Norfolk National Handicap Chase at Fakenham 2023

Warm weather National Hunt racing at Fakenham doesn’t get any better than on this, their midweek May fixture for the Norfolk National.

The feature race, the Norfolk National Handicap Chase, is a £30,000 event run over three miles and five furlongs, featuring 22 fences and usually a thoroughly competitive field of chasers.

While the afternoon all builds up to this event, it is ably supported by five other races; a conditional jockeys’ Selling Hurdle, a Handicap Chase, a Maiden Hurdle, a Mares’ Handicap Hurdle, and finally the Turner Trophy.

The Turner Trophy is a three-mile Hunters’ Chase race, which, despite its lowly Class 6 rating, often attracts some grand old chasers. In 2019 the beaten second-favourite, in fact, was Unioniste of Paul Nicholls’ major yard, a horse who was once rated 159 and who won major races at Sandown, Newbury, Aintree, and Cheltenham.