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 2f	Workbench (Good)	03 Oct 2014	4m 33.15s
2m 3f 104y	Cervaro Mix (Good)	26 May 2019	4m 51.65s
2m 4f	Virak (Good to Soft)	22 Oct 2014	5m 4.96s
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 2f 110y	Adrenalin Flight (Good)	24 May 2015	6m 46.2s
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 2f 110y	Lightentertainment (Good)	03 Oct 2014	4m 20.6s
2m 3f 49y	Le Ligerien (Good)	29 Mar 2019	4m 15.3s
2m 4f	Towering (Good)	01 May 2015	4m 46.28s
2m 5f 164y	Snazz Man (Good)	09 May 2018	5m 16.9s
2m 6f 110y	Buckhorn Timothy (Good)	17 Apr 2015	5m 27.7s
3m 1f 142y	Sir Mangan (Good)	02 Oct 2015	6m 16.2s
3m 3f	Horsted Valley (Good)	24 May 2015	6m 30.9s

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
2m 2f 110y	Fountains Blossom (Good)	04 Oct 2014	4m 39.2s

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
P F Nicholls	32	18	10	£99,798	56.25%	£15.81
C L Tizzard	46	12	21	£62,005	26.09%	-£0.08
G L Moore	56	10	29	£47,535	17.86%	-£33.46
N P Mulholland	37	8	19	£30,087	21.62%	£12.70
J W Mullins	34	6	14	£19,169	17.65%	£13.25
D G Bridgwater	25	6	8	£19,494	24%	£0.98
D Skelton	18	6	6	£34,415	33.33%	-£0.81
C Gordon	28	5	11	£20,340	17.86%	£3.00
Mrs Lawney Hill	15	5	7	£27,325	33.33%	£1.93
A J Honeyball	15	5	4	£28,256	33.33%	£12.73

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
G L Moore	153	25	64	£143,357	16.34%	-£32.17
C Gordon	105	13	45	£58,954	12.38%	-£50.66
A King	32	13	11	£51,728	40.63%	£17.51
N P Mulholland	80	12	39	£47,528	15%	-£32.34
O Sherwood	44	10	20	£34,960	22.73%	£21.00
P F Nicholls	33	10	12	£80,975	30.3%	-£5.18
A J Honeyball	27	10	9	£39,738	37.04%	£1.66
N J Henderson	15	7	4	£36,978	46.67%	£2.24
D Skelton	49	6	27	£26,474	12.24%	-£25.00
J W Mullins	71	6	24	£19,624	8.45%	-£47.83

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
G L Moore	20	3	9	£5,588	15%	-£7.88
N P Mulholland	13	3	6	£6,822	23.08%	-£6.43
C Gordon	13	2	9	£4,548	15.38%	£10.00
A J Honeyball	6	2	4	£3,834	33.33%	-£3.00
C E Longsdon	6	2	2	£3,834	33.33%	£7.25
Jamie Snowden	8	1	6	£2,274	12.5%	-£6.50
H Whittington	6	1	4	£1,560	16.67%	-£0.50
C L Tizzard	7	1	3	£2,274	14.29%	-£3.00
D Skelton	6	1	2	£2,274	16.67%	-£5.75
Miss S Smith	4	1	2	£1,949	25%	£3.00

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
J E Moore	48	10	22	£46,754	20.83%	-£14.08
H Cobden	27	9	11	£38,677	33.33%	£1.53
Nick Scholfield	28	8	14	£32,491	28.57%	£4.57
Aidan Coleman	25	8	12	£51,428	32%	£10.85
R Johnson	22	8	10	£36,006	36.36%	£8.19
Sam Twiston-Davies	22	8	8	£45,866	36.36%	£13.98
N D Fehily	21	8	7	£32,557	38.1%	£12.70
L P Aspell	31	7	15	£36,959	22.58%	£1.35
P J Brennan	24	6	12	£24,369	25%	£1.00
Bryony Frost	24	6	11	£26,969	25%	£5.07

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
J E Moore	102	20	29	£80,967	19.61%	£29.45
Tom Cannon	101	17	44	£78,398	16.83%	-£20.81
L P Aspell	73	11	35	£39,405	15.07%	-£13.50
R Johnson	51	11	20	£43,928	21.57%	£5.46
H Cobden	36	11	10	£86,467	30.56%	-£8.77
N D Fehily	39	9	21	£41,465	23.08%	-£13.00
G Sheehan	40	9	6	£36,237	22.5%	-£14.04
Wayne Hutchinson	20	8	8	£26,382	40%	£7.18
Joshua Moore	60	6	29	£65,899	10%	-£26.38
Harry Skelton	33	6	21	£26,474	18.18%	-£9.00

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
Aidan Coleman	9	3	6	£6,108	33.33%	£2.50
J E Moore	13	3	5	£6,302	23.08%	£9.63
R Johnson	9	3	2	£6,822	33.33%	£1.63
L P Aspell	16	2	9	£4,548	12.5%	£4.50
T Scudamore	7	2	3	£3,120	28.57%	-£1.17
Joshua Moore	8	2	2	£3,120	25%	£29.50
N D Fehily	7	2	1	£4,548	28.57%	-£3.80
Tom Cannon	16	1	7	£2,274	6.25%	-£9.00
Harry Bannister	5	1	3	£1,560	20%	£0.50
Page Fuller	4	1	3	£2,274	25%	£5.00