Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase
Encyclopedia
The Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase is a Grade 3 National Hunt
chase in Great Britain
which is open to horses
aged four years or older. It is run at Wetherby
over a distance of about 3 miles and 1 furlong (5,029 metres), and during its running there are eighteen fences to be jumped. It is a handicap race, and it is scheduled to take place each year on Boxing Day
.
The event is named in honour of Rowland Meyrick, who was appointed Clerk of the Course at Wetherby in 1920. At this time Meyrick was also a member of the Wetherby Race Company, an organisation which was formed to purchase the lease of the racecourse. The Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase has held Grade 3 status since 2005.
The 1981 running was abandoned because of snow and frost.
The race was cancelled in 2002 due to waterlogging.
The race was abandoned in 2009 because of snow and in 2010 because of frost.
National Hunt racing
National Hunt racing is the official name given to the sport of horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Ireland in which the horses are required to jump over obstacles called hurdles or fences...
chase in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
which is open to horses
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
aged four years or older. It is run at Wetherby
Wetherby Racecourse
Wetherby Racecourse is a National Hunt racecourse situated near the market town of Wetherby in West Yorkshire, England, located from Leeds city centre.-Location:...
over a distance of about 3 miles and 1 furlong (5,029 metres), and during its running there are eighteen fences to be jumped. It is a handicap race, and it is scheduled to take place each year on Boxing Day
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as...
.
The event is named in honour of Rowland Meyrick, who was appointed Clerk of the Course at Wetherby in 1920. At this time Meyrick was also a member of the Wetherby Race Company, an organisation which was formed to purchase the lease of the racecourse. The Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase has held Grade 3 status since 2005.
Winners since 1979
- Weights given in stones and poundPound (mass)The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
s; Amateur jockeys indicated by "Mr".Year Winner Age Weight Jockey Trainer 1979 Ballet Lord 8 11-10 Colin Hawkins Neville Crump 1980 Sunset Cristo 6 10-11 Chris Grant Ray Hawkey no race 1981 1982 Richdee 6 10-06 Colin Hawkins Neville Crump 1983 Phil the Fluter 8 10-00 Shaun Keightley H. Wharton 1984 Forgive 'n Forget 7 11-07 Mark Dwyer Mark DwyerMark Dwyer is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Fitzroy and St Kilda in the Victorian Football League during the 1980s....Jimmy FitzGerald 1985 Fortina's Express 8 11-01 R. Hawkins Arthur Stephenson 1986 The Thinker 8 11-06 Richard Dunwoody Richard DunwoodyThomas Richard Dunwoody MBE is a retired British jockey in National Hunt racing. He was a three-time Champion Jockey, riding 1699 British winners in his career. His father was a leading Point to Point rider...Arthur Stephenson 1987 Yahoo Yahoo (horse)Yahoo was a successful National Hunt racehorse, who is best remembered for a memorable second in the 1989 Cheltenham Gold Cup to Desert Orchid....7 10-04 Tom Morgan John Edwards 1988 Whats What 9 10-01 Peter Niven Brian Bousfield 1989 Durham Edition 11 10-06 Alan Merrigan Arthur Stephenson 1990 Bluff Knoll 7 10-00 G. Harker R. Brewis 1991 Stay on Tracks 9 10-00 Chris Grant Arthur Stephenson no race 1992 1993 General Pershing 7 10-13 Neale Doughty Gordon W. Richards Gordon W. RichardsThis article is about the racehorse trainer. For the jockey, see Gordon Richards----Gordon W. Richards was a British racehorse trainer specialising mainly in National Hunt racing...1994 Cogent 10 10-08 Mr Chris Bonner Jeremy Glover no race 1995–96 1997 Strath Royal 11 10-10 Martin Brennan Owen Brennan 1998 Random Harvest 9 09-11 Alan Dempsey Mary Reveley no race 1999–00 2001 Behrajan 6 11-10 Mark Bradburne Henry Daly no race 2002 2003 Gunner Welburn 11 10-00 Richard McGrath Andrew Balding 2004 Truckers Tavern 9 11-02 Keith Mercer Ferdy Murphy 2005 Therealbandit 8 09-10 Andrew Glassonbury Martin Pipe Martin PipeMartin Pipe was a racehorse trainer until his retirement in April 2006.The son of a West-Country bookmaker, Pipe was an amateur jockey before turning his attention to training in 1974 at Nicholashayne, Devon, near Wellington, England....2006 Leading Man Leading manLeading man or leading gentleman is an informal term for the actor who plays a love interest to the leading actress in a film or play. A leading man is usually an all rounder; capable of singing, dancing, and acting at a professional level, but never outshining his female co-star...6 10-00 Graham Lee Graham Lee (jockey)Graham Lee is a successful Irish National Hunt jockey in Great Britain and Ireland. Prior to May 2006, he was the main stable jockey for Howard Johnson, but was replaced by Paddy Brennan, allegedly after a disagreement over his return from an injury. Lee became the main stable jockey and deputy...Ferdy Murphy 2007 Lothian Falcon 8 10-07 Robert Walford Peter Maddison 2008 Nozic 7 10-08 Harry Skelton Paul Nicholls Paul Nicholls (horse racing)Paul Nicholls is a British National Hunt horse trainer with stables at Ditcheat, Somerset. A relatively successful jump jockey, Nicholls has become the leading National Hunt trainer of his generation, finishing the 2007-2008 season with 155 winners and a record £4 million in prize money...no race 2009-10
The 1981 running was abandoned because of snow and frost.
The race was cancelled in 2002 due to waterlogging.
The race was abandoned in 2009 because of snow and in 2010 because of frost.