Introduction of Mares' Chase at the Cheltenham Festival is for 'greater good'

A mares' chase will be run at the Cheltenham Festival at the expense of an established contest for the "greater good of racing", said racecourse supremo Ian Renton, who conceded the event is unlikely to prove a star attraction in the short-term.

Renton said the new Grade 2 – which will first be run in 2021 – provided a showpiece event on racing's biggest stage that would bolster the extensive work which has been put into enhancing the mares' chase programme.

A chase for mares had been the leading candidate to be the next race etched into the festival programme, ahead of a veterans' chase.

The announcement led to instant and widespread speculation about which race would be cut, with Paddy Power installing the Close Brothers Novices' Handicap Chase as the 5-4 favourite to go, while the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (better known as the Fred Winter) was next in the market at 9-4.

A Plus Tard and Rachael Blackmore win the Close Brothers Novices' Handicap Chase at Cheltenham this year: the race is favourite to be cut at the festival in 2021Credit: Michael Steele (Getty Images)

Revealing there were "four or five races" under consideration, Renton, who has been in charge of the course since 2012, told the Racing Post: "We will look at the success over the last few years and this forthcoming festival of the individual races. We need to look at the quality and whether the removal of one particular race actually enhances another race or if we feel it might take away from the festival as a whole.

"We expected considerable debate and it has already started. Our racegoers, owners, trainers, jockeys, the betting industry – they'll all come into play.

"There would probably be no more than four or five races under consideration."

Ben Pauling: would rather a race did not have to be scrapped

Trainer Ben Pauling was among those to register his concern about a cherished contest potentially being consigned to history, stating "every single race has its own place and very much worth its position".

And while Pauling, like the majority of his colleagues, welcomed the addition of the Mares' Chase, he sounded a note of caution about the competitiveness.

He said: "The Mares’ Chase is a good addition and we’ve made a huge effort in recent years to support the mares’ programme but I just hope the race is well attended. I feel the worst race in terms of quality at the festival currently is the mares’ novices' hurdle and I would hate to see one of the handicaps, or any of the other races, compromised."

Leading mares in 2018-19 based on Anglo-Irish jumps classifications

159 Magic Of Light
153 Ms Parfois
153 Shattered Love
151 La Bague Au Roi
149 Camelia De Cotte
149 Lady Buttons
148 Molly The Dolly
147 Atlanta Ablaze
146 Kupatana
145 The Bay Birch

The fact only ten mares featured in the Anglo-Irish jumps classifications with a chase rating of 145 or higher has led to fears about field sizes and a level of competition not befitting the meeting. Those classifications do not include Benie Des Dieux as she did not compete over fences last season, but she would already appear to be an obvious contender for Willie Mullins, who has won 81 per cent (13 of 16) of races for mares since their inception at the festival. Mullins, who welcomed the addition, expressed a desire that "hopefully there's enough good quality jumping mares to fill the race".

Explaining that the race might take a few years to find its feet, Renton said: "We didn't anticipate it would be met with whole-hearted approval from all sectors, but I've been pleased to see a positive response from a number of people. We recognise it's something we should be doing to enhance the racing industry as a whole, rather than just parochially looking at what are the best 28 races at the festival.

"I'm certainly not going to pretend that in the first year or two that it would be one of the best races at the festival but for the greater good of racing we think it's important to introduce it.

"We've seen improvements in the quality of mares chasing over the last few years and we felt it's a chicken and egg situation."

Renton also effectively ruled out one of the two existing races for mares being cut, meaning that in 2021 more than ten per cent of festival contests will be restricted by sex.

He added: "I think the importance of those races to the quality of mares hurdling cannot be underrated so it is unlikely either of those races will be under immediate consideration."

The OLBG Mares' Hurdle is a surprisingly popular source of betting turnover, despite eight of the last nine favourites being sent off at odds-on.

Simon Clare of Coral is hopeful the new race will prove a hit and revealed the Boodles and Close Brothers to be among the least popular races for punters. He said: "Its success as a betting contest will obviously depend on the competitiveness of the race and the profile of the horses participating in it, but the Mares’ Hurdle is a solid performer most years so there is no reason why this new race won’t land well with punters.

"Based on the last five years, the race that seems to consistently appeal least from a betting perspective would be the Fred Winter Handicap Hurdle, with the Close Brothers Novices' Handicap Chase and the National Hunt Chase also regularly featuring near the bottom of the betting charts."

BHA statistics reveal 23 per cent of horses in training are mares – an all-time high – and the aim is to reach 30 per cent by 2030.

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