Dissapointment as National Hunt Chase opened up to pros

Image © Healy Racing

There was disappointing news for amateur riders ahead of the new point-to-point season getting underway, with The Jockey Club announcing that the National Hunt Chase at next year’s Cheltenham Festival will be opened up to professional jockeys.

The race, which has previously been confined to amateur jockeys, will also become a Class 2 Novice Handicap Chase (0-145), as part of six key changes that have been made to the race programme for the 2025 festival.

Unsurprisingly, the move has been met with disappointment from the sport’s amateur ranks, with Jamie Codd, who won the race three times, in 2015 aboard Cause Of Causes, in 2019 on Le Breuil, and in 2020 on Ravenhill, among those to express their disappointment.

Codd told Sky Sports Racing: “It’s hugely disappointing from an amateur’s perspective.

“I suppose with the new conditions with it changing to a handicap, they could still have left it an amateur race.

“I’ve been lucky enough to win it three times and when it was raised to a Grade 2, it is the highlight of an amateur’s week, winning the National Hunt Chase because of its status, but even dropping back to a handicap, I can’t understand taking it off the amateurs.

“We need amateurs in this sport, we need new people coming in with the dream of riding a Cheltenham winner and there is still the Kim Muir and the Hunter Chase, but there has to be something to encourage the young people.

“Taking away races like this, it won’t happen overnight, but you’ll see a serious lack of people wanting to become amateurs at working yards.”

Posting online, the British Amateur Jockeys Association echoed his sentiments as they stated:

“It feels especially harsh to see our racing heritage suffer such change and for the rich diversity of our amateur jockeys to be deprived of participating in this historic race.

“We have some top class amateur jump jockeys in this country and it is vital that their talents are given the opportunity to be showcased in such races, especially with the amateur route chosen by most professional NH jockeys to gain invaluable experience before turning pro.”