Which is the smallest fence on the Grand National Course?

At a height of just 2’6″, the smallest fence on the Grand National Course is the Water Jump, which is the sixteenth and final fence on the first circuit of the Grand National. Along with the preceding fence, The Chair – which, at a height of 5’2″, is the largest fence on the Grand National Course – the Water Jump is jumped just once during the Grand National. On the second circuit, after jumping the final plain fence, runners are diverted onto the infamously long, 494-yard run-in, bypassing both The Chair and the Water Jump.

Nevertheless, the positioning of the Water Jump, directly in front of the grandstands, provides a thrilling spectacle for racegoers before the National runners head back ‘out into the country’ for the second circuit. The fact that the Water Jump immediately follows The Chair occasionally catches a horse unawares, but the main characteristic of the obstacle is an expanse of water, 8’10” wide and 6″ deep, immediately beyond the fence itself. The ‘spread’ of the Water Jump is 12’6″ so, while the fences presents few problems, jumping-wise, it is not uncommon for horses to drop their hind legs in the water.

The Water Jump became a permanent fixture on the Grand National Course in 1847. Back in the early, pioneering days of the Grand National, its position was variously occupied by a stone wall, an artificial brook and an artificial brush hurdle.

Did Steve Cauthen ever win the 2,000 Guineas?

Did Steve Cauthen ever win the 2,000 Guineas? The simple answer is yes, he did, at the first time of asking. Fresh from becoming the youngest jockey in history to win the US Triple Crown, on Affirmed, in 1978, Cauthen made his eagerly-awaited British debut at Salisbury on April 7, 1979. His first ride on British soil, Marquee Universal, trained by Barry Hills, was a winning one and, less than a month later, he had partnered Tap On Wood, again for Hills, to a half-length victory over hot favourite Kris in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket.

It would be a few years until ‘The Kid’, as Cauthen was affectionately known, won another British Classic, but when he did, like London buses, four came along together. In 1985, by which time he was stable jockey to the late Sir Henry Cecil, Cauthen famously completed the ‘Fillies’ Triple Crown’ – that is, the 1,000 Guineas, Oaks and St. Leger – on Oh So Sharp and won the Derby on Slip Anchor, for the same trainer. He would also win the Derby and the St. Leger again in 1987 on Reference Point, also trained by Cecil, and finished his career with a total of ten British Classic winners.

Was Shergar unbeaten?

Sadly, Shergar will always be best remembered for his abduction, at gunpoint, from the Ballymany Stud in Co. Kildare on the evening of February 8, 1983, rather than anything he achieved on the racecourse. A series of ransom demands were made, probably by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), but none were met and Shergar was never seen again.

Anyway, in happier times, Shergar was one of the truly great racehorses in the second half of the twentieth century. In 1981, as a three-year-old, he won the Sandown Classic Trial by 10 lengths, Chester Vase by 12 lengths, Derby by 10 lengths (still the widest winning margin in the history of the Epsom Classic), Irish Derby by 4 lengths and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes by 4 lengths. In so doing, Shergar achieved a Timeform rating of 140 which, at the time, had been bettered only by Sea-Bird, Brigadier Gerard, Tudor Minstrel, Abernant, Ribot and Mill Reef.

However, Shergar was beaten twice in his eight-race career. On his second start as a two-year-old, he was beaten 2½ lengths by subsquent Dante Stakes and Benson and Hedges Gold Cup winner, Beldale Flutter, in the Futurity Stakes at Doncaster. On his sixth and final start as a three-year-old, he was sent off at odds-on for the St. Leger, also at Doncaster, but ran inexplicably badly, trailing in fourth, beaten 11½ lengths, behind largely unconsidered 25/1 chance Cut Above.

Which British racecourse was the first to stage National Hunt racing?

In the summer of 2014, Jockey Club Racecourses, which owns Warwick Racecourse, announced that, from 2015 onwards, only National Hunt fixtures would be staged at the picturesque West Midlands venue. While not quite going full circle, Warwick was, in fact, the first British racecourse to include a hurdle race in its programme, as recorded in the Racing Calendar, in 1831.

Established in its current location in 1707, in recent years Warwick Racecourse has been better known for its National Hunt races, especially steeplechases, in any case. Seasonal highlights include the Grade 2 Kingmaker Novices’ Chase, run over 2 miles in February, and the Grade 3 Classic Chase, run over 3 miles 5 furlongs in January; the latter serves as a trial for the Grand National.

Ian Renton, Regional Director at the Jockey Club, said that Warwick could ‘now benefit from a clear identity’ but, following the fatal fall of Artful Lady in a six-furlong handicap in May, 2014, racecourse officials had already said that they had ‘lost confidence’ in portions of the Flat course. Veteran National Hunt trainer Nicky Henderson described Warwick as the home of ‘good, competitive jumps racing’ and welcomed the Jockey Club Racecourses’ decision as ‘a huge benefit’ to the sport.

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