Grand Military Gold Cup

The Grand Military Gold Cup is one of the oldest races held at Sandown Park Racecourse, with the first running of the race held in 1841. The race is a National Hunt Chase open to horses aged five years or older and is run over a distance of three miles and half a furlong. Unlike the majority of races, there is a specific restriction to jockeys in the race – they must be a serving or retired Military Amateur Rider.

 

The biggest trainers in the UK often try to target this race, with the likes of Paul Nicholls, Nicky Henderson, David Pipe and Jamie Snowden all winning the race in recent years. The latter actually jointly-holds the record for winning the race as a jockey with four wins to his name – the other jockeys to have won the race four times are LBdr Jody Sole and Gerald Oxley. Jamie Snowden actually became the first person to win the race as both a jockey and a trainer, having won the race with Farceur Du Large in 2024.

 

The most successful horses in the Grand Military Gold Cup are Klaxton (1950 – 1952), Charles Dickens (1970 – 1972) and Special Cargo (1984 – 1986), who have each won the race a total of three times, all in consecutive seasons. This century, only one horse has won the race more than once – Kings Mistral, who on the race in 2001 and 2003. Ratings wise, the highest rated horse to win this century is Hoo La Baloo, who won the race off a mark of 145.

 

Previously, the race had been run in March, but in 2024 the decision was made to move the race to January. The most recent renewal saw www.racingclub.com syndicate horse Farceur Du Large run out victorious, in a dominant display that saw him finish over four lengths ahead of runner-up Rose Of Arcadia.