Amateur Races at Cheltenham

Horses that don’t have much experience of running races are usually referred to either with reference to their name, such as fillies, or else by the category of race that they can run in, like maiden. If you see a horse race being referred to as an amateur race then don’t get confused and think that it means that the horses haven’t turned professional yet.

That is, in fact, a reference to the jockeys. An amateur race can feature horses of varying ability and be run over different distances, with the only common factor being that the people in the saddles have not yet become pros at their job of being jockeys. That doesn’t mean that they lack experience, however, nor that the races won’t be fun to watch.

Below we look at all of the Amateur races held at Cheltenham racecourse, separated into Cheltenham Festival races and non-festival races.

Amateur Races At The Cheltenham Festival

Race	Distance	Grade	Prize Money
Foxhunter Challenge Cup Foxhunter Challenge Cup Open Hunters' Chase	3m 2f 70y	Class 2 Chase	£43,500
Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup	3m 2f	Class 2 Chase	£67,500
National Hunt Chase	3m 5f 201y	Grade 2	£120,500

Amateur Races At Other Cheltenham Meetings

Race	Distance	Grade	Prize Money
Handicap Hurdle	2m 179y	Class 3 Hurdle	£16,400
Junior Jumpers Open Hunters' Chase	2m 4f 127y	Class 5 Chase	£5,000
Open Hunters' Chase	4m 97y	Class 4 Chase	£6,200
Mares' Open Hunters' Chase	3m 1f 56y	Class 4 Chase	£6,200
Mixed Open Gold Cup Final Hunters' Chase	3m 2f 70y	Class 2 Chase	£24,000
Open Hunters' Chase	3m 1f 56y	Class 4 Chase	£6,300
Championship Final Hunters' Chase	3m 2f	Class 4 Chase	£8,000
Open Hunters' Chase	2m 62y	Class 5 Chase	£4,800
Amateur Riders' Handicap Chase	3m 1f	Class 3 Chase	£15,000

What Are Amateur Horse Races?

It is part of the curiosity of horse racing that amateurs can take part in standard races, but professionals are not allowed to take part in the races that are aimed squarely at amateurs. That’s because these races are designed to give amateurs the experience of racing without asking them to compete against people that are already exceptional at their job.

Amateur racing has been around as long as horse racing itself, giving riders the opportunity to learn the ropes before deciding whether to turn professional or not. The key reason to be viewed as an amateur is that jockeys can then claim a given weight off their horse, usually starting at 7 pounds and being reduced the more wins are notched up.

Amateur races are, as you might have guessed, those that are limited to amateur riders only. You can tell an amateur rider because their name is written on the race card for the day with a prefix of Mr, Mrs, Miss or whatever other title they bear. The races that are for amateurs are blocked to any rider other than those that have yet to turn professional.

Rules For Amateur Races

There are no real rules about amateur races, in the sense that they don’t have to be limited to be run over a certain distance or only feature a given number of fences. Amateur races can be handicap or non-handicap races, with the only hard and fast rule being that the competitors cannot be licensed professionals to take part in the race.

If you’re unsure then it’s always worth checking out the race card to find out what the rules for the race are. The race card will give you all necessary information, including whether the race is open to all amateur jockeys or limited to just ladies or just gentleman.

In short, there are no hard and fast rules in terms of what the race will look like. That being said, it’s unusual for an amateur race to be overly tricky for the simple reason the jockeys aren’t experienced so race organisers tend not to want to ask too much of them.

Whilst that case of there being no hard and fast rule also extends to what sort of horse amateur riders tend to race upon, it’s not uncommon for amateur riders to race on older horses that are more experience and know the racecourses that they’re running on quite well.

Similarly, it’s unusual for amateur races to be run on long courses with difficult jumps, which is why races such as the Foxhunter Challenge Cup, which is basically the Gold Cup but for amateur riders, stand out and are well respected within the industry.

Being An Amateur Jockey

Amateur jockeys are people who tend to want to ride for fun rather than for money, if for no other reason than they don’t get riding fees in the same way as professional jockeys. Those with a Category A Licence are able to race against other amateurs, whilst Category B Licenses entitle the holders to race against amateurs and professionals.

If you’re hoping to take part in races then in the majority of cases you’ll need to be a member of the Amateur Jockeys Association. There are some exceptions to that, which are Hunter Chases, military races and races in which professionals are also able to take part.

Race Examples

The best thing to do to outline how amateur races work is to give you some specific examples of actual races that take place during the National Hunt calendar. Here’s a look at three hurdle races and three chases: