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Affectionately known as ‘Headquarters’, Newmarket Racecourse, in Suffolk, is a world-famous sporting venue with a long, illustrious history dating back over three and a half centuries. Indeed, it was the ‘Merry Monarch, King Charles II who, in 1666, established the King’s Plate, which still exists as the Newmarket Town Plate, on the original Round Course. Nowadays, part of the Round Course is used just once a year for that historic race, but Newmarket is also home to two much better-known courses, the Rowley Mile and the July Course.

Notwithstanding the undulations in the first six furlongs of the straight Bunbury Mile, on the July Course, and the last two furlongs of the Rowley Mile, which run downhill and then up again to form the so-called ‘Dip’, both courses are essentially galloping in nature. In both cases, the uphill climb from the furlong marker to the winning post exposes any stamina frailties, particulary in those who commit for home too soon.

On the Rowley Mile, the principal meetings are the Craven Meeting in April, the Guineas Festival in May, the Cambridgeshire Meeting in September and the Future Champions Festival in October. Aside from the first two Classics of the season, the 1,000 Guineas and 2,000 Guineas, the Rowley Mile hosts the Cheveley Park Stakes, Middle Park Stakes, Sun Chariot Stakes Dewhurst Stakes and the Fillies’ Mile in the autumn, not to mention two major ‘Haritage’ handicaps in the form of the Cambridgeshire and Cesarewitch. On the July Course, the July Meeting features the July Cup, Falmouth Stakes and Bunbury Cup.

Like the Grand National itself, the Becher Chase is what the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) now terms a ‘Premier Handicap’ run over the iconic Grand National fences at Aintree. Indeed, like the sixth obstacle on the Grand National Course, Becher’s Brook, the race is named after pioneering steeplechase jockey Martin William Becher.

However, the Becher Chase is run in early December, as opposed to late March or early April, and over a distance of approximately three miles and two furlongs, as opposed to approximately four miles and two-and-a-half furlongs. In fact, the race starts after the ninth obstacle on the Grand National Course, Valentine’s Brook, so runners cover a circuit-and-a-half and must negotiate 21 fences, rather than two full circuits and 30 fences.

Proven course form is not a prerequisite to winning the Grand National but, like the other early-season race over the Grand National fences, the Grand Sefton Chase, the Becher Chase remains open to horses aged six years and upwards. The Becher Chase is often used by trainers to provide a ‘sighter’ over idiosyncratic fences ahead of the Grand National the following April, or in susbequent years.

Two horses have won the Becher Chase and the Grand National, but neither did so in the same season. Earth Summit, trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies, actually won the Gradn National first, in April 1998, before returning to Aintree to win the Becher Chase the following November. Amberleigh House, trained by the legendary Donald ‘Ginger’ McCain, won the Becher Chase in November 2001 and the Grand National, as a twelve-year-old, in April 2004.

Simply put, no, not quite, at least not according to Timeform.The international ratings organisation actually has The Lion In Winter is joint-second place, alongside the filly Lady Victoria, with a Timeform Annual Rating of 119p, and the pair rated 1lb inferior to Shadow Of Light. Neverthless, The Lion In Winter, owned by John Magnier and his Coolmore associates Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith and trained by Aidan O’Brien, remains top-priced 6/1 favourite for the 2,000 Guineas and the Derby, and 10/1 for the St. Leger.

The unbeaten son of 2009 Cartier Horse of the Year Sea The Stars displayed a potent turn of foot when winning his maiden, over seven furlongs, at the Curragh in July 2024. He then made a seamless transition to Pattern company when accounting for Wimbledon Hawkeye and the hitherto unbeaten Ruling Court in the Acomb Stakes, also over seven furlongs, at York the following month.

The Lion In Winter missed his next intended engagement, in the Goffs Million, the most valuable race in Europe for juveniles, at the Curragh in late September with a bruised foot. He was subsequently re-routed to the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket a month later, but was withdrawn on the morning of the race with an abscess.

Reflecting on the latter decision, O’Brien said, “You race them at two to teach them for next year and I suppose we saw plenty from him the last day. It would be tough ground too and that might not have been ideal to bottom him in that either.”

Nowadays, the Prestbury Juvenile Hurdle is a Grade 2 contest, having been promoted to that status in 2004, and is run, for sponsorship purposes, as the JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle. Unlike the Triumph Hurdle, which is run over two miles and a furlong, or thereabouts, on the New Course at Cheltenham, the Prestbury Juvenile Hurdle is run over two miles and half a furlong on the slightly sharper, faster Old Course.

Of course, the race is also scheduled for day two of the November Meeting at Cheltenham, several months before the Triumph Hurdle, which is scheduled for day four of the Cheltenham Festival in March. Consequently, it’s perfectly understandable that trainers will have left something to work on so far ahead of the juvenile hurdling championship.

J.C. Bamford Excavators Limited (JCB) has sponsored the Triumph Hurdle since 2002, but didn’t take over sponsorship of the Prestbury Juvenile Hurdle until 2010. In the last 14 seasons, just one horse, Defi Du Seuil, owned by John P. McManus and trained by Philip Hobbs, has won both races. Indeed, the French import went through the 2016/17 season unbeaten in seven starts, including not only the Triumph Hurdle, but also the Future Champions Finale Juvenile Hurdle at Chepstow and the Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle at Aintree.

By contrast, the last four winners of the Triumph Hurdle – Majborough (2024), Lossiemouth (2023), Vauban (2022) and Quilixios (2021) – all finished in the first three in the Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown in February, with the last two named winning that race.