Fighting Fifth Hurdle
The Fighting Fifth Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Newcastle over a distance of about 2 miles and half a furlong (2 miles and 46 yards, or 3,261 metres), and during its running there are nine hurdles to be jumped. The race is the first leg of the Triple Crown of Hurdling scheduled to take place each year in late November or early December.
| Grade 1 race | |
| Location | Newcastle Racecourse Newcastle, England |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1969 |
| Race type | Hurdle race |
| Sponsor | Betfair |
| Website | Newcastle |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 2m 46y (3,261 metres) |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Left-handed |
| Qualification | Four-years-old and up |
| Weight | 11 st 7 lb Allowances 7 lb for fillies and mares |
| Purse | £80,000 (2020) 1st: £45,016 |
| 2021 | ||
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| Not So Sleepy | Epatante | Sceau Royal |
| Previous years | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ||
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| Epatante | Sceau Royal | Ribble Valley |
| 2019 | ||
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| Cornerstone Lad | Buveur D'Air | Silver Streak |
| 2018 | ||
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| Buveur D'Air | Samcro | Vision Des Flos |
| 2017 | ||
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| Buveur D'air | Irving | Flying Tiger |
| 2016 | ||
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| Irving | Apple's Jade | Hidden Cyclone |
| 2015 | ||
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| Identity Thief | Top Notch | Wicklow Brave |
| 2014 | ||
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| Irving | Aurore D'estruval | Arctic Fire |
| 2013 | ||
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| My Tent Or Yours | Cockney Sparrow | Grumeti |
| 2012 | ||
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| Countrywide Flame | Cinders And Ashes | Bothy |
| 2011 | ||
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| Overturn | Binocular | Celestial Halo |
| 2010-2001 | ||
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| 2010 | ||
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| Peddlers Cross | Starluck | Binocular |
| 2009 | ||
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| Go Native | Sublimity | Solwhit |
| 2008 | ||
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| Punjabi | Sublimity | Blue Bajan |
| 2007 | ||
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| Harchibald | Al Eile | Katchit |
| 2006 | ||
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| Straw Bear | Noble Request | The French Furze |
| 2005 | ||
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| Arcalis | Royal Shakespeare | The French Furze |
| 2004 | ||
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| Harchibald | Inglis Drever | Royal Shakespeare |
| 2003 | ||
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| The French Furze | Geos | Intersky Falcon |
| 2002 | ||
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| Intersky Falcon | The French Furze | Marble Arch |
| 2001 | ||
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| Landing Light | The French Furze | Simply Gifted |
| 2000-1991 | ||
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| 2000 | ||
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| Barton | The French Furze | Bring Sweets |
| 1999 | ||
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| Dato Star | Shooting Light | Kilbue King |
| 1998 | ||
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| Dato Star | French Holly | Midnight Legend |
| 1997 | ||
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| Star Rage | Whip Hand | Native-Darrig |
| 1996 | ||
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| Space Trucker | Castle Sweep | Dato Star |
| 1995 | ||
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| Padre Mio | Chief Minister | Non Vintage |
| 1994 | ||
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| Batabanoo | Surrey Dancer | Morceli |
| 1992 | ||
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| Halkopous | Royal Derbi | Corrin Hill |
| 1991 | ||
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| Royal Derbi | Nomadic Way | Sybillin |
| 1990-1988 | ||
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| 1990 | ||
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| Beech Road | Royal Derbi | Kharif |
| 1989 | ||
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| Kribensis | Jinxy Jack | Past Glories |
| 1988 | ||
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| Floyd | Celtic Chief | Sprowston Boy |
History
The event was established in 1969, and the inaugural running was won by Mugatpura. Its title refers to the "Fighting Fifth", the nickname of the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers. In the year prior to the race's launch, the regiment (formerly known as the 5th Regiment of Foot) was amalgamated with three others to form the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.
There were two triple winners of the Fighting Fifth Hurdle during the 1970s: Comedy of Errors and Bird's Nest. The latter also finished first in 1980 but after a stewards' inquiry he was relegated to second place behind Sea Pigeon.
The Fighting Fifth Hurdle was formerly classed at Grade 2 level, and for a brief spell in the 1990s it was run as a limited handicap. Its past sponsors have included Bellway Homes, Newcastle Building Society and Pertemps and the race has been sponsored by Betfair since 2019. It was promoted to Grade 1 status in 2004, and it is now the first top-grade hurdle race of the British National Hunt season.
Records
Most successful horse (3 wins):
- Comedy of Errors – 1972, 1973, 1974
- Birds Nest – 1976, 1977, 1979
Leading jockey (3 wins):
- Barry Geraghty - Punjabi (2008), Buveur d'Air (2017, 2018)
Leading trainer (7 wins):
- Nicky Henderson - Landing Light (2001), Punjabi (2008), My Tent Or Yours (2013), Buveur d'Air (2017, 2018), Epatante (2020, 2021 (2021 a dead heat))
Winners
| Year |
Winner |
Age |
Jockey |
Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Mugatpura | 6 | Willie Robinson | Fulke Walwyn |
| 1970 | Inishmaan | 4 | Terry Biddlecombe | Fred Rimell |
| 1971 | Dondieu | 6 | Brian Fletcher | Denys Smith |
| 1972 | Comedy of Errors | 5 | Bill Smith | Fred Rimell |
| 1973 | Comedy of Errors | 6 | Bill Smith | Fred Rimell |
| 1974 | Comedy of Errors | 7 | Ken White | Fred Rimell |
| 1975 | Night Nurse | 4 | Paddy Broderick | Peter Easterby |
| 1976 | Birds Nest | 6 | Steve Knight | Bob Turnell |
| 1977 | Birds Nest | 7 | Andrew Turnell | Bob Turnell |
| 1978 | Sea Pigeon | 8 | Ian Watkinson | Peter Easterby |
| 1979 | Birds Nest | 9 | Andrew Turnell | Bob Turnell |
| 1980 | Sea Pigeon [lower-alpha 1] | 10 | Alan Brown | Peter Easterby |
| 1981 | Ekbalco | 5 | David Goulding | Roger Fisher |
| 1982 | Donegal Prince | 6 | Phil Tuck | Paul Kelleway |
| 1983 | Gaye Brief | 6 | Sam Morshead | Mercy Rimell |
| 1984 | Browne's Gazette | 6 | Dermot Browne | Monica Dickinson |
| 1985 | Out of the Gloom | 4 | Jonjo O'Neill | Reg Hollinshead |
| 1986 | Tom Sharp | 6 | S. J. O'Neill | Walter Wharton |
| 1987 | Floyd | 7 | Colin Brown | David Elsworth |
| 1988 | Floyd | 8 | Simon Sherwood | David Elsworth |
| 1989 | Kribensis | 5 | Mark Dwyer | Michael Stoute |
| 1990 | Beech Road | 8 | Richard Guest | Toby Balding |
| 1991 | Royal Derbi | 6 | Chris Grant | Neville Callaghan |
| 1992 | Halkopous | 6 | Steve Smith Eccles | Mark Tompkins |
| no race 1993 [lower-alpha 2] | ||||
| 1994 | Batabanoo | 5 | Peter Niven | Mary Reveley |
| 1995 | Padre Mio | 7 | Richard Guest | Charlie Brooks |
| 1996 | Space Trucker | 5 | John Shortt | Jessica Harrington |
| 1997 | Star Rage | 7 | Dean Gallagher | Mark Johnston |
| 1998 | Dato Star | 7 | Lorcan Wyer | Malcolm Jefferson |
| 1999 | Dato Star | 8 | Lorcan Wyer | Malcolm Jefferson |
| 2000 | Barton | 7 | Tony Dobbin | Tim Easterby |
| 2001 | Landing Light | 6 | John Kavanagh | Nicky Henderson |
| 2002 | Intersky Falcon | 5 | Liam Cooper | Jonjo O'Neill |
| 2003 | The French Furze | 9 | Brian Harding | Nicky Richards |
| 2004 | Harchibald | 5 | Paul Carberry | Noel Meade |
| 2005 | Arcalis | 5 | Tony Dobbin | Howard Johnson |
| 2006 | Straw Bear | 5 | Tony McCoy | Nick Gifford |
| 2007 | Harchibald | 8 | Paul Carberry | Noel Meade |
| 2008 | Punjabi [lower-alpha 3] | 5 | Barry Geraghty | Nicky Henderson |
| 2009 | Go Native | 6 | Davy Condon | Noel Meade |
| 2010 | Peddlers Cross [lower-alpha 4] | 5 | Jason Maguire | Donald McCain Jr. |
| 2011 | Overturn | 7 | Jason Maguire | Donald McCain Jr. |
| 2012 | Countrywide Flame | 4 | Denis O'Regan | John Quinn |
| 2013 | My Tent Or Yours | 6 | Tony McCoy | Nicky Henderson |
| 2014 | Irving | 6 | Nick Scholfield | Paul Nicholls |
| 2015 | Identity Thief | 5 | Bryan Cooper | Henry De Bromhead |
| 2016 | Irving | 8 | Harry Cobden | Paul Nicholls |
| 2017 | Buveur d'Air | 6 | Barry Geraghty | Nicky Henderson |
| 2018 | Buveur d'Air | 7 | Barry Geraghty | Nicky Henderson |
| 2019 | Cornerstone Lad | 5 | Henry Brooke | Micky Hammond |
| 2020 | Epatante | 6 | Aidan Coleman | Nicky Henderson |
| 2021 (dh) |
Epatante Not So Sleepy |
7 9 |
Aidan Coleman Jonathan Burke |
Nicky Henderson Hughie Morrison |
- Bird's Nest finished first in 1980, but he was relegated to second place after a stewards' inquiry
- The 1993 running was abandoned because of snow
- The 2008 edition was held at Wetherby over 2 miles and 110 yards
- The 2010 edition was held at Newbury over 2 miles and 110 yards
References
- pedigreequery.com – Fighting Fifth Hurdle – Newcastle.
- Ladbrokes Pocket Companion 1990/91. Aesculus Press. 1990. p. 43. ISBN 1-871093-21-X.