National Hunt racing resumed at Doncaster after a 35 year interval in December 1946, in a post-war spirit of optimism. The highlight of its jumps programme was the Great Yorkshire Chase, scheduled for February, but owing to the harshness of that winter its first running did not take place until 1948.
The Great Yorkshire’s timing made it an ideal stepping-stone to the Grand National in the second half of March. Prize money of £2,100 put up by the management meant it was more valuable than the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Compared with nowadays, there were very few major prizes for chasers other than the Gold Cup and the Grand National. The concept of sponsorship was unheard of.
That first running was won by the top-class Cool Customer, who was burdened with 12 stone 7 pounds. That is still the weight-carrying record for the race. It was a performance that made him favourite for the Gold Cup, but there he fell at the first fence. A year later at Cheltenham he finished second to one of the three-time winner Cottage Rake.
Doncaster racegoers were treated to seeing several of the best steeplechasers in the country appear in the Great Yorkshire Chase. 1950’s winner Freebooter went on to triumph in the National a few weeks later. In 1953 Knock Hard beat the previous year’s National winner prior to landing the Gold Cup. The winner in 1957 was ESB, who a year before had won the National when the Queen Mother’s Devon Loch, seemingly certain of victory, inexplicably slithered to the ground 50 yards from the winning post.
In 1962 Nicolaus Silver won the Great Yorkshire, a year after becoming only the second grey to win the National. The most popular horse in the 1960s, Freddie, won it in 1966. He won 14 races and was second in two Grand Nationals, favourite each time. The Yorkshire-trained Bregawn won in 1982 on his way up through the ranks, a year before winning the Gold Cup.
In recent years the Great Yorkshire has been seen as a very competitive handicap in its own right. Sky Bet have been sponsoring the race since 2004. There may be many more valuable three mile chases now than 75 years ago, but top trainers such as Nicholls, Henderson, Twiston-Davies and King – who have all won the Great Yorkshire Chase – can be relied upon to supply high quality contenders for Doncaster’s premier jump race.
Join us THIS weekend for the 75th running of the Sky Bet Chase
