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Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase Challenge Cup
Race Conditions
The Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase (5:15pm) is a Class A Grade 3 handicap chase run over two miles and about half a furlong. It is open to horses aged five years old and upwards. The total prize fund is £80,000.
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Recent Winners
Fancied horses have a good record in the Grand Annual Chase, with nine of the last thirteen renewals being won by horses who started at 8/1 or shorter. The record of novices in the race is also notable.
Despite not being the most glamorous event run at the Festival, the race has thrown up some classy winners, who have gone on to achieve bigger and better things. Edredon Bleu and Pearlyman, for example, followed their triumphs in this race with successes later on in their careers in the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
The name of the race was extended in 2006 to commemorate the life of Johnny Henderson, so how appropriate it was for his son Nicky to train the winner of the 2006 race.
The Grand Annual Chase takes on greater significance as the new final race of the Festival - or "getting out stakes" - replacing the County Hurdle that has been switched to earlier in the day.
| Year | Horse | Age | Trainer | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Oh Crick | 6 | A King | 7/1 |
| 2008 | Tiger Cry | 10 | A L T Moore | 15/2 |
| 2007 | Andreas | 7 | P F Nicholls | 12/1 |
| 2006 | Greenhope | 8 | N Henderson | 20/1 |
| 2005 | Fota Island | 9 | M Morris | 7/1 |
| 2004 | St Pirran | 9 | P Nicholls | 4/1F |
| 2003 | Palarshan | 5 | H Daly | 8/1 |
| 2002 | Fadoudal Du Cochet | 9 | A Moore | 6/1 |
| 2000 | Samakaan | 7 | Miss V Williams | 9/2F |
| 1999 | Space Trucker | 8 | Mrs J Harrington | 7/2F |
| 1998 | Edredon Bleu | 6 | Miss H Knight | 7/2F |
| 1997 | Uncle Ernie | 12 | J Fitzgerald | 20/1 |
| 1996 | Kibreet | 9 | P Hobbs | 7/1 |
| 1995 | Sound Reveille | 7 | C Brooks | 7/1 |
| 1994 | Snitton Lane | 8 | W Clay | 33/1 |
Key Trends
8 of the last 9 winners were officially rated between 129-134.
11 of the last 13 winners had won over 2m2f+.
5 of the last 8 winners were previous course winners.
38 of the last 44 win-and-placed runners were aged under 10.
30 of the last 35 renewals were won by horses that started at no bigger then 10/1.
2010 Grand Annual Preview
A race that Nicky Henderson loves to win for obvious reasons, and he has a powerful hand again this season.
Pick of his entries could well be French Opera - who was third to Oh Crick last season and has been unbeaten in three starts this, including two here – but novice You’re On Top shouldn’t be underestimated as he may be better handicapped.
French Opera narrowly beat Free World last time out and whilst Free World has been suited by a change of tactics in recent starts he doesn’t often seem to get his head in front when it matters.
Stablemate Tataniano was ante post favourite for the Arkle for a while, but will line up here instead as Paul Nicholls obviously feels he has an attractive handicap mark. He was disappointing when beaten at short odds last time, but will be suited by a return to the minimum trip.
Tartak ran well in last season’s Arkle and although his form figures this season aren’t particularly inspiring, he has been keeping very good company and running in some of the hottest races around. There is a doubt about his speed to cope with the best at this minimum trip, but he’ll be staying on at the death when others have cried enough.
Cornas also ran well in the Arkle and although he made no show in the Victor Chandler last time out, this is more his level.
Shoreacres ran in the Supreme last year, but has since been sent novice chasing. He is very inexperienced for a race of this nature, but has loads of natural talent and should bounce off the decent ground.
Venetia Williams seldom seems to go away from the Festival without at least one winner these days and Green Belt Elite appears to be one of her main hopes this time around. He stays a bit further than two miles, which is no bad thing.
Of the rest of the home contingent, Salut Flo was hugely impressive when winning on his British debut at Doncaster last time out, but is so well handicapped he may not get a run, whilst Fighting Chance has been in great form recently, but could still be a few pounds well in.
Fosters Cross is the most interesting Irish entry as he loves decent ground and was still travelling very well behind Tataniano when falling four out when the pair met here in November.
CONCLUSION: A lot of potentially unexposed novices amongst the entries and, as Oh Crick proved last season, novices often fare well in this race. In the expectation that Salut Flo will miss the cut, FOSTERS CROSS is the selection, with Shoreacres next best.
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2009 Grand Annual Review
A frustrating Festival for Alan King, finally bore some fruit as OH CRICK claimed the Festival finale.
The race turned into a fascinating duel from the second last as the winner and Moon Over Miami went at it hammer and tongs all the way up the straight.
Oh Crick looked the likely winner going to the last, but a slight mistake there enabled the runner up to have another go at him and it was only in the final strides that he eventually got on top.
The winner is only six and so could turn into a very smart two miler next season. He also has a likeable attitude.
This was also the runner up’s best performance for some time. He has always been talented, but he has appeared quirky too and is not one to trust. However, the return to two miles on decent ground seemed to bring out the best in him.
The front two pulled nicely clear of French Opera in third. Considering this was only his third start over fences, he put up a decent performance and should improve with more experience. He is likely to be aimed at this race again next year, given that it is named in honour of Nicky Henderson’s father.
Tramantano was fourth, while the form of last year’s renewal held up well with the winner of that contest Tiger Cry in fifth, and the third, Calatagan sixth this time around.
The well backed Poquelin could only finish eighth. However, he ran better than his finishing position suggests as he stayed on well up the hill after making a number of serious errors throughout the contest. He has a big handicap in him if he can brush up his jumping and something like the Paddy Power Gold Cup is likely to be on his agenda.
Stablemate Pasco, was ninth and probably prefers a flatter track.
Beggars Cap was still travelling well when coming to grief three out. He is a decent horse when he gets his preferred conditions.
2008 Grand Annual Chase Review
Another competitive renewal of this two mile handicap, with a number of the runners having previous with both this race and with each other.
Indeed, the eventual winner, TIGER CRY, was runner up to Greenhope in the 2006 renewal, whilst today’s fourth, Andreas, had amongst his victims when he won in 2007 both Calatagan (third here) and Hasty Prince (sixth).
For Tiger Cry, this was his first win for two and a half years, but he was nicely backed on the strength of a promising run in the valuable Pierse Hurdle on his last start and a decent effort over fences at Ascot the time before that.
He travelled well throughout, relishing better ground than he tends to encounter in Ireland, and always looked the likely winner after taking up the running two out.
My Petra stayed on strongly for second and is probably the one to take out of the race, being younger and less exposed than many of those who finished around her. A step up in trip could be on the cards.
Calatagan also finished well having been settled well off the pace early on. This was a huge improvement on his effort in the race last year, but his recent consistency is doing him no favours in the eyes of the handicapper.
Andreas was on a mark 11lbs higher than when winning last year and so this was arguably an even better effort. As usual, he travelled supremely well throughout the race, but was outstayed in the end as his big weight took its toll. On genuinely decent ground, it would surely be worth having a crack at the Champion Chase with him next year as he is still only eight and he saves his best for this time of year.
Almaydan led the field running down hill and did well to hold on for fifth after being headed two out, whilst the ground probably wasn’t lively enough for last year’s runner up, Hasty Prince.
Enlightenment also likes to hear his hoofs rattle and probably needs a shaper, flatter tack to be at his best. However, he ran a better race here than his eventual finishing position suggests.
2007 Grand Annual Chase Review
ANDREAS may have fluffed his lines in this race last year – he fell early on when a heavily backed favourite – but he made amends in the best way possible by coming back a year later to claim the prize.
This looked another fiercely competitive renewal of one of the best two mile handicaps in the jump racing calendar, but the field was well strung out in the end, even though a dozen horses were still in contention on the downhill run to the third last.
Ironically, Andreas hasn’t been in as good form this year as he was last, but today was his big day and rather than empty out when coming off the bridle has he has done often in the past, he actually outstayed the runner up Hasty Prince on the run in after clouting the second last. He deserved this big race victory.
Hasty Prince was a top class hurdler at his best and this was his finest hour so far over fences. He seems to relish these competitive handicaps and the fast pace they invariably produce.
Ground Ball, in the same ownership as Hasty Prince, has been a great servant to connections and is now a standing dish here having run at each of the last four Festivals. He probably needs a bit further now, as he couldn’t match the pace of the front two.
Ursis was fourth. He has had a marvellous season and has really thrived since switching to Steve Gollings’ yard. By contrast, the hot favourite, Saintsaire, was a big disappointment. He never jumped well enough to keep tabs on the leaders.
Last year’s winner, Greenhope, was again in front for a long way but in the end he wasn’t able to cope with the rise in weights that his success in 2006 inevitably led to.
2006 Grand Annual Chase Review
It may not be the highest profile race at the Festival, but it always attracts a high class field and this year it also provided possibly the most emotional result of the week as GREENHOPE, trained by Nicky Henderson, won the race named in honour of his late father, Johnny.
Given the trainer’s understandable desire to win the race, he saddled four of the 23 runners, all of whom seemed to have some sort of chance. However, it was 20-1 shot Greenhope who came out on top having led for most of the way and finding plenty under pressure when challenged.
He’d been laid out for the race and a recent spin over hurdles had obviously put him spot on for his big target. A former high class handicap hurdler, this was clearly a career best effort over fences.
The ultra consistent Tiger Cry finished second. The Irish raider has run well here in the past and clearly relishes the fast pace of these ultra competitive handicap chases.
Madison Du Berlais was third, finally providing his beleaguered stable with something to cheer about at the end of a terrible week. Considering how poorly most of Martin Pipe’s horses have run at the Festival, this was a fine effort and there is every reason to think there could be more to come from this promising five year old.
Similar comments apply to Davenport Democrat in fifth, as the Willie Mullins horses have also been badly out of form.
Two of the best backed horses in the race failed to make any impression. Andreas sadly fell at the fourth, whilst Green Tango could never get into contention in a contest where it paid to race up with the pace. Although he stayed on well at the death, his jumping had never been good enough to allow him to get any closer to the leaders.
Bleu Superbe and Sharp Rigging were both still in with a chance when falling.