There will already have been a number of jump race meetings taking place at Ascot Racecourse by the time the Ascot Chase Race Day comes around, yet still there will be people surprised at the presence of National Hunt events taking place on a course that is better-known as a flat racing circuit. As with pretty much all of the racecourses around the United Kingdom, though, Ascot has just as much of a need to try to bring in some money as any other venue, with jump racing allowing for exactly that. It certainly helps when the main race of the day is as exciting as the Ascot Chase, which a Grade 1 event that has seen some decent winners over the years.
It is entirely fair to say that the Ascot Chase is the most important and prestigious race of the meeting, but that doesn’t mean that the rest aren’t even worth mentioning. One of the races that is including on the race card, for example, is the Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase, which is a Grade 2 race on a competitive card. Perhaps more importantly, the meeting presents owners, trainers and jockeys to get themselves and their charges finely tuned ahead of the Cheltenham Festival, which typically takes place the following month. If you’re looking to get yourself finely tuned too, then this is a decent place to get started.
Ascot Chase Day Race Card
The precise details of each and every race that is run during the Ascot Chase Race Day meeting are likely to change from time to time as the British Horseracing Authority tries to mix things up, but it is worth having a look at the kinds of races that tend to surround the main event of the Ascot Chase:
Race 1 - Novices' Hurdle (GBB Race) - 13:15
- Grade: Class 2 Hurdle
- Distance: 2m 3f 63y (3880m)
- Fences: 10
Open to novice hurdlers, this event is often run under a sponsor-related title. In 2026, for example, it was the Betfair Novices' Hurdle, for example. A Class 2 offering, it is for horses aged five and over and is run over two miles, three furlongs and 63 yards.
The horses will have to cope with ten hurdles if they hope to win it, so it obviously presents them with a decent challenge. It doesn't always have the biggest field though with only six running last year.
If the Going is Good then you can expect the leaders to be making it to the finish line after about four and a half minutes or so.
2026 Winner
- Horse - Mondoui'boy (8/11)
- Jockey - Ben Jones
- Trainer - Ben Pauling (GB)
- Overall Prize Money - £24,593
- For The Winner - £13,008
Race 2 - Reynoldstown Novices' Chase (GBB Race) - 13:50
- Grade: Grade 2
- Distance: 2m 7f 185y (4796m)
- Fences: 20
A Grade 2 event that is run over two miles, seven furlongs and 185 yards, the Reynoldstown Novices' Chase is, as the name suggests, aimed at novice chasers. There are 20 fences that need to be jumped during the course of the event, which is named in honour of the dual winner of the Grand National in the 1930s, Reynoldstown.
It is typically seen as something of a trial event for the RSA Novices' Chase, which takes place the following month during the Cheltenham Festival. O'Faolains Boy won both races in 2014, demonstrating that it can be done. Nicky Henderson is the leading trainer in this with four wins and Barry Geraghty is the top jockey to date with 3 wins. More recently the race has been dominated by Joe Tizzard (2023 & 2025) and Ben Pauling (2024 & 2026) trained runners.
Open to horses aged five and over the field is usually not that big in the five runners region, in fact last year only three ran. The 2005 and 2006 editions took place at Lingfield as Ascot was closed for redevelopment. The race should last 6 minutes or thereabouts.
2026 Winner
- Horse - The Jukebox Kid (4/9)
- Jockey - Ben Jones
- Trainer - Ben Pauling (GB)
- Overall Prize Money - £73,778
- For The Winner - £42,713
Race 3 - Handicap Hurdle (GBB Race) - 14:25
- Grade: Class 2 Hurdle
- Distance: 2m 3f 63y (3880m)
- Fences: 10
Open to horses aged four and over, this handicap hurdle event is a Class 2 race that takes place over two miles, three furlongs and 63 yards. As with the Handicap Chase, it sees the handicapper give weights to horses according to their ability.
If the Going is Good then it will take just over four and a half minutes for the leaders to get home, having successfully negotiated the ten hurdles that are in place around the course. It will be a decent field for this one with usually a dozen or more running and often attracts winners with decent odds.
2026 Winner
- Horse - Fiercely Proud (8/1)
- Jockey - Kielan Woods
- Trainer - Ben Pauling (GB)
- Overall Prize Money - £49,185
- For The Winner - £26,015
Race 4 - Swinley Handicap Chase (GBB Race) - 15:00
- Grade: Premier H'cap
- Distance: 2m 7f 185y (4796m)
- Fences: 20
This Class 1 Premier Handicap race is usually run under a sponsored name, such as in 2026 when it took place with the moniker of the Betfair Swinley Handicap Chase. That means that the handicapper assigns weights to the runners based on their ability, with the aim being to make it as fair as possible.
The race was previously Listed but was converted to a Premier Handicap in 2023 as a result of handicaps no longer carrying Listed status. In its current form it has been run since 2011 but the race is a continuation of the Crispin Handicap (Whitbread Trial Handicap Chase before that) that took place between 1966 and 1994.
There are 20 fences to be jumped during the course of the two miles, seven furlongs and 185 yards of the race, which is open to horses aged five and over. Should the Going be Good, it will take about six minutes for the field to complete the race.
It is usually a decent field too, as most Premier Handicaps are. In 2026 eleven ran and 10 finished the race with one pulling up. Only two jockeys have won this race twice, Andy Turnell back in 1973 and 1976 (he also won it as a trainer in 1984), and Charlie Deutsch (2019 and 2025) - so it is a wide open race.
Trainer wise there are a few with two wins but Fulke Walwyn and Bob Turnell can boast three wins in this race back in the 70s and 80s. More recently Venetia Williams has matched them with three wins in the race since it was restarted in 2011.
2026 Winner
- Horse - Montregard (10/3)
- Jockey - Jonathan Burke
- Trainer - Tom Lacey (GB)
- Overall Prize Money - £98,370
- For The Winner - £56,950
Race 5 - Ascot Chase (GBB Race) - 15:35
- Grade: Grade 1
- Distance: 2m 5f 13y (4236m)
- Fences: 17
A Grade 1 event, the Ascot Chase is unquestionably the feature race of the day, hence the fact that it is named after it. It was first run in 1995 when it was known as the Comet Chase, with the original distance being two miles and three and a half furlongs. When it was switched to Lingfield Park temporarily, the race was modified and when it returned to Ascot in 2007 it was run at that modified length.
Its present length was introduced in 2008 and has been run as such ever since. In fact, in 2008 it was won by its most famous winner, Kauto Star. The two time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner and five time King George winner will take some beating. Until 1998 it was run on a Wednesday, with the decision to switch it to its current position on a Saturday being made from 1999 onwards.
It had replaced the Whitbread Trial Handicap when it was first run on the Wednesday, which was a race that had been taking place since 1966. Interestingly, there are five horses that have won the race twice, but only two of them did it in successive years. Here is a look at those horses:
- Tiutchev (2001, 2003)
- Monet's Garden (2007, 2010)
- Riverside Theatre (2011, 2012)
- Cue Card (2013, 2017)
- Pic d'Orhy (2024, 2025)
Monet's Garden was ridden by Barry Geraghty for the 2010 running, who was also on the back of Riverside Theatre for both of its wins in order to set the standard of wins that other jockeys have had to try to meet, with three wins to his name. Harry Cobden was on the back of Pic d'Orhy in both 2024 and 2025 and he also rode Cyrname to victory in 2019 to match that record.
Martin Pipe was the trainer of Tiutchev, but only for his 2003 win, which he added to another three winners in order achieve four wins in the race. That was matched by Nicky Henderson when Shishkin won it in 2023 and then one bettered when Jonbon won for Nicky in 2026. Paul Nicholls' wins in 2024 and 2025 means he is the current record trainer in this race with 6 wins to his name.
Boasting 17 fences over the course of the two miles, five furlongs and 13 yards, it is a real test of a horse's jumping ability and stamina. Expect a field of 4-8 runners for this one.
2026 Winner
- Horse - Jonbon (4/9)
- Jockey - Nico de Boinville
- Trainer - Nicky Henderson (GB)
- Overall Prize Money - £172,148
- For The Winner - £100,132
Race 6 - Bracknell Handicap Hurdle - 16:10
- Grade: Class 3 Hurdle
- Distance: 2m 7f 123y (4739m)
- Fences: 11
This Qualifier race is a Class 2 event, with horses that wish to take part in it needing to be aged four and over and boasting a rating of between 0 and 125. It is run over two miles, seven furlongs and 123 yards, with 11 hurdles to be jumped before the end.
The handicapper will apply the weights to each horse based on its rating, with the hope being that it makes it a slightly fairer race. As a punter, of course, you can look to see if there are any horses that are being incorrectly judged, which does seem to happen quite often in this race with many high odds winners in the past. For the last three years in a row the winner had an SP of 14/1.
If the Going is Good then it will be completed in around 5 minute 45 seconds. This race always has a decent field with 18 running last year and all of them making it to the end.
2026 Winner
- Horse - Walden (14/1)
- Jockey - Stan Sheppard
- Trainer - Tom Lacey (GB)
- Overall Prize Money - £18,345
- For The Winner - £10,157
Race 7 - British Mares' Open National Hunt Flat Race (GBB Race) - 16:45
- Grade: Class 2 Flat Race
- Distance: 1m 7f 157y (3161m)
As the name suggests, this Class 2 event (upgraded from class 3 in 2025) is run on the flat but under National Hunt conditions. It presents horses aged between four and six with an opportunity to experience running in a race that isn't too testing for them but under the conditions that they'll experience when they start to jump over hurdles and fences.
It is, of course, only for fillies and mares, with the Bumper being run over one mile, seven furlongs and 157 yards. The race will only take between three and a half and four minutes for the race to be run, so it is worth sticking around for.
The race always attracts a good number of runners, 9 last year, and it is a good one for ending the meeting with and each-way wager.
2026 Winner
- Horse - Martini Majesty (17/2)
- Jockey - Tom Bellamy
- Trainer - Alan King (GB)
- Overall Prize Money - £16,231
- For The Winner - £8,986
About Ascot Chase Day
The Ascot Chase Race Day typically tends to be held in the February, meaning that the weather is likely to have started to brighten up a little bit after the misery of the winter months. Unless there is a particularly cold snap, you can expect people to approach it as spring meeting, meaning that the heavy coats are likely to have been swapped out for slightly lighter numbers and you might even see some sunglasses being worn. Most of the enclosures at the racecourse are open, so you can be prepared for a busy meeting that is centred around arguably the most important jump race that takes place at Ascot Racecourse.
With the Cheltenham Festival just around the corner, that is the event that will be on the minds of most people, from the punters through to the connections of the race horses. Ascot Racecourse itself is far more used to welcoming Royalty, so it is a lovely chance to experience one of the most prestigious racecourses anywhere in the world when the pressure is off ever so slightly. The entire atmosphere is very different to what you’re likely to enjoy during the week of Royal Ascot, but that doesn’t meant that it’s any less enjoyable for that; indeed, if you don’t considered yourself a Royalist you might actually prefer it.