The RSA Chase is the premier staying chase for Novices with the roll of honour in the last ten years including Denman, Albertas Run, the 2013 Gold Cup winner Bobs Worth and 2014 Gold Cup winner Lord Windemere.
RSA Chase 2016 Stats
- Barry Geraghty is the most successful current jockey with three wins in the race
- Davy Russell and Ruby Walsh have two two wins each
- Davy Russell ridden horses have finished 414213- in the race since 2009, Geraghty is P561317 and Walsh 1FFP444 over that period
- The most successful current trainer is Willie Mullins with three wins (and two seconds)
- Respect the Gigginstown horses – they have finished 4142FF1/3 since 2009
- 19 of the last 22 winners were contesting novice hurdles the previous season
- 7 year olds have won 9/10 races
- None of the last 11 winners ran on the flat
- In 2014 O’Faolains became only the second Reynoldstown winner since Killiney in 1973 to follow up. Albertas Run (2008) was the other.
- All 19 winners of the Feltham Chase that have run in this race failed have lost
- The last 12 winners have finished in the first 3 in a Grade 1 or 2 Chase
- Don Poli was the first winner for 50 yearsnot to run during the calendar year
- 26 of the last 27 winners finished in the first 2 on their prep run
- Favourites have a mixed record finishing 111554452/41 in the last decade
- The market position of the winning horse has been 0111573481 in the last decade
RSA Chase Winners 2006-2015
We have been discussing the race on our forum – check out the 2016 RSA thread.
About the RSA Chase
The RSA Chase is run with its current title for the sixth time this year, although the race is backed by one of Cheltenham’s longest-running sponsors. It was known as the Royal & SunAlliance Chase up to 2008 and as the Royal SunAlliance Chase in 1997. Sun Alliance, which merged with Royal Insurance in 1996, previously backed the Sun Alliance Chase for 23 years and sponsored at Cheltenham for 26 years altogether.
From 1971-73, the Foxhunter Chase was titled the Sun Alliance & London Foxhunters. Sun Alliance & London was the first company outside racing to embrace commercial sponsorship at The Festival. Only the tote precedes the insurance company. Before 1974, the race was titled the Broadway Novices’ Chase and the Totalisator Champion Novices’ Chase.
There was no race in 1947 (snow), and 2001 (foot and mouth).
RSA CHASE BIGGEST FIELD
The biggest field for the race was 30 in 1986 and the smallest eight in 1993. The current safety limit is 20.
RSA CHASE MOST SUCCESSFUL OWNER
Dorothy Paget with three victories – Mountain Prince (1948), On View (1951) and Glenbeigh (1954).
RSA CHASE MOST SUCCESSFUL TRAINER
Fulke Walwyn was the most successful with four wins – Mountain Prince (1948), On View (1951), Glenbeigh (1954) and Mandarin (1957).
Willie Mullins has the best record among current trainers in the contest, having celebrated three victories with Rule Supreme (2004), Florida Pearl (1998) and Cooldine (2009).
RSA CHASE MOST SUCCESSFUL JOCKEY
Pat Taaffe was the most successful jockey with five wins – Coneyburrow (1953), Solfen (1960), Grallagh Cnoc (1961), Arkle (1963) and Proud Tarquin (1970).
Barry Geraghty, Davy Russell and Ruby Walsh are the only current jockeys to have won the race more than once. Walsh scored on Denman (2007) and Cooldine (2009), with Geraghty taking the honours on Star De Mohaison (2006) and Bobs Worth (2012) and O’Faolains Boy (2014).
RSA CHASE BETTING
In 70 runnings since 1946 (some early races were divided), a total of 18 favourites (25 per cent) have prevailed. The biggest shocks were provided by 33/1 shots Canny Danny (1983) and Hussard Collonges (2002). Arkle was the shortest-priced winner when scoring at 4/9 in 1963.
RSA CHASE AGE OF WINNER
The oldest winner was 11-year-old Birthlaw in 1946.
Five-year-olds Manicou (1950, Div 1), Arctic Gold (1950, Div 2) and Star De Mohaison (2006) are the youngest
winners.
The overall breakdown by age is as follows:
5yo – 3 wins
6yo – 13 wins
7yo – 35 wins
8yo – 15 wins
9yo – 3 wins
11yo – 1 wins
RSA CHASE RECORD TIME
The fastest running of the race was won by Lord Noelie in 2000 at 6 mins 5.3s, beating the previous best of 6 mins 6.6s set by Miinnehoma in 1992.
RSA CHASE OVERSEAS-TRAINED WINNERS
IRELAND (16): Coneyburrow (1953); Great Eliza (1955); Solfen (1960); Grallagh Cnoc (1961); Arkle (1963); Arkloin (1965); Herring Gull (1968); Proud Tarquin (1970); Ten Up (1974); Tied Cottage (1976); Antarctic Bay(1985); Florida Pearl (1998); Rule Supreme (2004); Cooldine (2009); Weapon’s Amnesty (2010) and BostonsAngel (2011).
GOLD CUP – RSA DOUBLE WINNERS
Since 1959, nine horses have won both the RSA Chase and Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup.They are:
1959 Mandarin (Gold Cup 1962), 1963 Arkle (Gold Cup 1964-6), 1974 Ten Up (Gold Cup 1975),1979 Master Smudge (Gold Cup 1980 on the disqualification of Tied Cottage),1990 Garrison Savannah (Gold Cup 1991), 1999 Looks Like Trouble (Gold Cup 2000), 2007 Denman (Gold Cup 2008), 2012 Bobs Worth ( Gold Cup 2013), 2013 Lord Windemere ( Gold Cup 2014)
To this list might be added the name of Tied Cottage, winner of the RSA Chase in 1976 and the Gold Cup in 1980, before subsequent disqualification in the latter.
The West Awake is the only horse to have won both what is now the Neptune Investment Managment Novices’ Hurdle (previously sponsored by RSA) and the RSA Chase. He won the Hurdle in 1987 and the Chase in 1988.
The 2010 winner Weapon’s Amnesty became the first horse to win the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle and RSA Chase, a feat repeated by Bobs Worth in 2011 and 2012.
RSA CHASE TRIVIA
Hollywood legend Gregory Peck owned the 1966 winner Different Class.
p>Cheltenham Festival Race Stats and Trends
