Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase

Currently scheduled as the fourth race on ‘Style Wednesday’ at the Cheltenham Festival – where it serves as an appetiser for the feature race of the day, the Queen Mother Champion Chase – the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase is run over three and three-quarter miles, and 32 idiosyncratic obstacles, on the Cross Country Course. The race was established in 2005, but has been sponsored by Glenfarclas since 2009 and become synonymous with the Speyside whisky distillery.

Originally a handicap, the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase became a conditions race in 2016 and, that year, produced a controversial result, with the original winner Any Currency, trained by Martin Keighley retrospectively disqualified after traces of a prohibited substance were detected in a urine sample. The race remained a conditions race until 2023 – the 2024 renewal was abandoned due to waterlogging – before reverting to a handicap in 2025.

The most successful horse in the history of the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase was the dual Grand National winner, Tiger Roll, trained by Gordon Elliott, who was victorious in 2018, 2019 and 2021. Indeed, he came within three-quarters of a length of a fourth win when just touched off by stable companion Delta Work on the final start of his career in 2022. The last British-trained winner of the race was subsequent Grand National runner-up Balthazar King, saddled by Philips Hobbs, in 2014. The fact that the race reverts to a handicap effectively renders recent trends moot, but it may be worth noting that neither Willie Mullins nor Paul Nicholls have ever saddled the winner from multiple runners.