The Alder Hey Aintree Bowl is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Aintree over a distance of about 3 miles and 1 furlong (3 miles and 210 yards, or ), and during its running there are nineteen fences to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year in early April.
History The event was established in 1984, and it was originally designed as a consolation prize for horses which were beaten or had been unable to participate in the previous month's Cheltenham Gold Cup. The inaugural running was backed by Perrier-Jouët, and it was titled the Perrier-Jouët Champagne Cup. For the following three years it was sponsored by Whitbread and called the Whitbread Gold Label Cup.
Subsequent sponsors have included Martell (the Martell Cup, the Martell Cognac Cup) and Betfair (the Betfair Bowl). Totesport began supporting the event as the Totesport Bowl in 2008 and the sponsorship was taken over by Betfred in 2012 after that company purchased The Tote in 2011. Betway took over sponsorship from the 2017 running. For the 2023 edition the race was run as the Alder Hey Aintree Bowl as part of the 21st anniversary of the partnership between Aintree Racecourse and the Alder Hey Children's Charity.
The race was promoted to Grade 1 status in 2010. It is currently held on the opening day of the three-day Grand National meeting.
Records Most successful horse (2 wins): Wayward Lad – 1985, 1987 Docklands Express – 1993, 1994 First Gold – 2001, 2003 Silviniaco Conti – 2014, 2015 Clan Des Obeaux – 2021, 2022
Leading jockey (2 wins): Richard Dunwoody – Aquilifer (1991), Docklands Express (1994) Thierry Doumen – First Gold (2001, 2003) Tony McCoy – Tiutchev (2004), Exotic Dancer (2007) Timmy Murphy – Celestial Gold (2006), Our Vic (2008) Noel Fehily – Silviniaco Conti (2014, 2015) Paddy Brennan – Nacarat (2011), Cue Card (2016) Ruby Walsh – What A Friend (2010), Kemboy (2019) Harry Cobden – Clan Des Obeaux (2021, 2022) Nico de Boinville – Might Bite (2018), Shishkin (2023)
Leading trainer (6 wins): Paul Nicholls – See More Business (2000), What a Friend (2010), Silviniaco Conti (2014, 2015), Clan Des Obeaux (2021, 2022)
Winners Year Winner Age Jockey Trainer 1984 Royal Bond 11 Tom Taaffe Arthur Moore 1985 Wayward Lad 10 John Francome Monica Dickinson 1986 Beau Ranger 8 Hywel Davies John Thorne 1987 Wayward Lad 12 Graham McCourt Monica Dickinson 1988 Desert Orchid 9 Simon Sherwood David Elsworth 1989 Yahoo 8 Tom Morgan John Edwards 1990 Toby Tobias 8 Mark Pitman Jenny Pitman 1991 Aquilifer 11 Richard Dunwoody Martin Pipe 1992 Kings Fountain 9 Anthony Tory Kim Bailey 1993 Docklands Express 11 Jamie Osborne Kim Bailey 1994 Docklands Express 12 Richard Dunwoody Kim Bailey 1995 Merry Gale 7 Graham Bradley Jim Dreaper 1996 Scotton Banks 7 Lorcan Wyer Tim Easterby 1997 Barton Bank 11 David Walsh David Nicholson 1998 Escartefigue 6 Richard Johnson David Nicholson 1999 Macgeorge 9 Adrian Maguire Richard Lee 2000 See More Business 10 Mick Fitzgerald Paul Nicholls 2001 First Gold 8 Thierry Doumen François Doumen 2002 Florida Pearl 10 Barry Geraghty Willie Mullins 2003 First Gold 10 Thierry Doumen François Doumen 2004 Tiutchev 11 Tony McCoy Martin Pipe 2005 Grey Abbey 11 Graham Lee Howard Johnson 2006 Celestial Gold 8 Timmy Murphy Martin Pipe 2007 Exotic Dancer 7 Tony McCoy Jonjo O'Neill 2008 Our Vic 10 Timmy Murphy David Pipe 2009 Madison du Berlais 8 Tom Scudamore David Pipe 2010 What A Friend 7 Ruby Walsh Paul Nicholls 2011 Nacarat 10 Paddy Brennan Tom George 2012 Follow The Plan 9 Tom Doyle Oliver McKiernan 2013 First Lieutenant 8 Bryan Cooper Mouse Morris 2014 Silviniaco Conti 8 Noel Fehily Paul Nicholls 2015 Silviniaco Conti 9 Noel Fehily Paul Nicholls 2016 Cue Card 10 Paddy Brennan Colin Tizzard 2017 Tea For Two 8 Lizzie Kelly Nick Williams 2018 Might Bite 9 Nico de Boinville Nicky Henderson 2019 Kemboy 7 Ruby Walsh Willie Mullins no race 2020 2021 Clan Des Obeaux 9 Harry Cobden Paul Nicholls 2022 Clan Des Obeaux 10 Harry Cobden Paul Nicholls 2023 Shishkin 9 Nico de Boinville Nicky Henderson 2024 Gerri Colombe 8 Jack Kennedy Gordon Elliott 2025 Gaelic Warrior 7 Patrick Mullins Willie Mullins 2026 Jango Baie 7 Nico de Boinville Nicky Henderson
See also Horse racing in Great Britain List of British National Hunt races Recurring sporting events established in 1984 – this race is included under its original title, Perrier-Jouët Champagne Cup.
References
Racing Post: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
aintree.co.uk – 2010 John Smith's Grand National Media Guide. pedigreequery.com – Bowl Chase – Aintree.
External links Race Recordings (1984-2008) youtube.com