The Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby, run at Wetherby in late October, is the first high-class three mile chase of the season, though its reputation, like many others, has slipped a little in the 2020s, with dry autumns likely to make British trainers wait for softer ground in November plus the lack of top class horses on this side of the Irish Sea.
It’s named after the renowned jumps trainer William A Hall, always known as Charlie (1903-78), who was based at Towton, near Tadcaster from as early as 1932. He and his brother Tom trained there, assisted by another brother, Sam (qv) until Sam and Tom struck out on their own at Brecongill stables in 1945.
Charlie trained 584 winners, including MagneticFin in the 1948 Scottish Grand National at Bogside, and the 1956 Champion Hurdle with Doorknocker, owned by his main patron Clifford Nicholson. He was champion trainer in 1955/56 with 40 winners, which earned £15,573. In all, Charlie Hall trained 584 winners under National Hunt rules during a 31-year career; he also trained some 100 winners on the flat, most notably Super Nova’s victory in the Chester Cup of 1975, the year that Charlie retired. He recorded a remarkable 169 winners at his local course, Wetherby, with his most prolific winner at the course being Clear Cut, who scored ten times around the early 1970s.
Colleen, the stable lass who used to look after Clear Cut, has reminisced on Facebook about Charlie’s little foibles. He was never parted easily from his flat cap on the gallops or at the races, and when coming indoors adhered to the superstition of never putting it on the table. He would check the lads’ hair if they were going to lead a horse up at the races and send them to the barbers if he thought it was too long. They never threw eggshells away, but crushed them and added them to the horses’ feed as a calcium supplement. Colleen has lots of other stories.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/abvsp/posts/4046770898921016/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/abvsp/posts/4041892106075562/
Charlie Hall retired in 1975 and died three years later. His step-son and assistant, Maurice Camacho, took over until passing the reins to his daughter Julie Camacho. Charlie’s niece (Tom’s daughter) Sally Hall, trained for 40 years until 2017.
The first running of the race named after him was in 1978. Cumbersomely known initially as the Charlie Hall Memorial Wetherby Pattern Chase, the race had been going since 1969 as the Wetherby Pattern Chase.
Other sources:
https://www.greyhoundderby.com/Middleham/Brecongill%20stables.html
https://www.wetherbyracing.co.uk/the-bet365-charlie-hall-meeting/