You can find the runners & entries for the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase for this year's Cheltenham Festival down below.
As a reminder, this is a full list of entries, but 5 days before the race there will be further declarations, and final declarations 48 hours before.
This is where all of our tips will be for the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase, we also have you covered with daily tips.
| Date | Course | Distance | Type | Weight | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28/10/23 | DON | 8 | Hy | 9-3 | 1 |
| 14/10/23 | NMK | 8 | Sft | 9-3 | 1 |
| 29/07/23 | ASC | 7 | Gd | 9-5 | 3 |
| 24/06/23 | NMK | 7 | Gd | 9-10 | 1 |
| 09/06/23 | HAY | 7 | GF | 9-7 | 1 |
| Date | Course | Distance | Type | Weight | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20/09/23 | YAR | 10 | Gd | 8-13 | 3 |
| 17/05/23 | YOR | 10.5 | Gd | 9-2 | 3 |
| 05/05/23 | NMK | 10 | Gd | 9-2 | 1 |
| 21/10/22 | DON | 8 | Sft | 9-2 | 2 |
| Date | Course | Distance | Type | Weight | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23/03/24 | DON | 8 | Sft | 9-5 | 3 |
| 06/12/23 | KEM | 8 | St/Slw | 9-5 | 1 |
| 15/10/23 | GOO | 8 | Sft | 9-11 | 3 |
| 16/05/23 | SAN | 8 | GS | 9-2 | 2 |
| 22/04/23 | NBY | 7 | Sft | 9-2 | 8 |
| Date | Course | Distance | Type | Weight | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15/09/23 | DON | 5 | Sft | 9-3 | 5 |
| 25/08/23 | YOR | 6 | GF | 9-2 | 6 |
| 02/08/23 | GOO | 5 | Sft | 9-3 | 3 |
| 07/07/23 | SAN | 5 | Gd | 9-4 | 1 |
| 21/06/23 | NCS | 5 | St | 9-7 | 1 |
| Date | Course | Distance | Type | Weight | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27/04/24 | DON | 6 | Sft | 9-7 | 12 |
| 06/04/24 | KEM | 6 | St/Slw | 9-0 | 11 |
| 23/09/23 | YOR | 5 | GS | 9-2 | 16 |
| 07/09/23 | WOL | 6 | St | 8-13 | 10 |
| 20/08/23 | SAN | 5 | Gd | 9-3 | 1 |
| Date | Course | Distance | Type | Weight | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14/10/23 | YOR | 8 | Sft | 9-9 | 1 |
| 20/09/23 | SAN | 8 | GS | 9-7 | 3 |
| 11/08/23 | HAY | 8 | Gd | 9-7 | 3 |
| 29/07/23 | NMK | 7 | Gd | 9-7 | 2 |
The Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase is a Premier Handicap Chase that takes place on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival.
As the penultimate race of the day and the final race for regular jockeys, it offers a thrilling spectacle for racing fans. The race is run on the Cheltenham New Course over a distance of 2 miles, with 14 fences to test the runners.
Horses must be aged at least five to qualify, and the winner takes home a substantial purse of approximately £70,000. The handicap rating needed to enter the race changes year on year.
The Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase is the oldest race of the 28 races at the festival and not only that, is also the oldest chase race still running within national hunt racing, with its first running all the way back in April 1834.
The race was originally run over three miles and then was scrapped during the 1860's. It was reintroduced to the national hunt calendar in the early 1900's, where it took place in many different venues such as Leicester and Warwick before going to Cheltenham in 1913.
The race doesn't have a sponsor and instead, was named after the late Johnny Henderson in 2005, who is the farther of champion trainer Nicky Henderson. Johnny, who died in 2003, formed a group within the 1960's that raised £240,000 to purchase Cheltenham racecourse and secure the course's future.
The Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase has produced some surprising results in recent years. Croco Bay pulled off a major upset in 2019, winning at 50/1 odds for trainer Ben Case and jockey Kielan Woods. Maskada won in 2023 for trainer Will P Middleton and jockey Darragh O'Keeffe.
Trainer Paul Nicholls has emerged as a dominant force in the Grand Annual. With wins in 2018 (Le Prezien), 2016 (Solar Impulse), 2007 (Andreas), and 2004 (St Pirran), he's the most successful trainer in recent history. This track record suggests it's wise to pay close attention to his entries.
While no single jockey stands out as the clear leader in recent years, Nicholls' runners often feature top jockeys like Harry Cobden. Additionally, given Le Prezien's win and strong performance in subsequent years, a Nicholls-trained, JP McManus-owned horse ridden by Barry Geraghty is worth keeping an eye on.
Previous Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase Winners (2016 - 2023)
| Year | Horse | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Maskada | H De Bromhead | D J O'Keeffe |
| 2022 | Global Citizen | B Pauling | Kielan Woods |
| 2021 | Sky Pirate | Jonjo O'Neill | Nick Scholfield |
| 2020 | Chosen Mate | G Elliott | D N Russell |
| 2019 | Croco Bay | B I Case | Kielan Woods |
| 2018 | Le Prezien | P F Nicholls | B J Geraghty |
| 2017 | Rock The World | Mrs J Harrington | R M Power |
| 2016 | Solar Impulse | P F Nicholls | S Twiston-Davies |
If you’re looking for our thoughts on who you should back in the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase take a look at our Day 2 Tips page to see everything, we’re backing for this race at the Cheltenham Festival.
You can also see all the latest odds for this race on our Grand Annual Chase Odds page allowing you to see which bookmakers are offering the best price on each horse in the race.
