A history of Kim Muir winners over the years

Cheltenham's premium steeple chase for younger horses and amateur riders; get to know the past winners of the Kim Muir Chase ahead of this year's race.

One of Cheltenham’s most popular amateur jockey races, and a must-see event for anyone attending on day three, the Kim Muir Chase has been gracing fans for an astonishing eight decades – during which time it’s earned itself quite the reputation amongst riders for its demanding nature and unpredictable outcomes.

Spanning 3 miles and 2 furlongs, with 21 fences dotted around the course, the Kim Muir might be a ‘beginner’s’ event, but its horses certainly aren’t being ridden by rookies, and many of its winners have pulled surprise victories out of the bag despite not being the favourite.

So, with Cheltenham 2026 fast-approaching, we thought we’d take a moment to reminisce on past victors of the Kim Muir Chase, highlighting those horses, jockeys, and trainers who’ve been lucky enough to secure multiple wins in this event before going on to achieve even greater feats.

Who are the last 10 Kim Muir Chase winners?

While we could break down the entire list of Kim Muir Chase winners all the way back to 1946, if we did, we’d be here forever! Instead, here’s a quick look at each winner of this event for the last 10 years, as well as their trainer and the jockey who rode them:

Who are the most successful horses in the history of the Kim Muir Chase?

Taking pride and place amongst fans of this sport, the horses who run the Kim Muir Chase are famed personalities in and of themselves. Boasting a storied history of underdog wins and a new champion being crowned almost every year, rare is the horse who can muster up multiple victories in this event. However, there are a couple of exceptions to this rule:

Chu-Teh (2-time Kim Muir winner)

Taking first two years running, Chu-Teh is one of only two horses to have won the Kim Muir Chase twice at the Cheltenham Festival, galloping into the top position to seize both the 1967 and 1968 titles under coach Ken Cundell and jockeys Nick Gaselee and David Crossley-Cooke.

Glyde Court (2-time Kim Muir winner)

Our second two-time Kim Muir winner, Glyde Court, also won the event consecutively during the 80s, pulling out wins in both 1985 and 1986 thanks to the training of Fred Winter and the horsemanship of Simon Sherwood and John Queally.

Recent surprise Kim Muir winners

As we mentioned before, the Kim Muir Chase is no stranger to upsets and sudden wins from outsider contenders over the years. So, to highlight just a few, here are 3 of the most recent surprise Kim Muir victors in the last decade:

• Chambard (2022) – Entering the race with 40/1 odds, this British-trained horse was seen as having long-shot odds in a typically Irish-dominated event. In spite of this, however, jockey Lucy Turner proved her mettle by pulling a shock win from the middle of the pack during the end stretch.

• Missed Approach (2018) – Unlike Chambard in 2022, Missed Approach actually had relatively good odds to win their race. Instead, the real surprise came in the form of Noel McParalan front-running the event from start to finish; a rare and incredibly aggressive strategy that really shouldn’t have worked as well as it did.

• Domesday Book (2017) – Again coming in at odds of 40/1, everyone agrees that there was absolutely zero expectation for Domesday Book to win their Kim Muir run. So imagine everyone’s astonishment when fresh-faced jockey, Gina Andrews, broke to the front of the group to produce a perfect run of the course.

Kim Muir success stories

Alongside stellar wins that really no one thought would happen, the Kim Muir has also been the proving ground for numerous horses who’ve gone on to win bigger events in the UK horse-racing calendar, as was the case with the following competitors:

• Inothewayurthinkin (2024) – Went on to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2025, which is considered an impressive leap for just one year’s difference.

• Cause of Causes (2016) – Won the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase in 2017, another prestigious Festival race.

• Ballabriggs (2010) – Won the Grand National in 2011.

• Sunnyhillboy (2012) – While not directly winning any major events, Sunnyhillboy did go on to run multiple prestigious races such as the Grand National, coming close to victory in all cases.

• Cool Ground (1989) – Went on to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1992.

Who are the most successful trainers in Kim Muir Chase history?

While the horses might be the ones running the race, it’s the trainers who really put them through their paces. Indeed, the Kim Muir is no stranger to coaches with multiple wins behind them:

1. Fred Rimell (4)

Holding the title for the trainer with the most Kim Muir wins, Fred Rimmell led their chosen horse and rider to victory on no less than 4 occasions, making their debut in 1951 with Mighty Fine, before taking the title again in 1955 with Gay Monarch II, in 1961 with Nicolaus Silver, and finally in 1977 with Double Negative.

=2. David Nicholson (3)

Standing level with two other coaches, David Nicholson became a household name in the sport during the 90s for his 3 Kim Muir wins, notably starting out with Tug of Gold’s victory in 1992, followed by Strong Beau in 1993, and then King Lucifer in 1997; all of whom were ridden by different jockeys.

=2. Martin Pipe (3)

Another coach with 3 Kim Muir wins to their name, Martin Pipe’s first win actually came before David Nicholson’s, driving his horse Omerta to pole position the year before in 1991, after which it was another 12 years until his tutelage saw Royal Predica take first in 2003, which he then repeated again in the following year with the horse Maximise.

=2. Nicky Henderson (3)

Wrapping up our joint three second-place trainers, like Pipe and Nicholson before him, Nicky Henderson saw his victories come in the 90s and early 2000s, winning with Master Bob in 1990 and then waiting a similar 12 years before again seeing success with The Bushkeeper in 2002 and Juveigneur in 2005.

Which other trainers have at least 2 Kim Muir wins?

Besides the standout trainers we’ve listed above, plenty of other coaches have seen success in the Kim Muir chase, with plenty staking out at least two wins in this competition over the years:

• Gordon Elliott – 2016 (Cause of Causes) and 2020 (Milan Native)

• David Pipe – 2011 (Junior) and 2015 (The Package)

• Donald McCain, Jr. – 2010 (Ballabriggs) and 2017 (Cloudy Lane)

• Fred Murphy – 1996 (Stop the Waller) and 2006 (You’re Special)

• Robert Alner – 1995 (Flyer’s Nap) and 2000 (Honey Mount)

• Josh Gifford – 1988 (Golden Minstrel) and 1994 (Fighting Words)

• Fred Winter – 1985 and 1986 (Glyde Court)

• John Edwards – 1980 (Good Prospect) and 1984 (Broomy Bank)

• Tim Forster – 1973 (Hinterland) and 1979 (Redundant Punter)

• Ken Cundell – 1967 and 68 (Chu-Teh)

Who are the most successful jockeys in Kim Muir Chase history?

The guide and energy behind a horse’s riding spirit, plenty of Jockeys have managed to make a name for themselves in this chase, but only one has truly gone on to cement themselves as the biggest name in Kim Muir history:

Jamie Codd (4)

Starting his jockey career in 2000, it was a full 9 years before Jamie Codd landed his first Kim Muir win atop the horse Character Building. Since then, however, he’s returned to claim first place 3 more times, specifically in 2011 riding Junior, in 2015 with The Package, and most recently in 2016 with Cause of Causes.

Other Kim Muir jockeys with multiple wins

Outside of Jamie Codd, there are no jockeys who have managed to take home more than two wins. Here’s a quick glance at who these vaunted contenders are:

• Derek O’Conner (2) – 2019 (Any Second Now) and 2024 (Inothewayurthinkin).

• Richard Harding (2) – 2006 (You’re Special) and 2010 (Ballabriggs)

• Richard Burton (2) – 2005 (Juveigneur) and 2007 (Cloud Lane)

• Jim Wilson (2) – 1980 (Good Prospect) and 1984 (Broomy Bank)

• Ted Walsh (2) – 1974 (Castleruddery) and 1976 (Prolan)

• John Lawrence (2) – 1966 (Jimmy Scot) and 1971 (Black Baize)

• Giles Pitman (2) – 1962 (Carrickbeg) and 1964 (Jim’s Tavern)

• Peter Chisman (2) – 1951 (Mighty Fine) and 1952 (Menzies)