
Forecast: Rain
Temp: 4.2° - 10.4°
Rainfall: 6.10mm
Wind: 21.5 mph S
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.
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.
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 |
Trainer | Runners | Wins | Prize Money | Strike-Rate | P/L |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
G L Moore | 61 | 17 | £83,586 | 27.87% | -£4.55 |
P F Nicholls | 23 | 12 | £60,727 | 52.17% | £2.58 |
C L Tizzard | 40 | 9 | £48,229 | 22.5% | -£4.90 |
P J Hobbs | 14 | 8 | £49,144 | 57.14% | £11.12 |
C Gordon | 30 | 6 | £33,141 | 20% | £0.13 |
N P Mulholland | 38 | 5 | £19,560 | 13.16% | £7.50 |
J W Mullins | 33 | 4 | £13,971 | 12.12% | -£18.25 |
Evan Williams | 14 | 4 | £13,256 | 28.57% | £14.00 |
Mrs Lawney Hill | 12 | 4 | £20,995 | 33.33% | £1.43 |
D Skelton | 17 | 4 | £15,206 | 23.53% | -£5.45 |
Trainer | Runners | Wins | Prize Money | Strike-Rate | P/L |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
G L Moore | 144 | 29 | £116,154 | 20.14% | £11.12 |
N P Mulholland | 82 | 12 | £51,010 | 14.63% | £14.67 |
O Sherwood | 37 | 11 | £41,523 | 29.73% | £37.16 |
C Gordon | 86 | 10 | £43,817 | 11.63% | -£25.13 |
A J Honeyball | 23 | 10 | £41,664 | 43.48% | £3.80 |
Jamie Snowden | 29 | 9 | £46,771 | 31.03% | £1.91 |
P F Nicholls | 23 | 8 | £72,333 | 34.78% | £7.78 |
Olly Murphy | 25 | 7 | £32,109 | 28% | -£2.83 |
C L Tizzard | 41 | 6 | £66,388 | 14.63% | -£18.92 |
P J Hobbs | 30 | 6 | £25,278 | 20% | -£13.28 |
Trainer | Runners | Wins | Prize Money | Strike-Rate | P/L |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
A J Honeyball | 10 | 6 | £13,644 | 60% | £7.38 |
N P Mulholland | 15 | 5 | £11,890 | 33.33% | £9.57 |
C Gordon | 12 | 3 | £6,822 | 25% | £18.00 |
Olly Murphy | 5 | 2 | £4,548 | 40% | -£1.83 |
O Sherwood | 12 | 1 | £2,794 | 8.33% | -£4.50 |
G L Moore | 18 | 1 | £2,274 | 5.56% | -£15.38 |
Jamie Snowden | 9 | 1 | £2,274 | 11.11% | -£7.50 |
P F Nicholls | 4 | 1 | £2,339 | 25% | -£0.75 |
Miss E C Lavelle | 5 | 1 | £2,274 | 20% | -£0.50 |
C E Longsdon | 4 | 1 | £2,274 | 25% | £6.00 |
Jockey | Runners | Wins | Prize Money | Strike-Rate | P/L |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
H Cobden | 29 | 10 | £44,655 | 34.48% | £3.33 |
J E Moore | 38 | 10 | £54,767 | 26.32% | £2.17 |
R Johnson | 21 | 9 | £51,276 | 42.86% | £15.82 |
Joshua Moore | 27 | 8 | £42,641 | 29.63% | £3.67 |
L P Aspell | 15 | 7 | £42,677 | 46.67% | £18.76 |
Nick Scholfield | 29 | 6 | £24,434 | 20.69% | £6.25 |
Page Fuller | 23 | 6 | £20,274 | 26.09% | £11.87 |
Tom Cannon | 29 | 5 | £28,852 | 17.24% | £0.88 |
Bryony Frost | 27 | 5 | £23,070 | 18.52% | -£1.50 |
Aidan Coleman | 17 | 4 | £23,159 | 23.53% | -£1.15 |
Jockey | Runners | Wins | Prize Money | Strike-Rate | P/L |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tom Cannon | 94 | 14 | £64,484 | 14.89% | -£6.91 |
Joshua Moore | 78 | 13 | £51,790 | 16.67% | £11.06 |
J E Moore | 74 | 13 | £54,585 | 17.57% | £13.95 |
R Johnson | 53 | 11 | £46,007 | 20.75% | £5.63 |
G Sheehan | 39 | 10 | £49,890 | 25.64% | -£2.09 |
L P Aspell | 43 | 8 | £29,891 | 18.6% | -£4.75 |
Rex Dingle | 33 | 8 | £30,185 | 24.24% | £4.91 |
H Cobden | 33 | 6 | £66,583 | 18.18% | -£17.64 |
Aidan Coleman | 27 | 5 | £18,195 | 18.52% | -£13.61 |
Brendan Powell | 39 | 5 | £17,870 | 12.82% | £48.63 |
Jockey | Runners | Wins | Prize Money | Strike-Rate | P/L |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aidan Coleman | 10 | 6 | £13,644 | 60% | £8.13 |
R Johnson | 10 | 4 | £9,096 | 40% | £28.63 |
L P Aspell | 9 | 2 | £4,548 | 22.22% | £12.50 |
Tom Cannon | 12 | 2 | £4,548 | 16.67% | £2.00 |
J J Burke | 8 | 2 | £5,068 | 25% | £9.50 |
J E Moore | 13 | 2 | £4,548 | 15.38% | £2.63 |
T Scudamore | 4 | 2 | £5,068 | 50% | £15.50 |
N D Fehily | 3 | 2 | £4,548 | 66.67% | £1.20 |
Nico de Boinville | 7 | 1 | £2,274 | 14.29% | -£4.50 |
Rex Dingle | 5 | 1 | £2,274 | 20% | -£1.25 |
Forecast: Rain
Temp: 4.2° - 10.4°
Rainfall: 6.10mm
Wind: 21.5 mph S
Forecast: Light showers
Temp: 0.1° - 9.0°
Rainfall: 1.26mm
Wind: 9.2 mph SW
Last Update: 20/01/2021 12:00
Fontwell Park Racecourse
Arundel
West Sussex
BN18 0SX
01243 543335
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