Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase

The Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase registered as the Golden Miller Novices’ Chase, is run over 2 miles 4 furlongs on the New Course at Cheltenham and is currently scheduled as the second race on the third day of the Cheltenham Festival. As the name suggests, the race is open to novice chasers – that is, horses that have not won a steeplechase prior to the start of the current seasons – aged five years and upwards.

The Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase is a recent addition to the Cheltenham Festival programme, having been run for the first time in 2011, when it was sponsored by builders’ merchants Jewson. In 2014, global insurance broker Jardine Lloyd Thompson (JLT) Group plc took over sponsorship of the race, which was upgraded to Grade One status by the British Horseracing Authority.

Irish champion trainer Willie Mullins has dominated the Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase in its short history, having saddled Sir Des Champs (2012), Vautour (2015) and Black Hercules (2016) and Yorkhill for a total of four wins. Ruby Walsh, who rode Vautour, Black Hercules and Yorkshill is the leading jockey with three wins.

Both Sir Des Champs and Vautour returned to the Cheltenham Festival the following year, the former finishing second to Bobs Worth in the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the latter running out a very comfortable winner of the Ryanair Chase. Black Hercules was Ruby Walsh’s 50th winner at the Cheltenham Festival.