The Becher Chase is a Premier Handicap National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged six years or older. It is run at Aintree over a distance of about 3 miles and 2 furlongs (3 miles 1 furlong and 188 yards, or 5,201 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 November or December.

It is run over the same fences as Aintree's most famous race, the Grand National, and it serves as an early-season trial for that event. Two winners have gone on to win the Grand National; Amberleigh House and Silver Birch. Earth Summit won the race in 1998 following his Grand National win the previous April.

One of the obstacles jumped is Becher's Brook, which is named in memory of Martin Becher (1799–1864). The Becher Chase was established in 1992, when a new race meeting was introduced at Aintree. For the twenty years prior to this, the Grand National meeting had been the venue's only horse racing fixture of the year. The Becher Chase was upgraded to Grade Three by the British Horseracing Board (BHA) from its 2014 running and was re-classified as a Premier Handicap from the 2022 running when Grade 3 status was renamed by the BHA.

Records Most successful horse (2 wins): Into The Red – 1994, 1996 Hello Bud - 2010, 2012 Walk In The Mill - 2018, 2019 Vieux Lion Rouge - 2016, 2020

Most successful jockey (2 wins): Chris Maude - Indian Tonic (1993), Young Hustler (1995) Tony Dobbin - Into The Red (1996), Feels Like Gold (1999) Sam Twiston-Davies - Hello Bud (2010, 2012) James Best - Walk In The Mill (2018, 2019)

Most successful trainer (6 wins): Nigel Twiston-Davies - Indian Tonic (1993), Young Hustler (1995), Earth Summit (1998), Hello Bud (2010, 2012), Blaklion (2017)

Winners Weights given in stones and pounds. Year Winner Age Weight Jockey Trainer 1992 Kildimo 12 10-03 Lorcan Wyer Sue Smith 1993 Indian Tonic 7 10-06 Chris Maude Nigel Twiston-Davies 1994 Into the Red 10 10-04 Richard Guest John White 1995 Young Hustler 8 12-00 Chris Maude Nigel Twiston-Davies 1996 Into the Red 12 10-00 Tony Dobbin Mary Reveley 1997 Samlee 8 10-00 Rodney Farrant Philip Hobbs 1998 Earth Summit 10 12-00 Tom Jenks Nigel Twiston-Davies 1999 Feels Like Gold 11 10-00 Tony Dobbin Nicky Richards 2000 Young Kenny 9 12-00 Russ Garritty Peter Beaumont 2001 Amberleigh House 9 10-09 Warren Marston Ginger McCain 2002 Ardent Scout 10 09-11 Dominic Elsworth Sue Smith 2003 Clan Royal 8 10–12 Liam Cooper Jonjo O'Neill 2004 Silver Birch 7 10-01 Ruby Walsh Paul Nicholls 2005 Garvivonnian 10 10-04 Garrett Cotter Ned Mitchell 2006 Eurotrek 10 11-07 Liam Heard Paul Nicholls 2007 Mr Pointment 8 11-05 Sam Thomas Paul Nicholls 2008 Black Apalachi 9 10-05 Denis O'Regan Dessie Hughes 2009 Vic Venturi 9 11–12 Paddy Flood Dessie Hughes 2010 Hello Bud 12 10-05 Sam Twiston-Davies Nigel Twiston-Davies 2011 West End Rocker 9 10–10 Wayne Hutchinson Alan King 2012 Hello Bud 14 10-00 Sam Twiston-Davies Nigel Twiston-Davies 2013 Chance du Roy 9 10-06 Tom O'Brien Philip Hobbs 2014 Oscar Time 13 10–12 Sam Waley-Cohen Robert Waley-Cohen 2015 Highland Lodge 9 10-00 Henry Brooke James Moffatt 2016 Vieux Lion Rouge 7 10-09 Tom Scudamore David Pipe 2017 Blaklion 8 11-06 Gavin Sheehan Nigel Twiston-Davies 2018 Walk In The Mill 8 10-03 James Best Robert Walford 2019 Walk In The Mill 9 10-08 James Best Robert Walford 2020 Vieux Lion Rouge 11 10-07 Conor O'Farrell David Pipe 2021 Snow Leopardess 9 10-04 Aidan Coleman Charlie Longsdon 2022 Ashtown Lad 8 11-05 Harry Skelton Dan Skelton 2023 Chambard 11 10-01 Lucy Turner Venetia Williams 2024 no race 2024 2025 Twig 10 11-00 Beau Morgan Ben Pauling

See also Horse racing in Great Britain List of British National Hunt races

References

Racing Post: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

aintree.co.uk – 2009 John Smith's Grand National Media Guide. pedigreequery.com – Becher Chase – Aintree.

External links Race Recordings (1992-2010) youtube.com Official Site of the Becher Chase