Plumpton Course Guide

Racing has taken place at Plumpton since 1884 and the East Sussex course holds meetings throughout the winter, the highlight of which is the Sussex National Handicap Chase. Staged every January and run over three miles and five furlongs, the contest often has been won by horses that have progressed to win some big races including 2007 winner Dunbrody Millar, who went on to win the Topham Chase over the Grand National fences at Aintree later that season.

Plumpton also stages a decent Novices Chase, run over two miles and one furlong in December. The 2005 renewal went to the Paul Nicholls-trained Voy Por Ustedes, who later won an Arkle, a Champion Chase, a Desert Orchid Chase, the Ascot Chase and two Melling Chases. History was made at Plumpton in February 2009 when Champion jockey Tony McCoy rode a record-breaking 3000th career winner aboard Restless D'Artaix in a two mile and one furlong Beginners’ Chase.

Jumps Racing

Left handed, tight and undulating. Despite the undulations, it's essentially a course which favours handy sorts thanks to the sharp turns. Races on the hurdles course often begin in earnest early on the final circuit, the complexion changing quickly at this point. Ranks high for casualties on the chase course, a figure which probably reflects the low standard of horses rather more than the stiffness of the fences. Beware those horses who stick to the inside on the hurdles track when the ground is testing, better going often found by racing wide.

If you’re on a good jumper at Plumpton, you need to employ that asset to the maximum. The fence at the top of the hill can catch a horse out, particularly a novice, and, if you’re on one that’s jumping nicely, there’s no point sitting in behind. Ideally, you need to steal a few lengths at that point and again at the bottom of the hill, where there’s another obstacle. On a good jumper there you can afford to be aggressive, whereas, on one that’s a bit tentative, you always feel you’re dabbing at the brakes.

View from the saddle: Mick Fitzgerald

Plumpton Top Times
Last 5 years

Chase
Hurdle
National Hunt Flat

Distance	Horse (Going)	Date	Winning time
2m 219y	Siam Park (Good)	17 Nov 2025	4m 5.85s
2m 3f 164y	Toothless (Good)	12 May 2024	4m 50.85s
3m 1f 152y	I See You Well (Good)	21 Mar 2022	6m 31.63s
3m 4f 102y	Dom Of Mary (Soft)	07 Jan 2024	7m 27.3s

Distance	Horse (Going)	Date	Winning time
1m 7f 195y	See The Sea (Good)	18 Sep 2022	3m 33.72s
2m 1f 164y	Mr Freedom (Good)	18 Sep 2022	4m 4.12s
2m 4f 114y	Royaume Uni (Good)	14 May 2023	4m 47.8s
3m 217y	Tommie Beau (Good)	09 May 2021	5m 56.93s

Distance	Horse (Going)	Date	Winning time
2m 1f 164y	Wells Glory (Good)	09 May 2021	4m 3.48s

Plumpton 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
J Tizzard	40	12	17	£92,001	30%	£14.98
G & J Moore	42	11	19	£104,781	26.19%	-£6.89
C Gordon	43	7	21	£54,922	16.28%	-£16.50
P F Nicholls	16	6	7	£106,941	37.5%	£14.42
J W Mullins	31	4	11	£18,484	12.9%	-£2.88
A J Honeyball	11	4	6	£26,141	36.36%	£6.11
T Lawes	14	4	4	£19,355	28.57%	-£6.49
Dan Skelton	15	3	6	£32,663	20%	-£3.63
C E Longsdon	8	3	4	£28,174	37.5%	£1.25
Mrs S J Humphrey	7	3	4	£21,652	42.86%	£22.00

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
C Gordon	100	22	39	£193,450	22%	£11.62
G & J Moore	102	16	41	£117,672	15.69%	-£59.91
P F Nicholls	40	9	15	£59,239	22.5%	-£9.03
N P Mulholland	59	8	23	£81,291	13.56%	-£16.77
James Owen	28	7	7	£35,314	25%	-£8.52
A J Honeyball	28	6	13	£27,495	21.43%	-£7.58
Miss S West	43	5	22	£27,532	11.63%	£7.00
J Tizzard	30	5	11	£32,321	16.67%	-£11.19
Harry Derham	16	5	7	£33,956	31.25%	-£6.45
O Murphy	13	5	6	£35,563	38.46%	£12.67

Trainer	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
N J Henderson	4	4	0	£10,888	100%	£7.33
A J Honeyball	6	3	2	£8,166	50%	£5.95
N P Mulholland	6	2	2	£5,444	33.33%	£3.25
P F Nicholls	5	1	3	£4,383	20%	£1.50
Ben Clarke	3	1	1	£2,722	33.33%	£0.50
N B King	3	1	1	£2,722	33.33%	£1.33
Miss S West	2	1	1	£2,722	50%	£0.00
A King	3	1	0	£2,722	33.33%	£0.25
J & S Best	3	1	0	£2,722	33.33%	-£2.33
Miss E C Lavelle	2	1	0	£4,225	50%	£6.00

Plumpton 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
Tom Cannon	31	11	9	£73,037	35.48%	£18.00
Brendan Powell	35	7	19	£65,068	20%	-£1.87
Caoilin Quinn	26	7	9	£70,212	26.92%	-£3.84
Rex Dingle	22	3	14	£27,989	13.64%	-£11.63
Harry Kimber	19	3	9	£13,705	15.79%	-£0.30
Freddie Gordon	20	3	8	£17,427	15%	-£10.38
Jack Tudor	11	3	6	£19,011	27.27%	-£5.18
Harry Bannister	10	3	6	£12,675	30%	£2.17
Freddie Gingell	12	3	5	£15,843	25%	£0.13
Bradley Harris	9	3	3	£15,289	33.33%	£0.75

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
Freddie Gordon	50	14	22	£109,362	28%	£9.99
Rex Dingle	60	11	22	£98,654	18.33%	£19.08
H Cobden	38	11	13	£106,359	28.95%	£0.06
Caoilin Quinn	59	9	19	£55,574	15.25%	-£32.45
M Goldstein	64	6	26	£31,361	9.38%	-£8.50
Brendan Powell	46	6	18	£32,057	13.04%	-£22.01
G Sheehan	36	6	11	£27,683	16.67%	-£14.63
Harry Bannister	17	5	8	£25,561	29.41%	£15.63
S Bowen	22	5	7	£32,667	22.73%	-£8.25
Bryan Carver	18	4	6	£25,521	22.22%	£4.00

Jockey	Runners	Wins	Places	Prize Money	Strike-Rate	P/L
Freddie Gordon	6	2	1	£5,444	33.33%	-£1.17
H Cobden	5	2	1	£15,248	40%	-£1.53
Sam Twiston-Davies	3	2	1	£5,444	66.67%	£7.00
C O'Farrell	2	2	0	£5,444	100%	£7.25
Rex Dingle	7	1	2	£2,722	14.29%	-£5.80
James Bowen	4	1	2	£2,722	25%	-£2.00
J M Quinlan	4	1	2	£2,722	25%	£0.33
Tom Cannon	4	1	2	£2,722	25%	-£1.75
Kielan Woods	3	1	2	£2,722	33.33%	-£0.38
R P McLernon	3	1	1	£2,722	33.33%	£0.25