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Dear Huntingdon Annual Badge Holder,

Well, the new year is certainly trophy season at Huntingdon.

Our first cup of 2023 is named after the market town, Chatteris in the Fenland district of Cambridgeshire. The emphatic Perseus Way for team Moore triumphed on the day to take the trophy away. Winning by 3 lengths this set the teams sights on Cheltenham. And getting the runner up spot in a 2-mile, Class 1 hurdle at Kempton, before the Chestnut gelding joined us at Cheltenham. He gave us a commendable run finishing 10 out of 21 runners.

Next up was the Lady Protectress Chase on the 27^th January. This race is named after Elizabeth Bourchier Cromwell. Oliver Cromwell and his wife began their married life in Huntingdon before relocating to St. Ives in 1631. Oliver was named Lord Protector in 1653, thus giving Elizabeth her name Lady Protectress. Jeremys Flame sailed through the finish line, bringing the Lady Protectress Trophy back to Ireland with Keith Donoghue & Gavin Cromwell. The 9-year-old also made it to Cheltenham for it’s final day of The Festival. This was her first time to run at the course but unfortunately, it was not her day and finished 6^th.

Our Sidney Banks Memorial Novices’ Hurdle ran on the 9^th February and was first run in 1976 and named after local racehorse trainer Sidney Banks, who passed away in 1973. His son, Michael Banks, was Huntingdon Racecourse Chairman for many years. Marble Sands brought it home for Kielan Woods & Fergal O’Brien. Winning by 2 & ¾ lengths giving the 7-year-old gelding an official rating of 129.

On the 5^th March, The John Bigg “OXO” was proudly lifted by Value Racing Club. This gold and marble-based trophy is the 1959 Aintree Grand National trophy originally won by eight-year-old Oxo. He was owned by Mr Jack Bigg, ridden by Michael Scudamore, and trained by Willie Stephenson. The trophy ended up at Huntingdon as Mr Bigg farmed just over the road in Bedford. The trophy is now in the hands of trainer Tom Lacey, thanks to Dibble Decker. This gives the 7-year-old bay gelding his 3rd win at our track and winning at 9/4 he is certainly becoming a fan favourite.

Of course, the 15^th March was our most recent race day. With 44 runners over 7 races, it was certainly the most anticipated sporting event of the day! Our tipster race was the 5:10pm, Telhimlisten won by 4 and ½ lengths. This is Jennie Candlish’s first winner at Huntingdon this season with Zuckerberg finishing 3^rd for her in November. The bay gelding along with Spotty Dog, Luckofthedraw, and Milldam made it a day for the favourites. And we hope all those highly televised jumps races in Gloucestershire didn’t disturb your day at Huntingdon too much…..!

Once the turn of the year comes around it seems that all anyone can talk about is the prestigious Cheltenham Festival. Field sizes at Cheltenham have bounced back towards pre-pandemic levels, being the highest they have been in three years. And crowd and viewing numbers were also impressive. ITV have reported that a monumental 1.7 million people viewed The Gold Cup. Before we discuss what happened in 2023, let us have a look at the early years of the festival.

Racing first began in Cleeve Hill, Cheltenham in the summer of 1818, with a 1-day flat race meeting. The first recorded winner was a five-year-old mare, Miss Tidmarsh. It was such a resounding success that a grandstand was built an a proper course laid, as well as it being increased to 3 days duration. Unfortunately, through success also brings unwelcome elements with bottles and rocks thrown at the horses and jockeys in 1829 with the facilities also being burnt to the ground.

This moved the racing to Prestbury Park. Unfortunately, due to the decreasing amount of interest in flat racing and economic depression it was sold in 1881 to Cheltenham’s founder Mr. W. A. Baring Bingham who converted the site into a stud farm and racing did not recommence until 1898. Its first National Hunt Festival was held 9-10 April 1902. This regularly changed venue but finally settled at the ark in 1911.

Mr. Fredrick Cathcart is the person who we can thank for making Cheltenham the headquarters of jump racing. Under his direction the meeting grew significantly and was so popular it extended from 2 to 3 days in 1923 and the following year saw the introduction of The Cheltenham Gold Cup. (Make sure you buy your tickets for 2024’s festival as we will celebrating 100 years of the gold cup).

Cheltenham is where true National Hunt champions prove themselves. Golden Miller became the sport’s first household name, winning The Gold Cup fives times between 1932 to 1936. The gelding also became the only horse ever to win the Aintree Grand National and the Cheltenham Gold Cup in the same season. He retired in 1939 with a 54% strike rate. Arkle had his chase debut in November 1963 before winning his first Gold Cup the following March. It has been 40 years since his three consecutive wins, but his achievements have stood the test of time and at 212, his Timeform rating is the highest ever awarded to a steeplechaser.

We know there has been a lot of conversation about the open ditch in front of the stands. Roderick, our Clerk of the Course, would like to give you an update on this. “After several instances over 2 or 3 seasons bringing difficulty maintaining the area of the take-off of the open ditch. It was agreed with the BHA course inspector that we would take action. It was decided to remove the ramp on the take-off, which we have completed. This has required us to remove the fence. We will put an open ditch back on the home straight as it is a requirement for the Rules of Racing and a positive feature of our course. It will be a portable fence so it may not be in the exact same place as it was before, but it will not be far from it.” The portable ditch has been ordered and we are working towards our 2023/24 season for it to be in situ.”

We had an amazing private tour to Tattersalls Newmarket, by our very own committee member Bobby Jackson. Bobby is part of the marketing team for Tattersalls.

Tattersalls was founded 1766 at Hyde Park Corner and moved to Newmarket after the World War I. Thankfully the history of their original site is alive and well in the historic home of horseracing. They brought with them the original stone archway, clock, and stone auctioneers’ podium. This podium is used as Tattersalls crest. Bobby brought us into the sales ring and answered our questions as he talked us through the Craven Breeze Up Sale catalogue. Breeze ups are sales where horses in training will sprint as fast as they can for 2 furlongs. Breeze up sales began 1989 and this year’s Craven sales will take place 17^th to 19^th April. You have a reciprocal day at Newmarket on Wednesday 19^th so could stay back and watch the breeze ups.

I would like to thank all of you who made it to the trip, it was a wonderful way to spend a sunny Friday morning and you all make the trips so enjoyable. I know many of you went to the National Horseracing Museum afterwards and I am so glad to see that you have created an inclusive Huntingdon Annual Badge Holder Community with one another.

With the closing stages of the tipster competition fast approaching, we look forward to seeing if Shaun Fricker can hold onto first place.

Badge Holder           Badge Number         Points

Shaun Fricker                   163               144

Ernie Bannister                 193               142

Robert Wright                   167               127

Catherine Gale                  65                114

Henry Saunders                104               103

We would also like to congratulate Arthur Searle, Badge number 86, on winning the race card signed by Ruby Walsh. Ruby is a Cheltenham legend having won at The Festival 59 times in his career.

The next newsletter will be after our End of Season and although we will be sad to not be spending every second week at Huntingdon, we have the end of our tipster competition to look forward to and MANY summer reciprocals available to keep us entertained!

Thank you for reading,

Sam and the Huntingdon Team.