Ascot Racecourse has only one horse racing fixture scheduled for the month of February, but what a fixture that is! Known to bring to the tracks some of the most renowned horses in Britain’s National Hunt racing, Betfair Ascot Chase Raceday carries the reputation of one of the most prestigious race meetings in the country. So if you are looking for an original way to spend Valentine’s Day this year, this may be a great opportunity.
Ascot Racecourse doesn’t need much of an introduction. One of the most prominent racecourses in the country and probably the most well known one, Ascot offers top tier events for all horse racing enthusiasts.
As it is designed to have both flat racing and jump racing tracks, Ascot Racecourse stays active all year around. The National Hunt season here lasts between October and March and hosts 8 jump meetings, while the flat season takes place between April and October and hosts 18 flat meetings.
Out of Britain’s 36 annual flat Group 1 races, 13 are held at the Ascot Racecourse. The racecourse also hosts three Grade 1 National Hunt races, Ascot Chase among them. Other notable races include the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (July, flat) and Ascot Silver Cup (December, National Hunt).
This season, the Ascot Chase Raceday fixture is scheduled to take place on 14 February. The Betfair Novices’ Hurdle Race will open the meeting as its first race, while The Betfair Mares’ Open National Hunt Flat Race will close the event.
The Betfair Ascot Steeple Chase, which gave the name to the entire event, will be conducted in the second half of the meeting.
Key Dates & Timings
The Betfair Ascot Steeple Chase 2026 meeting will be conducted in the second week of February and last for one day. This horse racing fixture will include seven races. The entire event is named after its featured race, one of Britain’s most prestigious National Hunt steeple chases.
Day One: The Betfair Ascot Steeple Chase
- When: Saturday, 14 February 2026
- Gate opening: 10:45 am
- First race: 1:15 pm
- Headline race: 3:35 pm
- Last race: 4:45 pm
The daily race card for the Betfair Ascot Steeple Chase 2026 is as follows:
Saturday, 14 February
Going: soft
| Time | Race | Distance | Conditions |
| 1:15 pm | THE BETFAIR NOVICES’ HURDLE RACE (CLASS 2) (GBB RACE) (CL 2) | Two miles about three and a half furlongs
(2m 3f 63yds) |
5YO+ £25,000.00 |
| 1:50 pm | THE INJURED JOCKEYS FUND AMBASSADORS PROGRAMME REYNOLDSTOWN NOVICES’ STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 1) (Grade 2) (GBB RACE) (CL 1) | About three miles
(2m 7f 185yds) |
5YO+ £75,000.00 |
| 2:25 pm | THE BETFAIR EXCHANGE HANDICAP HURDLE RACE (CLASS 2) (GBB RACE) (CL 2) | Two miles about three and a half furlongs
(2m 3f 63yds) |
4YO+ £50,000.00 |
| 3:00 pm | THE BETFAIR SWINLEY HANDICAP STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 1) (PREMIER HANDICAP) (GBB RACE) (CL 1) | About three miles
(2m 7f 185yds) |
5YO+ £100,000.00 |
| 3:35 pm | THE BETFAIR ASCOT STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 1) (Grade 1) (GBB RACE) (CL 1) | Two miles about five furlongs
(2m 5f 13yds) |
5YO+ £175,000.00 |
| 4:10 pm | THE BETFAIR HANDICAP HURDLE RACE (CLASS 3) (Challenger Stayers Hurdle Series Qualifier) (CL 3) | Two miles about seven and a half furlongs
(2m 7f 123yds) |
4YO+ £18,650.00 Rating 0-125 |
| 4:45 pm | THE BETFAIR MARES’ OPEN NATIONAL HUNT FLAT RACE (CLASS 2) (Category 1 Elimination) (GBB RACE) (CL 2) | About two miles
(1m 7f 157yds) |
4-6YO £16,500.00 |
Headline Races at the Betfair Ascot Chase Raceday 2026
The Betfair Ascot Chase Raceday 2026 meeting includes 7 races conducted during one day of the event. Horse racing enthusiasts attending the event at Ascot Racecourse on Valentine’s Day will be delighted to find a multitude of varying runners, race conditions, and tracks that will cater to even the most exquisite taste.
The Betfair Ascot Steeple Chase (Saturday, 14 February)
The Betfair Ascot Steeple Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeple chase that accepts both male and female horses aged five years or older. It is run over the distance of about 2 miles and 5 furlongs (2 miles, 5 furlongs and 85 yards, or 4,302 metres) and includes seventeen fences to be jumped.
Despite being established only 31 years ago, in 1995, Ascot Steeple Chase proudly holds its place among some of the most prestigious National Hunt races in Britain. It has changed its running distance and venue of conduct twice in its history. Initially set at 2 miles and 3 ½ furlongs (3,923 metres), the distance was modified when the race briefly switched its location to Lingfield Park. In 2007, it was returned to Ascot and the next year its current length was introduced.
Bay gelding Martha’s Son, who was 8 at the time, became the first winner of the chase during its inaugural run in 1995. He was led to the finish line by jockey Rodney Farrant. Martha’s Son was trained by Tim Forster. For all three of them, this was their first and only win at Ascot Steeple Chase.
Currently, there are 8 runners announced to compete in this year’s race, but this number may change before the day of the race. Some of the jockeys for the race have already been announced, others are still awaiting confirmation.
The current full list of contenders, their jockeys, and trainers runs as follows:
- Blow Your Wad (age 8, jockey Caoilin Quinn, trainer Gary and Josh Moore)
- Classic Maestro (age 8, trainer Jennie Candlish)
- Edwardstone (age 12, jockey Tom Cannon, trainer Alan King)
- Etalon (age 9, trainer Dan Skelton)
- Heltenham (age 9, trainer Dan Skelton)
- Jonbon (age 10, trainer Nicky Henderson)
- Pic d’Orhy (age 11, jockey Harry Cobden, trainer Paul Nicholls)
- Riskintheground (age 9, trainer Dan Skelton)
The Injured Jockeys Fund Ambassadors Programme Reynoldstown Novices’ Steeple Chase (Saturday, 14 February)
The Reynoldstown Novices’ Steeple Chase is a Grade 2 National Hunt steeple chase that accepts both male and female horses aged five years or older. It is run over the distance of about 3 miles (2 miles, 7 furlongs and 180 yards, or 4,790 metres) and includes twenty fences to be cleared.
As the name suggests, this steeple chase is for novice chasers. Established in 1971, it inherited its name from a renowned race horse Reynoldstown who won the Grand National twice in the 1930s. It is also largely treated as a trial for the RSA Insurance Novices’ Chase that takes place during the Cheltenham Festival.
While the history of the Reynoldstown Novices’ Steeple Chase holds records of 54 winning horses since the day of its establishment, no single horse has achieved this victory more than once in its racing career. That’s why there isn’t a horse leading the winners’ chart with multiple wins.
Two jockeys share the title of the most successful jockey at the Reynoldstown Novices’ Steeple Chase, each holding 3 wins: Ruby Walsh (Gungadu 2007, Albertas Run 2008, Rocky Creek 2013) and Barry Geraghty (Burton Port 2010, Master of the Hall 2011, O’Faolains Boy 2014). Among the trainers, Nicky Henderson leads the parade with 4 wins (Bacchanal 2001, Burton Port 2010, Master of the Hall 2011, Vyta Du Roc 2016).
The latest winner of the race in 2025 is the 8 year old bay gelding The Changing Man led by jockey Brendan Powell and trained by Joe Tizzard.
Currently, there are 6 runners announced to compete in this year’s race, but this number may change before the day of the race. Some of the jockeys for the race have already been announced, others are still awaiting confirmation.
The current full list of contenders, their jockeys, and trainers runs as follows:
- Crest Of Fortune (age 6, trainer Anthony Honeyball)
- Presenting A Queen (age 9, trainer Anthony Honeyball)
- The Jukebox Kid (age 7, jockey Ben Jones, trainer Ben Pauling)
- Thomas Mor (age 9, jockey Ben Jones, trainer Philip Hobbs and Johnson White)
- Western Knight (age 7, jockey Brendan Powell, trainer Joe Tizzard)
- Wyenot (age 7, trainer Henry Daly)
The Betfair Swinley Handicap Steeple Chase (Saturday, 14 February)
The Betfair Swinley Handicap Steeple Chase is a National Hunt Premier Handicap handicap chase that accepts both male and female horses aged five years or older. It is run over the distance of about 3 miles (2 miles, 7 furlongs and 180 yards, or 4,790 metres) and includes twenty fences to be cleared.
Though it was officially launched as recently as 2011, Swinley Handicap Steeple Chase is a reincarnation of the Whitbread Trial Handicap Chase, later also known as the Crispin Handicap. The original chase was launched in 1966 and discontinued in 1994. The revived chase first held a Listed status, which was later changed to Premier Handicap in 2023.
After its renewal in 2011, Swinley Steeple Chase has never been won by any horse more than once. As of now, the place of the leading horse of the chase with the most wins is yet to be filled.
After securing another victory at the race last year, Charlie Deutsch became the first most successful jockey of Swinley Steeple Chase, having two wins under his belt (Calipto 2019, Victtorino 2025). Venetia Williams leads the charts among the trainers, having 3 wins to her credit (Tenor Nivernais 2017, Calipto 2019, Victtorino 2025).
The latest winner of the race in 2025 is the 7 year old bay gelding Victtorino led by jockey Charlie Deutsch and trained by Venetia Williams.
Currently, there are 20 runners announced to compete in this year’s race, but this number may change before the day of the race. Some of the jockeys for the race have already been announced, others are still awaiting confirmation.
The current full list of contenders, their jockeys, and trainers runs as follows:
- Beauport (age 10, trainer Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies)
- Blow Your Wad (age 8, jockey Caoilin Quinn, trainer Gary and Josh Moore)
- Credo (age 11, trainer Anthony Honeyball)
- Excello (age 7, trainer Nikcy Henderson)
- Gericault Roque (age 10, jockey Jack Tudor, trainer David Pipe)
- Henry’s Friend (age 9, jockey Ben Jones, trainer Ben Pauling)
- Hunter Legend (age 9, jockey Charlie Deutsch, trainer Venetia Williams)
- In d’Or (age 8, jockey Jonathan Burke, trainer Fergal O’Brien)
- Invincible Nao (age 8, jockey Caoilin Quinn, trainer Gary and Josh Moore)
- Jipcot (age 7, trainer Jonjo and A J O’Neill)
- Joyeux Machin (age 9, jockey Tristan Durrell, trainer Dan Skelton)
- King’s Threshold (age 9, trainer Emma Lavelle)
- Leader In The Park (age 8, jockey Ben Jones, trainer Ben Pauling)
- Montregard (age 7, jockey Harry Cobden, trainer Tom Lacey)
- Nocte Volatus (age 11, jockey Stan Sheppard, trainer Tom Lacey)
- Rivers Corner (age 8, jockey Brendan Powell, trainer Joe Tizzard)
- Sam Brown (age 14, jockey Chad Bament, trainer Anthony Honeyball)
- Threeunderthrufive (age 11, trainer Paul Nicholls)
- Walking On Air (age 9, trainer Faye Bramley)
- Your Darling (age 11, jockey Ben Jones, trainer Ben Pauling)
Betting at Betfair Ascot Chase Raceday
Betting on your favourite horse racing fixture has been part of the race going experience for centuries. When it comes to betting, Ascot Racecourse follows the tradition to the T and offers various opportunities to all its adult visitors.
Any horse betting enthusiast can place a wager at various bookmaking venues available at the racecourse or, if you are feeling like going old school, try the bookies at the tracks. You will recognise them by blackboards that display the offered odds. And of course, it is always possible to place a bet online from the comfort of your home.
If you are planning to participate in betting activities during the Betfair Ascot Chase Raceday 2026, make sure you are doing it responsibly. Before you place your wager, analyse the current tendencies and markets, check reputable sources to learn more about the announced runners, their perceived chances and challenges, as well as past performances and physical form. For those who attend the meeting in person, it is always a good idea to take a look at the horses in the Parade Ring.
At 7bet, we offer a wide range of horse race betting markets both for domestic and international events.
Please note that odds for the Betfair Ascot Chase Raceday 2026 will be available closer to the event date.
Betting at the Ascot Chase Raceday 2026 includes various horse betting markets, with some of the most popular ones being:
- Win: Even if this is your first time betting at a horse racing fixture, this market is pretty simple to follow, so you won’t have trouble understanding its mechanism. Your task as a punter here is to predict which horse will outrun all its rivals and come first to the finish line. If the horse you bet on to win does indeed win the race, your wager will be eligible for a payout proportional to the offered odds and your stake size. With the betting objective directly related to the main principle of any sports event, that is, defining the winner, this betting market remains an all time favourite with both experienced punters and newbie bettors.
- Place: If you already know the betting mechanism of the previous market, understanding this one won’t take a lot of effort. In fact, it operates on a very similar principle, however its primary objective is quite different. When you place a wager on a horse under this betting market, you predict that this horse will finish the race within the winning top, known as “placement” in horse racing, hence the market name. The number of places in the winning top may vary from two to four, based on how many horses were announced to run in the race. This will be defined before the start of the race. As there are more opportunities to be placed than to win the race, this market is considered lower risk as opposed to the previous one. In addition, another advantage you get is that you don’t even have to predict the exact placement for your horse. As long as it makes the winning top, your wager will bring you a win.
- First Two (or First Three): If you are feeling lucky and want to bet on which horses are going to make it into the entire winning top, try your hand at this betting market. Here instead of predicting the winner or one horse within the winning top, you are naming all the horses to be placed. You may place your wager on the first two or first three horses to come to the finish line, depending on how many runners are standing at the start. But bear in mind that you aren’t betting on each horse separately. Instead, you define the entire winning top and place one wager, and this is what adds to the risk factor of this betting market. First of all, all the horses you named have to come to the finish line within the winning top. And second, they need to do so in the precise order you specified. If one of them doesn’t get placed or they reach the finish line in a different order, you will lose your wager.
- Two From Three: The idea behind this betting market somewhat resembles the previous one, but it is considered to offer lower risk, and here is why. As a punter, you are predicting two out of the first three horses to come to the finish line. However you get an advantage here because their exact placement won’t have any bearing on your wager. All you have to do is name correctly two horses within the top three for your stake to qualify for a payout. But if one of your nominated horses lags behind your wager will be lost.
Always remember to gamble responsibly and treat betting as a form of entertainment and not means for financial gain.
Ascot Steeple Chase Past Winners
Ascot Steeple Chase might be a comparatively new race, running for the past 31 years, but it never had a lack of truly exceptional runners, experienced jockeys, and prolific trainers that would make a name for themselves, defeating every rival and winning the competition.
The horses who won the Ascot Steeple Chase in the past 6 years since 2020 were the following:
| Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Trainer |
| 2020 | Riders Onthe Storm | 7 | Sam Twiston-Davies | Nigel Twiston-Davies |
| 2021 | Dashel Drasher | 8 | Matt Griffiths | Jeremy Scott |
| 2022 | Fakir d’Oudairies | 7 | Mark Walsh | Joseph O’Brien |
| 2023 | Shishkin | 9 | Nico de Boinville | Nicky Henderson |
| 2024 | Pic d’Orhy | 9 | Harry Cobden | Paul Nicholls |
| 2025 | Pic d’Orhy | 10 | Harry Cobden | Paul Nicholls |
For the 10 year old bay gelding Pic d’Orhy, the victory at the 2025 Ascot Steeple Chase was his second. Having bagged his first trophy in 2024, he returned to Ascot and secured his champion title once again.
Some horse racing reviews would call Pic d’Orhy and the Ascot Racecourse a match made in heaven, commenting on how the racecourse contour perfectly matched his skills. Pic d’Orhy, who has had quite an impressive career since 2018 when he debuted on the tracks, was everyone’s favourite when making forecasts for 2025, and he didn’t disappoint. His most prominent rival was Corbetts Cross, but Pic d’Orhy left him no chance.
Same as in the previous year, he was led by Harry Cobden. For the jockey, this became his third win, making him one of the two most successful jockeys of Ascot Steeple Chase. Apart from the 2024 victory with Pic d’Orhy, he also led the winner Cyrname to the finish line in 2019. Trainer Paul Nicholls once again proved to be the undisputed champion of the race, the 2025 win being his sixth.
Runners for the 2026 Ascot Steeple Chase horse racing fixture have already been announced. Pic d’Orhy has entered the race for the third year in a row and seems to be ready to try and outdo his rivals on the track once again.
Ascot Steeple Chase Records
As per the Ascot Steeple Chase rules, both male and female horses can enter the race if they have reached the age of five. Ascot Steeple Chase doesn’t set the upper age limit, which means that any horse can have multiple tries and potentially multiple wins during the course of its racing career.
The most successful runners, jockeys, and trainers to win the Ascot Steeple Chase multiple times were as follows:
- Leading horse: Tiutchev (2001, 2003), Monet’s Garden (2007, 2010), Riverside Theatre (2011, 2012), Cue Card (2013, 2017), and Pic d’Orhy (2024, 2025); each with 2 wins
- Leading jockey: Barry Geraghty (Monet’s Garden 2010, Riverside Theatre 2011, 2012) and Harry Cobden (Cyrname 2019, Pic d’Orhy 2024, 2025); each with 3 wins
- Leading trainer: Paul Nicholls with 6 wins (Rockforce 2000, Kauto Star 2008, Silviniaco Conti 2016, Cyrname 2019, Pic d’Orhy 2024, 2025)
Betting is only available to participants above 18 years. Please bet responsibly. BeGambleAware.org