Breeders' Cup Grand National Steeplechase
Encyclopedia
The Breeders' Cup Grand National Steeplechase is an American Grade I
NSA
sanctioned steeplechase
race run each fall over the rolling hills of Moorland Farms in Far Hills, New Jersey
. Set over a 2⅝ mile course during the one day Far Hills Races
, it has 14 national fences, and a purse of $300,000. This new purse, increased in 2006, makes it the richest event in American steeplechase racing.
The race dates back to 1899 and was long the premier stakes in U.S.
jump racing. Past winners include 11 of the 14 steeplechasers inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
: Flatterer (also a close second in the 1987 Champion Hurdle
), Zaccio, Café Prince, Bon Nouvel, Neji
, Oedipus
, Elkridge, Bushranger
, Battleship
(in 1938 became the only winner of this race and the Aintree Grand National
), Jolly Roger and Good and Plenty
.
The race has been held at Belmont Park
, at Saratoga Race Course
, and at Morris Park racetracks, as well as the steeplechase meets at Fair Hill, Maryland
and Charlottesville, Virginia
.
The Grand National (once called the American Grand National) is one of the oldest races in steeplechasing and one of the most important outside Europe. It has been brought back from oblivion by the dedication of a combination of steeplechase enthusiasts. Run in 2006 for the 14th time in its latest incarnation, the day of steeplechasing at Far Hills includes seven races, the most important of which is the Grand National.
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
NSA
National Steeplechase Association
The National Steeplechase Association is the official sanctioning body of American steeplechase horse racing.The National Steeplechase Association was founded on February 15, 1895 by August Belmont, Jr., the first president of The Jockey Club and chairman of the New York State Racing Commission,...
sanctioned steeplechase
Steeplechase
Steeplechase may refer to:* Steeplechase, an event in horse racing* SteepleChase, a Danish jazz label* Steeplechase , a 1975 arcade game released by Atari...
race run each fall over the rolling hills of Moorland Farms in Far Hills, New Jersey
Far Hills, New Jersey
Far Hills is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the population was 919.Far Hills was incorporated as a borough based on an Act of the New Jersey Legislature passed on April 7, 1921, from portions of Bernards Township, subject to the results...
. Set over a 2⅝ mile course during the one day Far Hills Races
Far Hills Races
The Far Hills Races is a steeplechase horserace held annually in Far Hills, New Jersey, United States. The October 2010 event was the 90th running, and race day purses can equal up to or more than $1,000,000, with six races offering the highest purses on the National Steeplechase Association...
, it has 14 national fences, and a purse of $300,000. This new purse, increased in 2006, makes it the richest event in American steeplechase racing.
The race dates back to 1899 and was long the premier stakes in U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jump racing. Past winners include 11 of the 14 steeplechasers inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
: Flatterer (also a close second in the 1987 Champion Hurdle
Champion Hurdle
The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. As part of a sponsorship agreement with the online sportsbook StanJames.com, the race is now known as the Stan James Champion Hurdle...
), Zaccio, Café Prince, Bon Nouvel, Neji
Neji (horse)
Neji was an American Champion Thoroughbred steeplechase racehorse. Foaled in England, Neji was purchased at age three by Lillian Bostwick Phipps who brought the gelding to race in the United States under future Hall of Fame trainer Pete Bostwick....
, Oedipus
Oedipus (horse)
Oedipus was an American Champion Thoroughbred steeplechase racehorse. Sired by 1929's flat racing Horse of the Year Blue Larkspur and foaled in Kentucky, Oedipus was purchased by Lillian Bostwick Phipps and was conditioned by future Hall of Fame trainer Pete Bostwick.Oedipus raced from 1948...
, Elkridge, Bushranger
Bushranger (horse)
Bushranger was an American Thoroughbred steeplechase racehorse. Prepared for flat racing, at age two the grandson of Man o' War demonstrated little ability in that venue and as such his owner decided to try him in steeplechase racing. In the hands of future Hall of Fame steeplechase trainer J...
, Battleship
Battleship (horse)
Battleship was an American Thoroughbred Racehorse who was the only horse in history to win both the American Grand National and the English Grand National steeplechase races.-Breeding:...
(in 1938 became the only winner of this race and the Aintree Grand National
Grand National
The Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
), Jolly Roger and Good and Plenty
Good and Plenty
For the candy, see Good & PlentyGood and Plenty was an American thoroughbred steeplechase racehorse.-History:Trained by Charles Kiernan, the bay gelding raced for four years between 1904 and 1907, leading all steeplechase horses in earnings and finishing with a record of 14-4-1 in 21 races that...
.
The race has been held at Belmont Park
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...
, at Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It opened on August 3, 1863, and is the oldest organized sporting venue of any kind in the United States. It is typically open for racing from late July through early September.-History:John...
, and at Morris Park racetracks, as well as the steeplechase meets at Fair Hill, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
and Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
.
The Grand National (once called the American Grand National) is one of the oldest races in steeplechasing and one of the most important outside Europe. It has been brought back from oblivion by the dedication of a combination of steeplechase enthusiasts. Run in 2006 for the 14th time in its latest incarnation, the day of steeplechasing at Far Hills includes seven races, the most important of which is the Grand National.
Winners of the Grand National since 1998
2011 Black Jack Blues ridden by Ross Geraghty| Year |
Winner |
Age |
Jockey |
Trainer |
Owner |
Time |
| 2008 | Good Night Shirt | 7 | William Dowling (jockey) | Jack Fisher Jack Fisher John Howard Fisher was a Major League Baseball pitcher. The right-hander was signed by the Baltimore Orioles as an amateur free agent on June 24, 1957. He played for the Orioles , San Francisco Giants , New York Mets , Chicago White Sox , and Cincinnati Reds... |
Harold A. Via, Jr. | 4:54.20 |
| 2007 | McDynamo McDynamo McDynamo is a thoroughbred gelding who is a five-time winner of the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Grand National Steeplechase at the Far Hills Races and a three-time honoree with the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Steeplechase horse... |
10 | Jody Petty | Sanna Hendriks | Michael J. Moran | 5:30.60 |
| 2006 | McDynamo McDynamo McDynamo is a thoroughbred gelding who is a five-time winner of the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Grand National Steeplechase at the Far Hills Races and a three-time honoree with the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Steeplechase horse... |
9 | Jody Petty | Sanna Hendriks | Michael J. Moran | 5:58.20 |
| 2005 | McDynamo McDynamo McDynamo is a thoroughbred gelding who is a five-time winner of the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Grand National Steeplechase at the Far Hills Races and a three-time honoree with the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Steeplechase horse... |
8 | Jody Petty | Sanna Hendriks | Michael J. Moran | 5:46.65 |
| 2004 | McDynamo McDynamo McDynamo is a thoroughbred gelding who is a five-time winner of the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Grand National Steeplechase at the Far Hills Races and a three-time honoree with the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Steeplechase horse... |
7 | Craig Thornton | Sanna Hendriks | Michael J. Moran | 5:06.80 |
| 2003 | McDynamo McDynamo McDynamo is a thoroughbred gelding who is a five-time winner of the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Grand National Steeplechase at the Far Hills Races and a three-time honoree with the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Steeplechase horse... |
6 | Craig Thornton | Sanna Hendriks | Michael J. Moran | 5:24.12 |
| 2002 | Flat Top | 9 | Robert Massey | Janet Elliot | Nancy Gerry | 5:19.44 |
| 2001 | Quel Senor | 6 | Cyril Murphy | Tom Voss | Coppertree Farm | 4:54.20 |
| 2000 | All Gong | 6 | Blythe Miller | Bruce Miller | Calvin Houghland | 4:53.90 |
| 1999 | Ninepins | 12 | Arch Kingsley, Jr. | Jonathan Sheppard Jonathan E. Sheppard Jonathan E. Sheppard is a Hall of Fame trainer in American Thoroughbred horse racing.... |
Hudson River Farm | 5:28.40 |
| 1998 | Flat Top | 5 | Bitsy Patterson | Janet Elliot | Nancy Gerry | 4:55.60 |
Earlier winners
- 1997 - Rowdy Irishman
- 1996 - Correggio
- 1995 - Rowdy Irishman
- 1994 - Warm Spell
- 1993 - Lonesome Glory (5-time US champion)
- 1992 - Highland Bud (2-time US champion)
- 1991 - Morley Street (EnglishEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
champion) - 1990 - Morley Street
- 1989 - Highland Bud
- 1988 - Jimmy Lorenzo (US champion)
- 1987 - Gacko (FrenchFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
champion) - 1986 - Census (multiple graded stakes winner)