Cheltenham Racecourse has announced that its celebrated Hunters’
Chase at the Festival will be renamed in honour of Princess Anne
marking a tribute to one of Britain’s most accomplished
equestrians.
From 2026, the race – long known affectionately as the
“Amateurs’ Gold Cup” – will be run as the Princess Royal Challenge
Cup Open Hunters’ Steeple Chase.
Staged over the same extended three-and-a-quarter-mile trip as
jump racing’s blue riband, it takes place immediately after the
Cheltenham Gold Cup on Gold Cup Day, Friday 13 March 2026.
The renaming is intended to recognise the Princess Royal’s
lifelong commitment to equestrian sport. In 1971 she secured
individual gold at the European Eventing Championships at Burghley,
a landmark achievement that cemented her reputation as one of the
country’s leading riders. She later represented Great Britain at
the Montreal Olympic Games in 1976 and, during the 1980s, rode as
an amateur jockey, partnering winners both on the Flat and over
fences.
Her involvement with the sport has extended well beyond
competition. Since 1985 she has served as President of the Riding
for the Disabled Association, supporting opportunities for disabled
riders across the country. A regular presence at Prestbury Park,
she officially opened the Princess Royal Stand during the November
Meeting in 2015, following a £45 million redevelopment of the
course. Her daughter, Zara Tindall, an accomplished event rider in
her own right, has sat on the Cheltenham Racecourse Committee since
2019.
The Hunters’ Chase becomes the second Festival contest to carry
the name of a member of the Royal Family. In 1980, the two-mile
Champion Chase was retitled the Queen Mother Champion Chase to mark
the 80th birthday of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, the Princess
Royal’s grandmother.
As part of the change, the National Hunt Chase will relinquish
the Princess Royal’s name and revert to its historic title, the
National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices’ Handicap Chase.
Guy Lavender, chief executive of Cheltenham Racecourse, said the
decision reflected both heritage and horsemanship. “The Hunters’
Chase at the Festival is a contest which recognises and celebrates
the very origins of our great sport,” he said. “We therefore feel
it is very appropriate to stage it under the name of Her Royal
Highness The Princess Royal – an outstanding all-round equestrian
who has excelled in a wide range of disciplines.”
