a remarkable finish:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGZ4Idikv1Q

On a similar theme ...

What happened to the SECOND DAY of the Cheltenham New Year meeting?

The answers above all being along the lines of ...

Knock Hill won it 2 Jan 1986 and 31 Dec 1986.

Used to look forward to the Fred Whithington on new years day,Mr Frosty was a standing dish in this race for several years.

the anorak

just watched the whole race thanks, forgot west tip was in the race.

the big eye opener was the tote return 14-1sp payed something like 26-1, those were the days.

I remember the late Sir Peter O'Sullevan telling viewers that Victor Chandler had taken a 50k bet on the favourite in the New Year 4 miler, can't remember the horse or the year but was probably early to mid eighties

Knock Hill won it for a 3rd time in 1989. He was 13yo, and beat Memberson (11yo) by 2 lengths, thus revenging himself for defeat by that horse the year before. They were both set to carry 11-5, though Memberson was ridden by 7 lb amateur Guy Upton. Knock Hill's record in the race was 1121.

Just checked 1986,87,88,89

In those days - Cheltenham raced on New Year's EVE and New Year's Day.

In 1986 the 4-miler was run on New Year's EVE - entitled - The Old Year Chase.

In the next 3 years it was run on New Year's Day - although in 89 on Jan 2nd, as New Year's Day was a Sunday.

The race was entitled the ASW Chase

I think it was last called the Fred Withington in 1974. Cheltenham then moved the name to a 3m1f chase run at the December meeting on 'Bula' day. In 1965, Ken Oliver's Pappageno's Cottage won it for the 2nd year running, carrying top weight of 11-10. He gave a stone and a half to the fav What A Myth. Terry Biddlecombe rode the winner, and his brother rode the 3rd, the other joint top weight, Happy Arthur.

....10 of the 19 runners that year, including the first 4 home, were amongst the 112 entries for the Grand National.

pretty sure cheltenham don't run any other 4m races other than the NH chase at the festival and a race at the hunter chase meeting, which is a pity

although I think the point about the clash with the welsh national is valid

could work at the pillar meeting though

Given Cheltenham's extensive investment in the Cross-Country Course - and increase of races run on it  - I cannot see them putting on a regulation 4-miler, aswell, from now onwards.

there isn't a x-country at either the new year or pillar fixture

There are generally less long-distance races, though - Chases and Hurdles - as there are not as many horses looking for such races.

The days of the old Store horse - that did not run until it was 5 or 6, and then stated off in a 3-miler - have been replaced with the sharp French-bred types - along with interval training, rather than long steady gallops, which developes these earlier shorter distance requirement horses.

Same on the Flat - Stayers are now a Ballydoyle afterthought for failed 1m 2f/mile and a half horses.

Australia and America call a 1m4f race a, "Marathon."

They have moved it to Kelso tomorrow.

the dipper now the big race on nyd wasnt that moved from n,castle or donny to chelt

extraordinary finish Anorak. The kore so since the 2nd and 3rd were bang on stayers!

more so