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	Hollow Penny (Good to Firm)	14 Aug 2014	4m 30.78s
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	Royal Hall (Good)	27 May 2018	4m 13.2s
2m 2f 110y	My Direction (Good to Firm)	14 Aug 2014	4m 19.74s
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	Barton Stacey (Good to Firm)	14 Aug 2014	5m 17.8s
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	33	18	10	£99,798	54.55%	£14.81
C L Tizzard	46	12	21	£62,005	26.09%	-£0.08
G L Moore	55	11	28	£50,784	20%	-£25.96
N P Mulholland	40	8	22	£30,347	20%	-£11.12
J W Mullins	35	6	15	£19,169	17.14%	£13.25
D Skelton	18	6	6	£34,415	33.33%	-£0.81
C Gordon	28	5	11	£20,340	17.86%	£3.00
A J Honeyball	17	5	6	£28,256	29.41%	£10.73
Mrs Lawney Hill	14	5	6	£27,325	35.71%	£2.93
C J Mann	21	4	12	£17,156	19.05%	-£1.50

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
G L Moore	158	26	67	£147,256	16.46%	-£31.67
C Gordon	107	13	45	£58,954	12.15%	-£52.66
A King	32	13	11	£51,728	40.63%	£17.51
N P Mulholland	81	11	40	£43,759	13.58%	-£50.34
P F Nicholls	33	10	12	£80,975	30.3%	-£5.18
A J Honeyball	29	10	9	£39,738	34.48%	-£0.34
J W Mullins	72	8	23	£27,422	11.11%	-£39.83
O Sherwood	41	8	19	£27,422	19.51%	£14.25
D Skelton	49	7	26	£30,373	14.29%	-£22.90
N J Henderson	15	7	4	£36,978	46.67%	£2.24

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
G L Moore	22	3	11	£5,588	13.64%	-£9.88
N P Mulholland	13	3	5	£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	9	1	6	£2,274	11.11%	-£7.50
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	7	1	2	£2,274	14.29%	-£6.75
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	49	11	22	£50,003	22.45%	-£8.58
R Johnson	24	10	10	£43,804	41.67%	£12.69
H Cobden	28	9	12	£38,677	32.14%	£0.53
N D Fehily	24	9	8	£37,106	37.5%	£10.88
Nick Scholfield	27	8	13	£32,491	29.63%	£5.57
Aidan Coleman	24	8	11	£51,428	33.33%	£11.85
Sam Twiston-Davies	22	7	6	£41,577	31.82%	-£7.02
L P Aspell	30	6	15	£33,970	20%	-£1.40
P J Brennan	24	6	12	£24,369	25%	£1.00
Bryony Frost	21	6	9	£26,969	28.57%	£8.07

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
J E Moore	105	22	31	£87,790	20.95%	£33.45
Tom Cannon	104	17	45	£78,398	16.35%	-£24.81
R Johnson	53	13	19	£51,206	24.53%	£4.80
H Cobden	37	11	9	£86,467	29.73%	-£9.77
L P Aspell	71	10	34	£35,636	14.08%	-£13.25
N D Fehily	41	9	22	£41,465	21.95%	-£15.00
Wayne Hutchinson	20	8	8	£26,382	40%	£7.18
Harry Skelton	33	7	20	£30,373	21.21%	-£6.90
Aidan Coleman	28	7	13	£31,264	25%	-£1.24
Daniel Sansom	37	7	12	£23,783	18.92%	-£7.17

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
J E Moore	14	3	7	£6,302	21.43%	£8.63
Aidan Coleman	9	3	6	£6,108	33.33%	£2.50
R Johnson	9	3	3	£6,822	33.33%	£1.63
L P Aspell	16	2	9	£4,548	12.5%	£4.50
Joshua Moore	8	2	2	£3,120	25%	£29.50
T Scudamore	6	2	2	£3,120	33.33%	-£0.17
N D Fehily	8	2	1	£4,548	25%	-£4.80
Tom Cannon	16	1	7	£2,274	6.25%	-£9.00
Sam Twiston-Davies	5	1	4	£2,274	20%	-£2.50
Harry Bannister	5	1	3	£1,560	20%	£0.50