Grand Annual

 The Grand Annual Chase is the oldest race at the Festival having first been staged on 4th April 1834 over 4 miles of open country at Andoversford, near Cheltenham. Although that race was discontinued in the 1860s, it was revived in the early 1900s, although it was staged at various courses, notably Warwick, Melton Mowbray and Leicester. It was only in 1913 that it returned permanently to Cheltenham and has been a significant part of the Festival ever since. It is run over 1 mile 7 furlongs and 199 yards and 14 fences and is now classed as a Premier Handicap. In 2005 its name was updated to the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase in recognition of the part played by Johnny Henderson, father of legendary trainer Nicky Henderson, in forming the Racecourse Holdings Trust which secured the future of Cheltenham by purchasing the Prestbury Park venue for £240,000.
Early history:- The inaugural running of Grand Annual Chase took place on April 4 1834 at Andoversford, in the vicinity of Cheltenham when won by Fugleman owned by Mr R D’Oyley beating Conrad owned by Colonel Gilbert.
Grand Annual 1834 Premier Handicap 4 miles
Pos. Horse Jockey Age/weight Owner
1 FUGLEMAN Mr R D'Oyley 12 stone Mr R D'Oyley
2 CONRAD Mr Crommelin 12 stone Colonel Gilbert
3 WOODEN-LEGGED SAILOR Mr Doyne 12 stone Mr Doyne
4 GIANTESS Mr Baillie 12 stone Mr Taylor
5 EMPEROR Mr Smart 12 stone Mr Dutton
6 COLUMBUS Mr Patrick 12 stone Mr Patrick
7 DON GIOVANNI Mr Bryan 12 stone Mr Black
8 COLONEL Mr Harkshaw 12 stone Mr Harkshaw
9 DANSEUSE Mr Crowther 12 stone Mr Crowther
  Over round N/A
The inaugural running of Grand Annual Chase took place on Friday 4th April 1834 at Andoversford, in the vicinity of Cheltenham, in front of a crowd estimated at 10,000, when won by Fugleman owned and ridden by Mr R D’Oyley beating Conrad owned by Colonel Gilbert. A local newspaper of the day, the Birmingham Journal, provided details about the course which extended to 4 miles, which could be seen in its entirety from the winning field and was selected by Lord Segrave, ‘To start by Harry's Wall - down the hill by Foxcote Grove over Whittingham Road by labourers' cottages, leaving Foxcote Village to the left, then across two pieces of meadow leading to the brook; jumping the brook and then up the hill with some stiff rails with ground ascending them, and over a high wall rendered more so from the ground ascending to it, when the hill was pretty well mounted, then across the flat across four extensive fields, Chifley Groves to the right into Claypitch, lying alongside the London Road, on the opposite side of which is a small grass cover.’ In the race itself Fugleman took the lead down the hill, at a pace which left the others very far behind, taking all of the walls and fences with consummate ease, and clearing the brook in splendid style. Then he made his way up the hill and over all of the walls until he came to the last fence well clear. However, at the last fence he did a complete somersault and severely cut his head, but the jockey remounted and recovered his composure with great celerity, he remounted and won cleverly, beating Conrad and Wooden-Legged Sailor.