Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase

The Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase is a Grade 3 race over three miles at Wetherby on Boxing Day.

The Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase is held on Tuesday 26th December 2023.

In 1984 and 1986 the race was won by subsequent Cheltenham Gold Cup winners Forgive ‘n Forget and The Thinker.

Other notable winners include Yahoo (1987), Durham Edition (1989) and Definitely Red (2016).

Find out Rowland Meyrick  Handicap Chase:

Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase

Race Overview – The Rowland Meyrick Chase

Horses must be four years old or older to compete in the Grade 3 National Hunt steeplechase, the Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase.

There are 19 fences to jump during the race, which is run at Wetherby over a distance of around 3 miles (3 miles and 45 yards, or 4,869 metres). It will take place on Boxing Day every year and is a handicap race.

Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase 2023 Odds

The Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase odds are listed below:

1.35 Wetherby (Race 4) - BOG
  • Date: Tuesday 27th of December 2022
  • Time: 13:35
  • Details: 5 Runners Handicap Chase Chase 2m 3f 85y
2 Bass Rock
1/1
3 Castle Rushen
9/2
5 Grand Voyage
5/1
6 Not What It Seems
8/1
4 Grandads Cottage
14/1

Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase 2023 Tips

A very valuable handicap and on paper what should be a competitive race although the horse that stands out significantly is SHAN BLUE. He has been running in very competitive races and the drop back to handicap company looks sure to play to the horses’ strengths and he arrives with what looks to be a very lenient mark. He is strong fancy to take advantage here.

TIP – SHAN BLUE

Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase Previous Winners

Year Winner Age Weight Jockey Trainer
1957Symaethis Nephew710-00B WilkinsonBobby Renton
1958Dondrosa610-09T KellettF Taylor
1959Pendle Lady910-06M TowersA Watson
1960Merryman II912-06Gerry ScottNeville Crump
1966Tudor Fort610-04P BuckleyNeville Crump
1968Chaucer609-13P VaughanW Hall
1969Chesapeake Bay610–13P BuckleyNeville Crump
1970Excess810-09Stan MellorHarry Thomson Jones
1971Great Noise709-07D TaylorW Hall
1972Jomon611-06Tommy StackHarry Thomson Jones
1973Tartan Ace610-05Tommy StackArthur Stephenson
1974Glen Owen710-02P BuckleyNeville Crump
1975The Gent710-09Tommy StackArthur Stephenson
1976Irish Tony810-09D AtkinsNeville Crump
1977Set Point911-05D MunroLady Herries
1978Rambling Artist810–11David GouldingA Gillam
1979Ballet Lord811-10Colin HawkinsNeville Crump
1980Sunset Cristo610–11Chris GrantRay Hawkey
1981no race 1981 [a]
1982Richdee610-06Colin HawkinsNeville Crump
1983Phil the Fluter810-00Shaun KeightleyH. Wharton
1984Forgive 'n Forget711-07Mark DwyerJimmy FitzGerald
1985Fortina's Express811-01R. HawkinsArthur Stephenson
1986The Thinker811-06Richard DunwoodyArthur Stephenson
1987Yahoo710-04Tom MorganJohn Edwards
1988Whats What910-01Peter NivenBrian Bousfield
1989Durham Edition1110-06Alan MerriganArthur Stephenson
1990Bluff Knoll710-00Geoff HarkerBobby Brewis
1991Stay on Tracks910-00Chris GrantArthur Stephenson
1993General Pershing710–13Neale DoughtyGordon W. Richards
1994Cogent1010-08Chris Bonner[b]Jeremy Glover
1997Strath Royal1110-10Martin BrennanOwen Brennan
1998Random Harvest909-11Alan DempseyMary Reveley
2001Behrajan611-10Mark BradburneHenry Daly
2002no race 2002 [c]
2003Gunner Welburn1110-00Richard McGrathAndrew Balding
2004Truckers Tavern911-02Keith MercerFerdy Murphy
2005Therealbandit809-10Andrew GlassonburyMartin Pipe
2006Leading Man610-00Graham LeeFerdy Murphy
2007Lothian Falcon810-07Robert WalfordPeter Maddison
2008Nozic710-08Harry SkeltonPaul Nicholls
2009no race 2009–10 [d]
2011According to Pete1009-11Harry HaynesMalcolm Jefferson
2012Cape Tribulation811-10Jack DoyleMalcolm Jefferson
2013Cloudy Too711-00Jonathan EnglandSue Smith
2014Dolatulo711-04Dougie CostelloWarren Greatrex
2009no race 2015 [e]
2016Definitly Red711-00Henry BrookeBrian Ellison
2017Get On The Yager710-07Henry BrookeDan Skelton
2018Lake View Lad811-10Henry BrookeNick Alexander
2019Top Ville Ben711-11Thomas DowsonPhilip Kirby
2020Canelo711-06Tom BellamyAlan King
2021Good Boy Bobby811-08Sam Twiston-DaviesNigel Twiston-Davies
2022Into Overdrive710-11Jamie HamiltonMark Walford

Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase Previous Result

Famous Rowland Meyrick Chase Winners

1960 Aintree Grand National winner Merryman II won this race in the same season, defying a record weight of 12st 6lbs in the process. The victories which really put this race on the map were those of Gold Cup winners Forgive ‘n Forget and The Thinker.

Forgive ‘n Forget won this race for Jimmy Fitzgerald and Mark Dwyer. The horse had landed a gamble in the Coral Golden Hurdle in 1983 and was runner-up in the Sun Alliance Chase the following season. He won this race in 1984 on his way to a famous Cheltenham Gold Victory, beating Righthand Man and Earls Brig.

The Thinker won a memorable Gold Cup in 1987 after the start was delayed for an hour by blizzard conditions. Trainer Arthur Stephenson chose to attend the meeting at Hexham on the same day where he had seven runners. Punters latched on to the horse who was proven in testing conditions and he justified the support, staying on dourly to beat Cybrandian and Door Latch.

The race almost produced a third Gold Cup winner in Yahoo, the winner here in 1987. He went agonisingly close to winning the 1989 Cheltenham Gold Cup. After being kicked into a clear lead, only the sheer determination of Desert Orchid denied him victory in one of the most memorable jumps races of all time. Yahoo would gain consolation at Aintree the following month in the Martell Cup.

Durham Edition (1989) finished runner-up twice in the Aintree Grand National. He was second to Rhyme ‘N Reason in 1988 and filled the same spot behind Mr Frisk in 1990. He also finished fifth in 1989 and sixth in 1991 when aged thirteen.

2016 winner Definitely Red won 14 of his 38 career races for Trainer Brian Ellison. He earned nearly £430,000 in prize money with 8 of his victories coming over fences. His successes included the Cotswold Chase, the Charlie Hall Chase and the Many Clouds Chase.

Key Rowland Meyrick Chase Trials

Three of the last ten winners of the Rowland Meyrick had run in the Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle on their most recent outing. One of them had won and two had been placed. Two of the last ten winners ran in the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham next time with Cape Tribulation winning both races in 2012-13.

Two winners also contested the Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock; According To Pete winning in 2011-12 and Definitely Red unseating his rider in 2016-17. Only two of the last ten Rowland Meyrick winners ran in the Cheltenham Gold Cup that season but both were well beaten.

Rowland Meyrick Chase Betting Trends

There have been two winning favourites in the last ten renewals of this race; Get On The Yager 100-30 in 2017 and Top Ville Ben 3-1 in 2019.

Considering the competitive nature of this handicap chase, it is worth noting that eight of the last ten winners featured in the first three in the betting. The exceptions were 33-1 outsider According To Pete (2011) and 14-1 chance Dolatulo (2014).

Seven-year-olds have the best recent record with six winners in the past eight renewals.

Three eleven-year-olds have been successful in this race; Durham Edition (1989), Strath Royal (1997) and Gunner Welburn (2003).

Five of the last ten winners had won at least once previously at Wetherby.

Weight is no bar to success in this race. Since According To Pete won off a lightweight in 2011, all nine winners carried 11st or higher. Top Ville Ben won with 11st 11lbs on his back in 2019, the largest weight carried to victory since Merryman II (12st 6lb) in 1960.

Rowland Meyrick Chase – Top Trainers and Jockeys

Legendary Yorkshire Trainers Neville Crump and Arthur Stephenson dominate the statistics here. Crump won it a record seven times; Merryman II (1960), Tudor Fort (1966), Chesapeake Bay (1969), Glen Owen (1974), Irish Tony (1976), Ballet Lord (1979) and Richdee (1982).

Stephenson won it six times; Tartan Ace (1973), The Gent (1975), Fortina’s Express (1985), The Thinker (1986), Durham Edition (1989) and Stay On Tracks (1991).

Jockey Henry Brooke completed a hat-trick of wins in this race aboard Definitly Red (2016), Get On The Yager (2017) and Lake View Lad (2018).

Betting on the Rowland Meyrick Chase

The market has been a very good guide to the outcome of this race in recent seasons with the last six winners starting at 5-1 or shorter.

Previous Wetherby form is a key factor in finding the winner of this competitive event.

Popular Questions

When is the Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase?

The Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase takes place on Monday 26th December 2023 at Wetherby Racecourse.

What are important facts about Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase?

Here are some important facts about Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase:

  • The Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase is run at Wetherby Racecourse, Great Britain
  • The Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase is for horses aged 4 and over
  • The Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase is a National Hunt Steeplechase in Great Britain
  • The Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase distance is about 3 miles

Summary The Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase

Thank you for reading our Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase guide.

We have looked at form, previous winners, history, betting and tips, so you can enjoy the race whether you are placing a bet or watching it live or on TV.

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As the Founder of British Racecourses, I have a life-long passion for horse racing and have loved the sport as long as I can remember. I am also a keen racehorse owner and have worked in the gambling industry for several years. I set up British Racecourses with the desire to share my passion for racing with other like-minded people.