subject: Sporting Bet And The Hennessy Gold Cup [print this page] The Hennessy Gold Cup is a Grade 3 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Newbury over a distance of about 3 miles and 2.5 furlongs (5,331 metres), and during its running there are twenty-one fences to be jumped. It is a handicap race, and it is scheduled to take place each year in late November or early December.
Last months Hennessy meeting at Newbury will surely go down as one of the highlights of the 2010/11 jump season and indeed one of 2010s best horse racing moments.
We have to start with the main race itself and theres no doubt that Denman went down in glorious defeat. In some ways his third place finish in this years Hennessy was more gallant than his victories in 2007 and 2009. To concede almost two stone to pretty much all the field (and make no mistake this years field included a stellar cast) and still finish in the places was an incredible performance and one of the finest moments in his distinguished horse racing career.
But what about the victor Diamond Harry? He was backed in all day and was sent off at a Starting Price of 6/1? Theres no doubt he well and truly left behind his flop in the RSA Chase at the Cheltenham Festival with a rousing performance here at his beloved Newbury. Theres no doubt that this horse is going places and Sportingbet have cut his Gold Cup odds to 12/1. Another great performance later this year and his Starting Price will be considerably shorter than those odds. Can he play a part in the biggest race of the biggest festival in horse racing in 2011?
Expect a big season from runner-up Burton Port this year. You get the feeling this horse would have won the race were it not for his mistake at the 17th fence and he certainly has a bright future in horse racing.
As for the race itself, well it was a vintage renewal of the Hennessy and the days of average horses' winning this historic race with massive Starting Prices attached to their name seems a long time ago.
The event was established in 1957, and it was initially staged at Cheltenham. The winner of the inaugural running, Mandarin, was owned by Peggy Hennessy, a member of the family which founded Hennessy, the races sponsoring company. It was transferred to Newbury in 1960, and it was won by Mandarin for a second time in 1961.
The races association with Hennessy has continued throughout its history, and this now represents British racings longest commercial sponsorship. The record was previously held by the Whitbread Gold Cup, which was first run seven months before the "Hennessy", and which was sponsored by Whitbread until 2001.
The Hennessy Gold Cup has been won by seven horses which have also achieved victory in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
