Diamond start at Cheltenham

One of the country’s leading jump races for amateur jockeys is to be renamed in honour of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

The National Hunt Chase staged at the Cheltenham Festival this March will be re-branded the Diamond Jubilee National Hunt Chase for one year.

Horse breeding and racing is one of the Queen’s passions and she regularly visits meets around the country, most famously Royal Ascot.

Thoroughbreds owned by the monarch have won four out of the five flat racing classics – the 1,000 Guineas and 2,000 Guineas, the Oaks and the St Leger – with only the Derby eluding the royal.

Edward Gillespie, managing director of Cheltenham Racecourse, said: “The royal connection with Cheltenham is something we are particularly proud of and we are delighted to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year by renaming the most historic race in her honour.”