Iroquois Steeplechase renews Jockey Club UK partnership; 2026 winner earns Cheltenham invite

The winner of the 2026 Grade 1 Calvin Houghland Iroquois Steeplechase will be eligible for an invitation to contest the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle at the 2027 Cheltenham Festival, following a formal renewal of the Iroquois Steeplechase’s international partnership with The Jockey Club UK. The agreement, announced Feb. 4, 2026, is supported by TVV Capital and extends a trans-Atlantic pathway that links Nashville’s spring championship to the epicenter of British jump racing.

The renewal keeps in place a structure first announced in 2025 that invited the 2025 Iroquois winner to Cheltenham. The 2025 champion Abaan is explicitly identified in coverage alongside Andrew Byrd, CEO of TVV Capital, underscoring the commercial backing behind the initiative. The Iroquois race is scheduled for Saturday, May 9, 2026 in Nashville; the prize for the Iroquois winner now includes not only local prestige but the prospect of a high-profile appearance at Cheltenham’s stayers’ test in 2027.

Matthew Woolston, Assistant Racing & International Director at The Jockey Club UK, framed the renewal as more than a swap of starts. “This partnership with the Iroquois Steeplechase represents a truly unique and meaningful connection between two historic racing institutions,” Woolston said. “We are delighted to continue this collaboration and to welcome members of the Iroquois Steeplechase team to Cheltenham this March. Their visit underscores a shared commitment to excellence in jump racing and to strengthening the trans-Atlantic exchange that benefits the sport, its participants and its supporters.”

The movement strengthens the international calendar for owners and trainers who campaign stayers and steeplechasers. Iroquois organizers and Cheltenham authorities are positioning the Nashville card as a legitimate preparatory or qualifying route into elite British jump contests. The renewed relationship is described as made possible through the ongoing support of TVV Capital, led by Andrew Byrd, and as part of a long-term vision to elevate the global profile of jump racing.

Iroquois Steeplechase chairman Dwight Hall underlined the sporting and reputational stakes when the program launched in 2025. “We continue to work alongside our partners at The Jockey Club U.K. to enhance a collaboration that reflects a shared commitment to growing the sport and fostering international connections between American and U.K. jump racing,” Hall said. “Those in the industry know that the Cheltenham Festival is the pinnacle of jump racing, and to have our 2025 winner invited to this storied event highlights the caliber of the horses competing in Nashville this Spring.”

For locally based owners, trainers, and jump racing followers, the deal creates a concrete incentive to target the Calvin Houghland Iroquois Steeplechase with horses capable of testing trips at Cheltenham. Commercial partners such as TVV Capital and prior sponsor Bank of America give the arrangement financial heft and media visibility. The immediate next steps are clear: contenders will line up on May 9 in Nashville with a fresh international pathway on offer, and the Iroquois delegation’s visit to Cheltenham in March will be watched closely as a sign of deeper cooperation and future cross-Atlantic campaigns.