The Jim Ford Challenge Cup was a National Hunt Listed chase in England. It was run at Wincanton over a distance of 3 miles and 1½ furlongs (5,130 metres), and it was scheduled to take place each year in February, on the same card as the Kingwell Hurdle.
The race was last run in 2008 having been turned into a handicap in 2006. During the eighties and early nineties the race regularly featured contests between David Elsworth's locally trained horses (Combs Ditch, Desert Orchid, Cavvies Clown, Lesley Ann) attempting to preserve local honour in the face of invasion by the big battalions from Lambourn (Burrough Hill Lad, Brown Chamberlin, Diamond Edge) and Yorkshire (Bregawn, Silver Buck).
The race was named in honour of Jim Ford, a local trainer who won the 1955 Cheltenham Gold Cup with Gay Donald.
Winners Year Winner Age Weight Jockey Trainer1971Kinloch Brae811-11Eddie HartyToby Balding1972Bighorn811-11David CartwrightC J Vernon Miller1973Arctic Bow811-11Bill ReesBob Turnell1974Royal Toss1211-11John OakseyH Handel1975Kilvulgan811-11Andy TurnellBob Turnell1976Summerville1011-11Andy TurnellBob Turnell1977Border Incident711-06John FrancomeRichard Head1978Abandoned due to snow1979Gay Spartan811-11Tommy CarmodyTony Dickinson1980Diamond Edge911-11Bill SmithFulke Walwyn1981Silver Buck911-11Tommy CarmodyMichael Dickinson1982Henry Bishop911-11Hywel DaviesJosh Gifford1983Combs Ditch711-11Colin Brown David Elsworth1984Burrough Hill Lad811-11John FrancomeJenny Pitman1985Abandoned due to snow and frost1986Abandoned due to frost1987Desert Orchid811-11Colin Brown David Elsworth 1988 Kildimo 8 11-11 Graham Bradley Toby Balding 1989 Cavvies Clown 9 11-10 Russ Arnott David Elsworth 1990 Cavvies Clown 10 11-06 Graham Bradley David Elsworth 1991 Cool Ground 9 11-00 Jimmy Frost Reg Akehurst 1992 Kings Fountain 9 11-02 Anthony Tory Kim Bailey 1993 Cavvies Clown 13 11-02 Graham Bradley Jenny Pitman 1994 See More Indians 7 10-10 Graham Bradley Paul Nicholls 1995 Monsieur Le Cure 9 10-10 Peter Niven John Edwards 1996 Abandoned due to frost 1997 Coome Hill 8 11-02 Jamie Osborne Walter Dennis 1998 Go Ballistic 9 11-08 Tony Dobbin John O'Shea 1999 Double Thriller 9 11-05 Joe Tizzard Paul Nicholls 2000 8 11-07 Richard Johnson Alan King 2001 Marlborough 9 11–12 Mick Fitzgerald Nicky Henderson 2002 See More Business 12 11–12 Joe Tizzard Paul Nicholls 2003 See More Business 13 11–12 Ruby Walsh Paul Nicholls 2004 Exit Swinger 9 11-02 Ruby Walsh Paul Nicholls 2005 Heros Collonges 10 11-02 Christian Williams Paul Nicholls 2006 All in the Stars 8 10–12 Daryl Jacob D P Keane 2007 Little Brick 8 10-07 Tony McCoy David Pipe 2008 Neptune Collonges 7 11-07 Liam Heard Paul Nicholls
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