As part of a longstanding sponsorship of races at Wincanton by the Badger Beers brand, the Badger Beers Silver Trophy is staged every year in early November on the same day as the important Elite Hurdle and becomes a large-scale betting and TV event.
Carrying Listed status and a prize fund of around £60,000 this is an important handicap chase for those aged 4+, runners being asked to tackle 21 fences around the three-mile, one-furlong trip. The race had previously been staged over 2m5f until 1990 and was upgraded to its current Listed level in 2003.
While many past winners of this race have been well-handicapped sorts some classy types have taken the race too. In 1998 it was won by Teeton Mill, the subsequent Hennessy Gold Cup, King George VI Chase and Ascot Chase winner whose career was unfortunately ended by an injury sustained in the Gold Cup at Cheltenham.