Clarence House Chase Raceday 16th January 2027

Race 1 - Juvenile Hurdle (GBB Race) - 12:25

A Class 3 race for four-year-olds, the Juvenile Hurdle is run over one mile and seven and a half furlongs. It doesn't often boast the biggest field, although ten ran last time, but it is a chance for young hurdlers to get some experience on a decent course.

They have to jump eight hurdles during the course of the race, with the event tending to take about three minutes 40 seconds to complete when the Going is Good. It is a qualifying event for the Novices' Championship Hurdle Series.

Race 2 - Handicap Chase (GBB Race) - 13:00

The Handicap Chase that is run on Clarence House Chase Day is usually known by the company that sponsors it. In 2026, for example, it was the BetMGM Handicap Chase.

A Class 3 race, it is open to horses aged five and over that have a rating of between 0 and 140. The handicap nature of the event means that the official handicapper assigns the weight for each horse to carry based on its ability.

A steeplechase that is run over two miles, seven furlongs and 185 yards, there are 20 fences that need to be jumped and it takes around six minutes for the race to be completed when the Going is Good.  Not always the biggest field in this one nit 11 did start last time around, the biggest in many years.

Race 3 - Warfield Mares' Hurdle (GBB Race) - 13:40

The build-up to the Clarence House Chase really gets underway with the Warfield Mares' Hurdle, which is a Grade 2 event run over just under two miles. It feature 8 hurdles and is open to fillies and mares aged four and over.  Expect a moderate field of 4-8 runners (just four last time).

Prior to 2025 the race was nearly a mile longer at 2m 7f 118y with 11 hurdles, however, due to pattern changes announced by the BHA the Warfield switched distances with the Grade 2 Yorkshire Rose at Doncaster held next week.

First run in 2008, it was known as the Ollexco Mares' Only Hurdle on its debut, the Warfields Mares' Hurdle a year later and the 1942 Was A Vintage Year Mares' Hurdle between 2010 and 2012.

It has had numerous sponsors and they have often been added to the race's title. Magic of Light won the horse in successive years in 2019 and 2020, both for Robbie Power, but Noel Fehily and Dan Skelton are the most successful jockeys with three wins eacg.  Harry Fry, Jessica Harrington and Harry Skelton have all trained the winner twice each and always in back to back years.

Due to the Clarence House raceday often being abandoned this race was not run in 2017 and 2023.  In fact in 2017 it was moved to Huntingdon but then that meeting was also cancelled due to frost.  The 2024 running took place at Doncaster.

Race 4 - Handicap Chase (GBB Race) - 14:20

Known as the bet365 when the race took place in 2026, the Handicap Chase that is run on Clarence House Chase Day is a Class 2 event open to horses aged five and over.

Run over two miles, five furlongs and thirteen yards, the race sees the handicapper at work once again in order to assign weights to the participants.

There are 17 fences to be negotiated during the tow miles, five furlongs and eight yards of the event, which takes around five and a half minutes to complete if the Going is Soft.  There is usually a field of 5-10 for this one with a couple that generally don't make it to the end.  Last time nine ran with just four finishing, two falling and three pulling up.

Race 5 - Holloway's Handicap Hurdle (GBB Race) - 14:53

As with the Handicap Chase, the Handicap Hurdle run on Clarence House Chase Day is typically referred to by its sponsored name, such as the BetMGM Holloway's Handicap Hurdle. It is a Class 2 race that is open to horses aged four and over and takes the horses around five minutes to run the two miles, three furlongs and 58 yards on Soft Going.

The race was first run in 2008 and before 2016 it was a Grade 2 limited handicap.  It was then downgraded to a Grade 3 races and then to a class 2 handicap in 2022 when the Grade 3 category was abolished and replace with Premier Handicaps.  There was no race in 2017, 2023 and 2024 due to the meeting being abandoned due to frost.

There are ten hurdles in place to test and challenge the horses, so it is reasonably challenging for a hurdling event. The handicapper assigns weights to each horse.  There will be a decent field for this one of around a dozen runners and a few will always pull up.  Last time 10 ran with one pulling up.

David Pipe is the leading trainer in this race having won the first three editions from 2008-2010.  The first two of those races were won by Lough Derg, who is to date the only horse to win this race more than once.  Both times Tom Scudamore was on the back of Lough Derg and as a result he is the only jockey to win the race more than once.  Nicky Henderson is the only trainer to win this race more than once other than David Pipe.

Race 6 - Clarence House Chase (GBB Race) - 15:30

There is no question that the Clarence House Chase is the key race of the day, which is why the entire meeting is named after it. A Grade 1 National Hunt race, it is open to horses aged five and over and takes place over two miles and 172 yards.

There are 13 fences to be jumped in this steeplechase, so the horses will need to cope with the obstacles in front of them if they're hoping to get across the finish line first. When it was inaugurated, the race was sponsored by the bookmaker Victor Chandler. Though registered as the Clarence House Chase, it was often referred to by its sponsored name by most people until the company ended its associated with it in 2013.

The race was originally planned for its first running in 1987, but a heavy frost meant that that year the racing had to be abandoned. It would have been run a year later if not for fog, meaning that it actually took place for the first time in 1989. It was originally run as a handicap event over a distance of two miles, being extended by a furlong and ceasing to be a handicap in 2007.

In terms of what to look out for when watching the race, many of the leading contenders for the Queen Mother Champion Chase will get a run out here. At the time of writing, there have been seven horses that have won both races during the same season. They were:

• Viking Flagship (1994)
• Call Equiname (1999)
• Master Minded (2009)
• Sprinter Sacre (2013)
• Sire De Grugy (2014)
• Dodging Bullets (2015)
• Altior (2019)

Because the race is open to horses aged five and over with no real restrictions in place, it is possible for horses to win it more than once. The first to manage this was Master Minded, who managed it first in 2009 and then again two years later.  The last to do it was Jonbon, back-to-back in 2025 and 2026. It is Un de Sceaux that has enjoyed success in the event more than any other horse, though, winning it three years running in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Ruby Walsh was the jockey for two of those wins as well as one of those achieved by Master Minded and a win for Twist Magic, setting the marker for other jockeys in the racer with four wins. Nicky Henderson is the one to bear for trainers with eight wins.

The race has actually been run away from Ascot for several of its editions to date due to this meeting often being abandoned due to frost.  In 1994 it was held at Warwick in 1994 and Kempton in 1997 and 1999 when it was a handicap race, there was no race in 2003.  Since becoming a conditions race it was not run in 2007 and moved to Cheltenham in 2013, 2017, 2023 and 2024.

Race 7 - Novices' Hurdle (Qualifier) (GBB Race) - 16:05

The British EBF 'National Hunt' Novices' Hurdle is open to horses aged between four and seven. It is a Class 3 qualifier, with eleven hurdles to be jumped during the course of the race.  Generally there are 8-10 runners and last year eight took part.

Run over two miles, five furlongs and 146 yards, the hurdle race has had numerous sponsors over the years who get their name included in its official title during its running. When the Going is Soft, you can expect it take about five and a half minutes before the leaders make it across the finish line.