The Tingle Creek Chase is the first major Grade 1 over two miles to be run in Britain in the jumps season.
Tingle Creek: 5 Greatest Winners over The Railway Fences at Sandown
The race takes palce at Sandown Park, traditionally in early December, and sees the runners and riders tackling the unique jumping tests that are the Railway Fences down the back straight at the Esher layout. Here we recall five famous winners of the Tingle Creek at Sandown Park.
Famous Tingle Creek Winners: News King (1981, 1982)
The first repeat winner of the Tingle Creek was News King for trainer Fred Winter and seven-time champion jockey John Francome. It was just a three-runner race in 1982, with Artifice and Peter Scudamore, as well as Classified in the hands of Steve Smith-Eccles in opposition, but they served up a terrific spectacle.
A mistake at the third last put Francome and News King under the gun and they looked held with a furlong to run in last spot, but the champion rallied to pressure in the dying strides and surged through between his rivals to score.
Famous Tingle Creek Winners: Flagship Uberalles (1999, 2000, 2001)
The only horse to win three Tingle Creeks and, uniquely, Flagship Uberalles managed to do it for three different trainers – Paul Nicholls, Noel Chance and Philip Hobbs – and under three different riders – Joe Tizzard, Richard Johnston and Robert Widger.
His middle success in the Tingle Creek was actually run at Cheltenham, as he beat off Fadalko for his then former trainer Nicholls, before he delivered his ultimate Sandown score when beating Edredon Bleu by six-lengths in a high-class renewal in 2001 with amateur rider Widger on board. He would finally win a Queen Mother Champion Chase in ’02 and retired having had five different trainers and three different owners.
Famous Tingle Creek Winners: Moscow Flyer (2003, 2004)
The Jessica Harrington-trained Moscow Flyer was a hugely popular chaser, winner of a pair of Tingle Creeks alongside two Queen Mother Champion Chases and a host of other big-race wins. He was unfortunate to unseat Barry Geraghty when going well in this race in 2002, but they made amends 12 months later, beating Azertyuiop and Flagship Uberalles in good style.
He then retained the crown – by now aged 10 – when winning a thriller from Azertyuiop and Well Chief, the former a top performer in his own right, having split Moscow Flyer’s two Champion Chase wins with his own success in 2004.
Famous Tingle Creek Winners: Kauto Star (2005, 2006)
The early part of this century was a golden time for two-mile chasers and, while more famed for his King George and Cheltenham Gold Cup exploits, it must not be forgotten that Kauto Star also proved himself a top-class two-miler in the early stages of his career for Nicholls. He won back-to-back renewals under first Mick Fitzgerald and then Ruby Walsh during a golden spell that witnessed the Ditcheat handler win six Tingle Creeks on the trot, as Twist Magic and Master Minded also completed doubles.
Kauto Star cruised clear of Voy Por Ustedes – who would land the Champion Chase at Cheltenham a few months later – and would in 2007 become the first and only horse to be officially top rated at two miles, two and a half,and three. That season was the first to see the £1 million Betfair bonus on offer for landing Betfair Chase, the King George and Gold Cup, which Kauto Star did, as well as bagging this race for a second time.
Famous Tingle Creek Winners: Altior (2018)
Some stellar names like Sizing Europe, Sprinter Sacre and Un De Sceaux have won in recent times, but Altior definitely deserves a mention as his 2018 win for Nicky Henderson and Nico de Boinville came in the midst of a stunning 19-race winning start to his career over jumps.
He beat a former winner in Un De Sceaux when scoring here and was a real Sandown specialist in his career, winning five of his six starts at the Esher venue, every one of them coming in Grade 1 company. He flanked Sprinter Sacre (2012) and Jonbon (2023) as the only Tingle Creek winners from Seven Barrows, with the latter set to bid for a second win in 2024.
Please note that the information provided in this Tingle Creek Winners article is for entertainment purposes only. We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information provided. Any action you take upon the information on this article is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any losses and damages in connection with the use of our article. We do not encourage gambling and remind you to gamble responsibly.
18+ | BeGambleAware.org
Supercharge your bets with kwiff
