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	Overclear (Good to Firm)	10 Jun 2014	4m 23.1s
2m 3f 35y	Remember Forever (Good)	31 Mar 2017	4m 52.1s
2m 4f	Comeonginger (Good)	11 Apr 2014	4m 21.87s
2m 6f	Fruity O'Rooney (Good)	11 Apr 2014	5m 16.4s
3m 1f 106y	Southfield Vic (Good)	21 Apr 2017	6m 28.2s
3m 2f 110y	Nodform Richard (Good to Firm)	10 Jun 2014	6m 36s
3m 4f	Start Royal (Good)	15 May 2014	7m 11.3s

Distance	Horse (Going)	Date	Winning time
2m 1f 162y	Royal Hall (Good)	27 May 2018	4m 13.2s
2m 2f 110y	Another Brandy (Good to Firm)	10 Jun 2014	4m 16.8s
2m 3f 33y	After Eight Sivola (Good)	03 Oct 2015	4m 34.1s
2m 4f	Cinevator (Good to Firm)	10 Jun 2014	4m 37.5s
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	Mount Haven (Good)	04 Jun 2014	4m 29.2s

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	17	11	£103,368	51.52%	£13.13
C L Tizzard	45	11	21	£58,691	24.44%	-£2.83
N P Mulholland	38	10	18	£38,145	26.32%	-£2.62
G L Moore	55	9	28	£40,321	16.36%	-£26.33
Mrs Lawney Hill	17	8	5	£37,072	47.06%	£15.93
A J Honeyball	19	7	7	£39,135	36.84%	£21.73
D Skelton	19	7	6	£39,613	36.84%	£1.69
J W Mullins	37	5	18	£15,855	13.51%	£7.25
C J Mann	19	5	11	£21,705	26.32%	£3.75
J Scott	19	5	10	£19,949	26.32%	£0.32

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
G L Moore	148	25	58	£140,823	16.89%	-£32.05
C Gordon	107	15	41	£65,127	14.02%	-£41.91
N P Mulholland	73	13	37	£51,167	17.81%	-£27.81
A King	32	12	10	£48,479	37.5%	£8.51
J W Mullins	69	8	19	£28,137	11.59%	-£28.67
A J Honeyball	28	8	10	£27,877	28.57%	-£6.66
P F Nicholls	28	8	8	£74,087	28.57%	-£5.54
D Skelton	49	7	25	£30,373	14.29%	-£22.90
C L Tizzard	41	7	18	£29,535	17.07%	-£13.60
O Sherwood	38	6	16	£20,664	15.79%	£12.00

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
G L Moore	20	4	10	£7,148	20%	-£1.88
N P Mulholland	12	3	3	£6,108	25%	-£6.00
C E Longsdon	6	2	1	£3,834	33.33%	£7.25
C Gordon	11	1	8	£1,560	9.09%	-£5.00
Jamie Snowden	6	1	4	£2,274	16.67%	-£4.50
C L Tizzard	7	1	3	£2,274	14.29%	-£3.00
D Skelton	7	1	3	£2,274	14.29%	-£6.75
H Whittington	5	1	3	£1,560	20%	£0.50
N J Gifford	5	1	3	£1,560	20%	-£0.50
A J Honeyball	5	1	3	£1,560	20%	-£4.25

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
R Johnson	21	11	5	£48,938	52.38%	£16.57
Aidan Coleman	27	10	11	£55,892	37.04%	£22.35
N D Fehily	26	10	9	£49,766	38.46%	£10.08
H Cobden	25	9	9	£39,912	36%	£5.28
J E Moore	43	7	19	£29,793	16.28%	-£19.95
Nick Scholfield	23	7	9	£27,812	30.43%	£17.57
Sam Twiston-Davies	19	7	4	£41,577	36.84%	-£4.02
T Scudamore	27	6	14	£30,801	22.22%	-£2.13
Bryony Frost	18	6	6	£26,969	33.33%	£11.07
P J Brennan	23	5	12	£20,600	21.74%	-£4.50

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
J E Moore	97	21	31	£84,476	21.65%	-£1.80
Tom Cannon	112	18	43	£81,322	16.07%	-£28.06
R Johnson	50	12	19	£50,128	24%	£6.31
N D Fehily	44	11	22	£49,263	25%	-£9.38
L P Aspell	77	9	34	£35,208	11.69%	-£19.50
David Noonan	42	8	10	£29,165	19.05%	-£15.78
H Cobden	32	8	8	£75,615	25%	-£9.50
Harry Skelton	33	7	19	£30,373	21.21%	-£6.90
Aidan Coleman	27	7	10	£30,419	25.93%	£4.90
Wayne Hutchinson	19	7	8	£23,133	36.84%	-£0.82

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
Joshua Moore	10	3	3	£4,680	30%	£33.50
Tom Cannon	17	2	8	£3,120	11.76%	-£4.50
J E Moore	10	2	6	£4,028	20%	-£0.38
Aidan Coleman	8	2	6	£3,834	25%	£1.25
R Johnson	8	2	3	£4,548	25%	-£3.88
T Scudamore	6	2	3	£3,120	33.33%	-£0.17
N D Fehily	8	2	1	£4,548	25%	-£4.80
P J Brennan	5	2	1	£3,509	40%	£21.00
L P Aspell	13	1	7	£2,274	7.69%	-£10.50
Harry Bannister	5	1	3	£1,560	20%	£0.50