The current steeplechase course was established in 1856, however the course first took its present-day form in the years just after World War II.

Some obstacles have also been changed, mostly to improve safety, although the difficulty of the race is said to have suffered as a result.

[citation needed] The first (and, as of 2022, only) woman to have won the race is Countess Lata Brandisová, who won in 1937 with her mare, Norma, seven lengths ahead of the professional jockey Willibald Schlagbaum in second place.

She was the first woman to enter the race in 1927 (falling five times and remounting to finish fifth).

The 1938 race was called off following the Munich Agreement and not run during World War II.