The Paddy Power Cheltenham Countdown Podcast is a Premier Handicap National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and 4½ furlongs (2 miles 4 furlongs and 127 yards, or 4,139 metres) and during the race there are 17 fences to be jumped. It is a handicap race, and is scheduled to take place each year in late January. Prior to 2014 it was run as the Murphy Group Chase and from 2014 to 2016 it was sponsored by freebets.com It is currently sponsored by the Paddy Power bookmaking company.
The race was first run in 1993 and was awarded Listed status in 2002, when it was known as the Ladbroke Trophy Chase. It was awarded Grade 3 status in 2005 and re-classified as a Premier Handicap in 2023.
Winners Year Winner Age Weight Jockey Trainer 1993 Ryde Again 10 11-09 Mark Pitman Jenny Pitman 1994 Waterloo Boy 11 12-00 Richard Dunwoody David Nicholson 1995 Couldnt Be Better 8 10-04 Graham Bradley Charlie Brooks1996Abandoned because of frost 1997 Dublin Flyer 11 12-00 Brendon Powell Snr Tim Forster 1998 Papillon 7 10-03 Norman Williamson Ted Walsh 1999 Dr Leunt 8 10-03 Norman Williamson Philip Hobbs 2000 Makounji 6 10-08 Mick Fitzgerald Nicky Henderson 2001 Young Spartacus 8 10-09 Richard Johnson Henry Daly 2002 Foly Pleasant 8 11-10 Jim Culloty Henrietta Knight 2003 Lady Cricket 9 11-12 Tony McCoy Martin Pipe 2004 Hunters Tweed 8 10-03 Graham Lee Peter Beaumont 2005 Buckby Lane 9 10-04 Tom Doyle Paul Webber2006Abandoned because of frost 2007 Whispered Secret 8 10-03 Rodi Greene David Pipe 2008 Maljimar 8 10-07 Daryl Jacob Nick Williams 2009 The Sawyer 9 10-00 Will Kennedy Bob Buckler 2010 The Sawyer 10 10-10 Nathan Sweeney Bob Buckler 2011 Wishfull Thinking 8 11-03 Richard Johnson Philip Hobbs 2012 The Giant Bolster 7 10-03 Tom Scudamore David Bridgwater 2013 Katenko 7 10-13 Aidan Coleman Venetia Williams 2014 Wishfull Thinking 11 11-12 Richard Johnson Philip Hobbs 2015 Annacotty 7 11-08 Gavin Sheehan Martin Keighley 2016 Annacotty 8 11-09 Ian Popham Alan King 2017 Foxtail Hill 8 10-00 Jamie Bargary Nigel Twiston-Davies 2018 Frodon 6 11-07 Bryony Frost Paul Nicholls 2019 Siruh Du Lac 6 10-06 Lizzie Kelly Nick Williams 2020 Cepage 8 11-12 Charlie Deutsch Venetia Williams2021Abandoned because of waterlogging 2022 Torn and Frayed 8 10-10 Sam Twiston-Davies Nigel Twiston-Davies 2023 Il Ridoto 6 10-12 Harry Cobden Paul Nicholls 2024 Ga Law 8 11-08 Gavin Sheehan Jamie Snowden 2025 Moon D'Orange 7 10-05 Sean Bowen John McConnell 2026 Donnacha 8 10-08 James Davies Nigel Hawke
See also Horse racing in Great Britain List of British National Hunt races
References
Racing Post: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,