National Spirit won two Champion Hurdles and a host of other races in the late 1940s and was the most famous horse in the country then. He won five races at Fontwell and 32 in all, 19 over hurdles and the rest on the flat. He was one of the best post-war hurdlers.
The National Spirit Hurdle was first run in 1965 and was won by Salmon Spray, who would be crowned Champion Hurdler a year later. Stars from the Golden Age of hurdling in the 1970s regularly competed; the dual champion Comedy Of Errors took the spoils in the Fontwell race in 1976 and 1977.
During the 1990s the quality of the race deteriorated, but the decision to increase its distance to 2m3f in 2000 paid dividends almost immediately. The following year it was won by the French-trained Baracouda, who went on to win three Stayers’ Hurdles at the Cheltenham Festival. He won 18 times in all.
Other National Spirit winners in this century have been classy, prolific or both.
My Way de Solzen (11 wins) led all the way in heavy going to land the 2006 National Spirit Hurdle before going to Cheltenham and winning the Stayers’ Hurdle on fast ground that was thought unsuitable for him.
Lough Derg (12), who won it in 2008 and 2009, was notable in his races for making the running, dropping back, and then rallying gamely to win. He was so popular he had his own Facebook page. The versatile Celestial Halo (11), the winner in 2011, was runner-up in both the Champion and the Stayers’ Hurdles.
Fontwell suits some horses really well; Lil Rockerfeller (11) was first, second and third in the National Spirit between 2016-19 and Brewin’upastorm (10) was first, second and first in 2021-23.
