The Mildmay Novices' Chase is a Grade One National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the Mildmay course at Aintree over a distance of about 3 miles and 1 furlong (3 miles and 210 yards, or 5,020 metres), and during its running there are nineteen fences to be jumped. The race is for novice chasers, and it is scheduled to take place each year during the Grand National meeting in early April.
The event was established in 1981, and its first two winners – Bregawn and Burrough Hill Lad – both went on to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup. The race used to be regularly sponsored by Mumm, but it has had several different sponsors since 2001. The latest of these, Betway, began supporting the event in 2017. It was upgraded to Grade One status from its 2014 running.
The Mildmay Novices' Chase usually features horses which ran previously in the RSA Insurance Novices' Chase, and the last to win both races was Might Bite in 2017.
Records
Leading jockey (4 wins): Richard Dunwoody – Against The Grain (1987), Sparkling Flame (1991), Banjo (1995), Cyborgo (1997)
Leading trainer (6 wins): Nicky Henderson - Sparkling Flame (1991), Irish Hussar (2003), Burton Port (2010), Might Bite (2017), Terrefort (2018), Chantry House (2021)
Winners Year Winner Age Jockey Trainer 1981 Bregawn 7 Robert Earnshaw Michael Dickinson 1982 Burrough Hill Lad 6 Phil Tuck Jenny Pitman 1983 Everett 8 Stuart Shilston Fulke Walwyn 1984 Baron Blakeney 7 Oliver Sherwood Martin Pipe 1985 Rhyme 'n' Reason 6 Graham Bradley David Murray Smith 1986 Stearsby 7 Graham Bradley Jenny Pitman 1987 Against the Grain 6 Richard Dunwoody David Nicholson 1988 Delius 10 Bruce Dowling Richard Lee 1989 Swardean 7 Bruce Dowling Richard Lee 1990 Royal Athlete 7 Mark Pitman Jenny Pitman 1991 Sparkling Flame 7 Richard Dunwoody Nicky Henderson 1992 Bradbury Star 7 Eamon Murphy Josh Gifford 1993 Cab On Target 7 Peter Niven Mary Reveley 1994 Monsieur Le Cure 8 Peter Niven John Edwards 1995 Banjo 5 Richard Dunwoody Martin Pipe 1996 Addington Boy 8 Brian Harding Gordon W. Richards 1997 Cyborgo 7 Richard Dunwoody Martin Pipe 1998 Boss Doyle 6 Tony McCoy Mouse Morris 1999 7 Richard Johnson David Nicholson 2000 High Game 6 Norman Williamson Simon Sherwood 2001 What's Up Boys 7 Richard Johnson Philip Hobbs 2002 Barton 9 Tony Dobbin Tim Easterby 2003 Irish Hussar 7 Mick Fitzgerald Nicky Henderson 2004 Simply Supreme 7 Richard McGrath Sue Smith 2005 Like-A-Butterfly 11 Tony McCoy Christy Roche 2006 Star de Mohaison 5 Barry Geraghty Paul Nicholls 2007 Aces Four 8 Graham Lee Ferdy Murphy 2008 Big Buck's 5 Ruby Walsh Paul Nicholls 2009 Killyglen 7 Denis O'Regan Howard Johnson 2010 Burton Port 6 Barry Geraghty Nicky Henderson 2011 Quito De La Roque 7 Davy Russell Colm Murphy 2012 Silviniaco Conti 6 Ruby Walsh Paul Nicholls 2013 Dynaste 7 Tom Scudamore David Pipe 2014 Holywell 7 Tony McCoy Jonjo O'Neill 2015 Saphir Du Rheu 6 Sam Twiston-Davies Paul Nicholls 2016 Native River 6 Richard Johnson Colin Tizzard 2017 Might Bite 8 Nico de Boinville Nicky Henderson 2018 Terrefort 5 Daryl Jacob Nicky Henderson 2019 Lostintranslation 7 Robbie Power Colin Tizzard no race 2020 2021 Chantry House 7 Nico de Boinville Nicky Henderson 2022 Ahoy Senor 7 Derek Fox Lucinda Russell 2023 Gerri Colombe 7 Davy Russell Gordon Elliott 2024 Inothewayurthinkin 6 Mark Walsh Gavin Cromwell 2025 Caldwell Potter 7 Harry Cobden Paul Nicholls 2026 Gold Dancer 7 Paul Townend Willie Mullins
See also Horse racing in Great Britain List of British National Hunt races
References
Racing Post: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
aintree.co.uk – Media Accreditation for the Crabbie's Grand National Festival 2015. pedigreequery.com – Mildmay Novices' Chase – Aintree.