The bet365 Festival Media Guide Newbury Racecourse Thursday, November 26 – Saturday, November 28 The bet365 Festival – Order of Running Thursday, November 26 Time Race Distance Value 12.30pm bet365 Novices’ Hurdle 2m 69y £10,000 1.00pm Alan Mackintosh Amateur Riders’ Handicap Chase (0-130) 3m 1f 214y £10,000 1.35pm bet365.com Novices’ Handicap Hurdle (0-125) 2m 4f 118y £10,000 2.10pm bet365 Novices’ Chase (Grade Two) 2m 7f 86y £35,000 2.45pm bet365 Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase (0-135) 2m 6f 93y £12,000 3.15pm bet365 Intermediate Hurdle (Limited Hcp 0-155) (Listed) 2m 69y £45,000 3.50pm bet365.com Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race 2m 69y £2,600 Total £124,600 Friday, November 27 Time Race Distance Value 12.25pm Q Associates Juvenile Hurdle 2m 69y £10,000 12.55pm bet365 Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Chase (0-130) 2m 2f 64y £10,000 1.30pm Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle (Qualifier) (0-145) 3m 52y £15,000 2.05pm Fuller’s London Pride Novices’ Chase (Grade Two) 2m 3f 187y £35,000 2.40pm bet365 Open Handicap Chase 2m 3f 187y £50,000 3.15pm Inkerman London Novices’ Hurdle 2m 4f 118y £10,000 3.45pm bet365 ‘National Hunt’ Maiden Hurdle 2m 69y £10,000 Total £140,000 Saturday, November 28 Time Race Distance Value 12.15pm TBA Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Listed) 2m 69y £23,500 12.45pm bet365.com Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase 2m 92y £20,000 (for the Fulke Walwyn Trophy) (0-140) 1.15pm Sir Peter O’Sullevan Memorial Handicap Chase (0-140) 2m 6f 93y £40,000 1.50pm bet365 Handicap Hurdle (0-150) 2m 2f 183y £35,000 2.25pm bet365 Long Distance Hurdle (Grade Two) 3m 52y £45,000 3.00pm Hennessy Gold Cup (Grade Three Handicap) 3m 1f 214y £200,000 3.35pm bet365 Handicap Chase (for the Jim Joel Trophy) (0-150) 2m 92y £35,000 Total £398,500 Total prize money of £663,100 at the bet365 Festival Stobart Group, sponsor of the 2015/16 Jump Jockeys’ Championship, will also be backing an award for the leading jockey over the three days of the bet365 Festival. Hennessy Gold Cup Facts & Figures Background information First run at Cheltenham in 1957, the Hennessy Gold Cup was transferred to Newbury three years later and has established itself as one of the most prestigious races in Jump racing. The three and a quarter mile handicap chase boasts a rich history with greats such as Arkle, Mill House, One Man and more recently Denman all having taken the spoils during their illustrious careers. Hennessy has been associated with the race since its inception, making the Hennessy Gold Cup the longest running commercial sponsorship in British racing. The race’s value for this year’s 59th running has risen to £200,000, an increase of £25,000 over 2014. Prize money for the three-day bet365 meeting, featuring the Hennessy Gold Cup, has increased by a total of £85,000 (15 per cent) this year to £663,100. Multiple winners There have been three dual winners of the Hennessy Gold Cup – Mandarin (1957 & 1961), Arkle (1964 & 1965) and Denman (2007 & 2009). Arkle narrowly failed in his bid for a famous hat-trick when going down by a half-length to 25/1 shot Stalbridge Colonist, to whom he was conceding 35lb, in 1966. Denman attempted the hat-trick in 2010, coming home third under top-weight. It is likely that Bobs Worth, successful in 2012, will attempt a second victory this year. Most successful owner Peggy Hennessy (Mandarin 1957 & 1961), Anne Duchess of Westminster (Arkle 1964 & 1965), Trevor Hemmings (Trabolgan 2005 & Many Clouds 2014) and Paul Barber/Maggie Findlay (Denman 2007 & 2009) are the most successful owners with two wins apiece. Most successful trainer The late Fulke Walwyn made the Hennessy his own, with seven victories between 1957 and 1981. They came courtesy of Mandarin (1957 & 1961), Taxidermist (1958), Mill House (1963), Man of the West (1968), Charlie Potheen (1972) and Diamond Edge (1981). Among the current trainers, Nicky Henderson (2005 Trabolgan, 2012 Bobs Worth & 2013 Triolo D’Alene) and Paul Nicholls (2003 Strong Flow, 2007 & 2009 Denman) are the most successful with three wins apiece. Three female trainers have won the Hennessy Gold Cup – Jenny Pitman with Burrough Hill Lad in 1984, Venetia Williams with Teeton Mill in 1998 and Lavinia Taylor with Gingembre in 2002. Most successful jockey Willie Robinson has been the winning-most jockey, with three wins aboard Mandarin (1961), Mill House (1963) and Man of the West (1968). The three most successful current riders are Timmy Murphy, Barry Geraghty and Ruby Walsh with two victories each. John Lawrence (Lord Oaksey) has been the only amateur rider to win the Hennessy, having teamed up with Taxidermist to score by a short-head in 1958. He bred and part-owned Caruthers (half-brother to 2015 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Coneygree) who was victorious in 2011. Overseas-trained winners Ireland (3): Arkle (1964 & 1965), Bright Highway (1980) Ridden & trained a Hennessy winner Rode Trained Derek Ancil Knucklecracker (1960) Knucklecracker (1960) Andy Turnell April Seventh (1975) Cogent (1993) Paul Nicholls Broadheath (1986), Playschool (1987) Strong Flow (2003), Denman (2007 & 2009) Age The breakdown of winners by age is as follows: 6yo – 11 7yo – 24 8yo – 10 9yo – 10 10yo – 2 11yo – 1 Greys Five greys have won the Hennessy – Stalbridge Colonist (1966), One Man (1994), Suny Bay (1997), Teeton Mill (1998) and What’s Up Boys (2001). Field size The biggest field came in 1962 when 27 runners faced the starter, while the smallest saw Stalbridge Colonist beat five rivals in 1966. The current safety limit is 24. Betting The longest priced winner of the Hennessy was Sibton Abbey, a 40/1 outsider in 1992, while the shortest- priced was Arkle who justified odds of 1/6 in 1965. In the 58 runnings of the Hennessy, 16 favourites have obliged at a strike rate of 27.5 per cent. Weights A total of 30 winners have carried 11st or more to victory in the Hennessy Gold Cup, with the top-weight being defied eight times. Those to carry top-weight are as follows: Mill House (1963), Arkle (1964 & 1965), Diamond Edge (1981), Burrough Hill Lad (1984), Trabolgan (2005) and Denman (2007 & 2009). Ten winners have carried bottom weight of 10st, most recently Diamond Harry in 2010. Winning margins 15 lengths is the longest winning margin - Knucklecracker 1960, Arkle 1965, Spanish Steps 1969 & Teeton Mill 1998 A short-head is the narrowest winning margin witnessed, when Red Candle got the better of Red Rum in 1973. Did you know? The Willie Mullins-trained Be My Royal was first past the post in 2002 but was subsequently disqualified after testing positive for a banned substance. Bob Champion put up 4lb overweight when successful by five lengths on Approaching, who carried 10st 6lb in 1978, while Hywel Davies was 2lb over at 10st 2lb when Ghofar won by a neck in 1989. Four horses have captured the Hennessy Gold Cup and the Cheltenham Gold Cup in the same season - Arkle, Bregawn, Denman and Bobs Worth – while Many Clouds is the only horse to have won both the Hennessy Gold Cup and Grand National at Aintree. It is 50 years since the second Hennessy victory of Arkle, the greatest chaser ever seen. Hennessy Gold Cup – Roll Of Honour 1957-2014 Year Horse Age/Wgt Owner Trainer Jockey Dist SP Ran 2014 Many Clouds 7-11-06 Trevor Hemmings Oliver Sherwood Leighton Aspell 3¼L 8/1 19 2013 Triolo D’Alene 6-11-01 Sandy & Caroline Orr Nicky Henderson Barry Geraghty 2¾L 20/1 21 2012 Bobs Worth 7-11-06 The Not Afraid Partnership Nicky Henderson Barry Geraghty 3¼L 4/1f 19 2011 Carruthers 8-10-04 The Oaksey Partnership Mark Bradstock Mattie Batchelor 3¾L 10/1 18 2010 Diamond Harry 7-10-00 Paul Duffy Diamond Part’p Nick Williams Daryl Jacob 1¼L 6/1 18 2009 Denman 9-11-12 Paul Barber & Maggie Findlay Paul Nicholls Ruby Walsh 3½L 11/4f 19 2008 Madison du Berlais 7-11-04 Roger Stanley & Yvonne Reynolds David Pipe Tom Scudamore 3L 25/1 15 2007 Denman 7-11-12 Maggie Findlay & Paul Barber Paul Nicholls Sam Thomas 11L 5/1 18 2006 State Of Play 6-11-04 William & Angela Rucker Evan Williams Paul Moloney 4L 10/1 16 2005 Trabolgan 7-11-12 Trevor Hemmings Nicky Henderson Mick Fitzgerald 2½L 13/2 19 2004 Celestial Gold 6-10-05 David Johnson David Pipe Timmy Murphy 1½L 9/4f 14 2003 Strong Flow 6-11-00 Barry Marshall Paul Nicholls Ruby Walsh 1½L 5/1jf 21 **2002 Gingembre 8-10-13 Lavinia Taylor Lavinia Taylor Andrew Thornton ½L 16/1 25 2001 What’s Up Boys 7-10-12 RJB Partners Philip Hobbs Paul Flynn nk 14/1 14 2000 King’s Road 7-10-07 Mrs Nicholas Jones Nigel Twiston-Davies Jamie Goldstein 5L 7/1 17 1999 Ever Blessed 7-10-00 The Ever Blessed Partnership Mark Pitman Timmy Murphy 3½L 9/2f 13 1998 Teeton Mill 9-10-05 The Winning Line Venetia Williams Norman Williamson 15L 5/1 16 1997 Suny Bay 8-11-08 Uplands Bloodstock Ltd Charlie Brooks Graham Bradley 13L 9/4f 14 1996 Coome Hill 7-10-00 Walter Dennis Walter Dennis Jamie Osborne 4L 11/2 11 1995 Couldnt Be Better 8-10-08 R A B Whittle Charlie Brooks Dean Gallagher 14L 15/2 11 1994 One Man 6-10-00 John & Lisa Hales Gordon Richards Tony Dobbin 2L 4/1 16 1993 Cogent 9-10-01 Pell Mell Partners Andy Turnell Dan Fortt 2½L 10/1 9 1992 Sibton Abbey 7-10-00 Geoff Hubbard Ferdy Murphy Adrian Maguire ¾L 40/1 13 1991 Chatam 7-10-06 Adrian & Dr B Nolan Martin Pipe Peter Scudamore 4L 10/1 15 1990 Arctic Call 7-11-00 Brian Stewart-Brown Oliver Sherwood Jamie Osborne 2L 5/1 13 1989 Ghofar 6-10-02 Sir Hugh Dundas/Don Taffner David Elsworth Hywel Davies nk 5/1 8 1988 Strands of Gold 9-10-00 Independent Twine Manufacturing Co Ltd Martin Pipe Peter Scudamore 6L 10/1 12 1987 Playschool 9-10-08 Ronnie Cottle David Barons Paul Nicholls 5L 6/1 12 1986