Fontwell Course Guide

Located in West Sussex, Fontwell Park stages National Hunt racing all year round but the highlight of its calendar is the Grade2 National Spirit Handicap Hurdle in late February. The contest is named after National Spirit, a dual winner of the Champion Hurdle in the 1940s, who won five times at Fontwell Park during his illustrious career.

The race was initially run over two miles and two furlongs as a Champion Hurdle Trial, with dual Champion Hurdle hero Comedy of Errors amongst previous winners. It is now run over two miles and four furlongs as a handicap and the David Pipe-trained Lough Derg won the race in both 2008 and 2009. The National Spirit is seen as a World Hurdle Trial and in 2006 My Way De Solzen became the first winner of the National Spirit to go onto win the World Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Star stayer Baracouda also won both races, albeit in different campaigns.

Jumps Racing

Left handed, sharp; the chase course is a figure of eight circuit, whilst the hurdles track is oval. The stiff finish is testing on heavy ground, races often developing from far out. The fences are easy but, given the nature of the track, course specialists abound. On the chase course, the lead rarely changes hands on the run in but often looks as though it might. The paddock exit is situated halfway up the run-in on the hurdles course and can lead to horses idling/ducking out on seeing it. On soft/heavy going the hurdles course favours those who race wide.

Having a figure-of-eight configuration on the chase track, Fontwell can suit quirky horses. I don’t know if that’s because it disorientates them, or simply keeps them interested, but it does seem to help a few ‘thinkers’. It puts a premium on jumping, too, and, if you’re on a novice that’s slick over the fences, you can get away from the others thanks to wasting little time in the air. If you are behind, though, but still within shouting distance of a faster one, the stiff finish gives you a chance to get back up.

View from the saddle: Mick Fitzgerald

Fontwell Top Times
Last 5 years

Chase
Hurdle
National Hunt Flat

Distance	Horse (Going)	Date	Winning time
2m 1f 96y	Purple 'n Gold (Good to Firm)	15 Jun 2017	4m 19.6s
2m 3f 104y	Cervaro Mix (Good)	26 May 2019	4m 51.65s
2m 5f 135y	Sizing Tennessee (Good)	05 Oct 2018	5m 17.3s
3m 1f 106y	Southfield Vic (Good)	21 Apr 2017	6m 28.2s
3m 3f 149y	Wonderful Charm (Good)	17 May 2018	7m 14.72s

Distance	Horse (Going)	Date	Winning time
2m 1f 162y	Musical Stardust (Good to Firm)	29 Aug 2019	4m 11.9s
2m 3f 49y	Le Ligerien (Good)	29 Mar 2019	4m 15.3s
2m 5f 164y	Snazz Man (Good)	09 May 2018	5m 16.9s
3m 1f 166y	Beautiful People (Good to Firm)	29 Aug 2019	6m 20.8s

Distance	Horse (Going)	Date	Winning time
1m 5f 159y	Kalinihta (Good)	20 Apr 2018	3m 9.4s
2m 1f 145y	King Uther (Good to Soft)	28 Feb 2016	4m 4.6s

Fontwell Top Trainers
Last 3 years (ordered by number of winners)

Chase
Hurdle
National Hunt Flat

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
G L Moore	61	17	24	£83,586	27.87%	-£4.55
P F Nicholls	23	12	9	£60,727	52.17%	£2.58
C L Tizzard	40	9	18	£48,229	22.5%	-£4.90
P J Hobbs	14	8	5	£49,144	57.14%	£11.12
C Gordon	30	6	14	£33,141	20%	£0.13
N P Mulholland	38	5	21	£19,560	13.16%	£7.50
J W Mullins	33	4	10	£13,971	12.12%	-£18.25
Evan Williams	14	4	6	£13,256	28.57%	£14.00
Mrs Lawney Hill	12	4	6	£20,995	33.33%	£1.43
D Skelton	17	4	4	£15,206	23.53%	-£5.45

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
G L Moore	144	29	64	£116,154	20.14%	£11.12
N P Mulholland	82	12	31	£51,010	14.63%	£14.67
O Sherwood	37	11	14	£41,523	29.73%	£37.16
C Gordon	86	10	35	£43,817	11.63%	-£25.13
A J Honeyball	23	10	7	£41,664	43.48%	£3.80
Jamie Snowden	29	9	9	£46,771	31.03%	£1.91
P F Nicholls	23	8	11	£72,333	34.78%	£7.78
Olly Murphy	25	7	11	£32,109	28%	-£2.83
C L Tizzard	41	6	14	£66,388	14.63%	-£18.92
P J Hobbs	30	6	11	£25,278	20%	-£13.28

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
A J Honeyball	10	6	4	£13,644	60%	£7.38
N P Mulholland	15	5	5	£11,890	33.33%	£9.57
C Gordon	12	3	5	£6,822	25%	£18.00
Olly Murphy	5	2	2	£4,548	40%	-£1.83
O Sherwood	12	1	7	£2,794	8.33%	-£4.50
G L Moore	18	1	6	£2,274	5.56%	-£15.38
Jamie Snowden	9	1	6	£2,274	11.11%	-£7.50
P F Nicholls	4	1	3	£2,339	25%	-£0.75
Miss E C Lavelle	5	1	2	£2,274	20%	-£0.50
C E Longsdon	4	1	2	£2,274	25%	£6.00

Fontwell Top Jockeys
Last 3 years (ordered by number of winners)

Chase
Hurdle
National Hunt Flat

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
H Cobden	29	10	14	£44,655	34.48%	£3.33
J E Moore	38	10	13	£54,767	26.32%	£2.17
R Johnson	21	9	8	£51,276	42.86%	£15.82
Joshua Moore	27	8	14	£42,641	29.63%	£3.67
L P Aspell	15	7	4	£42,677	46.67%	£18.76
Nick Scholfield	29	6	15	£24,434	20.69%	£6.25
Page Fuller	23	6	6	£20,274	26.09%	£11.87
Tom Cannon	29	5	15	£28,852	17.24%	£0.88
Bryony Frost	27	5	13	£23,070	18.52%	-£1.50
Aidan Coleman	17	4	10	£23,159	23.53%	-£1.15

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
Tom Cannon	94	14	36	£64,484	14.89%	-£6.91
Joshua Moore	78	13	37	£51,790	16.67%	£11.06
J E Moore	74	13	23	£54,585	17.57%	£13.95
R Johnson	53	11	20	£46,007	20.75%	£5.63
G Sheehan	39	10	7	£49,890	25.64%	-£2.09
L P Aspell	43	8	19	£29,891	18.6%	-£4.75
Rex Dingle	33	8	12	£30,185	24.24%	£4.91
H Cobden	33	6	14	£66,583	18.18%	-£17.64
Aidan Coleman	27	5	13	£18,195	18.52%	-£13.61
Brendan Powell	39	5	9	£17,870	12.82%	£48.63

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
Aidan Coleman	10	6	4	£13,644	60%	£8.13
R Johnson	10	4	4	£9,096	40%	£28.63
L P Aspell	9	2	5	£4,548	22.22%	£12.50
Tom Cannon	12	2	4	£4,548	16.67%	£2.00
J J Burke	8	2	4	£5,068	25%	£9.50
J E Moore	13	2	2	£4,548	15.38%	£2.63
T Scudamore	4	2	1	£5,068	50%	£15.50
N D Fehily	3	2	0	£4,548	66.67%	£1.20
Nico de Boinville	7	1	3	£2,274	14.29%	-£4.50
Rex Dingle	5	1	3	£2,274	20%	-£1.25