Racing: Honour for the leading recruits to chasing

Azertyuiop is the first winner this season of the Royal & SunAlliance Novice Chaser Award, made in association with The Independent to the leading newcomers to racing over steeplechase fences.

Royal & SunAlliance and Independent News and Media already sponsor the two Grade One novice chases at the Cheltenham Festival and the awards are likely to feature several horses that will line up at Prestbury Park in March.

There will be five awards for racecourse performances in the months of November, December, January, February and March, with the final award made at Sandown Park's end-of-season fixture in April.

The judging panel is Lesley Graham of Channel 4 Racing, Graham Dench of the Racing Post and John Cobb, the racing editor of The Independent.

Azertyuiop's award is for the month of November, when he produced a spectacular performance to win the Independent Newspaper Novice Chase at Cheltenham. The gelding may be a nightmare for headline writers, but he was popular with punters as 5-4 favourite. The Racing Post reported: "He stamped himself a novice chaser of rare potential at Cheltenham yesterday. Racing over fences for only the second time, Azertyuiop looked like a horse who had been chasing all his life."

A presentation to connections will be made at the Cotswolds course today.