Racing honour for Princess Royal

A racing honour has been announced for the Princess Royal.

Cheltenham Racecourse announced that the Hunters Chase’ staged at The Cheltenham Festival has been named in honour of Princess Anne, 75.

The Princess Royal Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Steeple Chase will take place after the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup on Gold Cup Day on 13 March 2026.

Regarding the royal name on the race, the CEO of Cheltenham Racecourse, Guy Lavender, said, “The Hunters’ Chase at The Festival is a contest which recognises and celebrates the very origins of our great sport. We therefore feel it is very appropriate to stage it under the name of Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal – an outstanding all-round equestrian who has excelled in a wide range of disciplines.”

The Princess Royal is an accomplished equestrian and represented Great Britain as part of the British Eventing team at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. She also won gold at the 1971 European Eventing Championships.

This is not the first thing named after the Princess at Cheltenham Racecourse. The Princess Royal Stand was opened by Her Royal Highness in 2015.

The Princess Royal Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Steeple Chase is not a royal first. In 1980, the Champion Chase was renamed in honour of The Queen Mother, changing it to the Queen Mother Champion Chase.