THE CLASSIC CHASE 14 JANUARY 2023
WARWICK – 50 YEARS OF THE CLASSIC CHASE
Only the toughest and hardiest of horses and riders can hope to reach the end of this marathon midwinter race
N othing is considered a classic overnight, and that is the case with Warwick’s most celebrated race, which reaches its 50-year anniversary this year. The Wigley Group Classic Chase has gone through many changes, but since 1973, a race broadly fitting the current conditions, a demanding three miles and five furlongs over 22 fences, has been scheduled at the same time of year at the popular Midlands track. It has always attracted a type of horse, that can be summed up in one word: tough. The main objective of Wigley Group Classic Chase contenders is to use the marathon test as a stepping stone on the path to the Randox Grand National at Aintree, which follows a few months later in April. Indeed, the Wigley Group Classic Chase, which assumed its grand sounding
the horse and rider simply must be as tough as nails. There is no room for the faint-hearted. It therefore goes without saying that the silver trophy is engraved with names of true warriors of the sport: Colonel Christy, Fiddler’s Pike, Willsford, Moorcroft Boy, Choisty, D’Argent, Hey Big Spender and Milansbar are just some of those listed on the winner’s roster that conjure up images of legendary strength, stamina and courage, and dare I say it, mud and rain! Thankfully, the public bars at Warwick are snug, cosy and well-stocked , so as a humble racegoer, we don’t have to be quite as robust and hardy as those committed to the big race itself. For many, the Classic Chase is what the wonderful world of Jump racing is all about. It typifies the incredible strength of the thoroughbred. It’s a marathon race worthy of its Classic name.
‘classic’ handle in 2004, was for many years known officially as the Warwickshire Grand National. The likeness between the two races is easy to see. Big fields. Open betting. Familiar names. Gruelling contest. Heroic winners. Despite the likeness and the fact that many horses have attempted Aintree after the Wigley Group Classic Chase, not many have succeeded. Indeed, only one Wigley Group Classic Chase winner has doubled-up by entering the famous winner’s enclosure at Liverpool and that was the Lucinda Russell-trained One For Arthur in 2017. However, over the years the race has earnt a reputation for attracting some of the toughest and hardiest horses in the sport. And they have needed to be. The weather and the going are both normally ‘heart of winter’ material. To win a Wigley Group Classic Chase,
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