In horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Republic of Ireland, National Hunt racing requires horses to jump fences and ditches. National Hunt racing in the UK is informally known as "jumps" and is divided into two major distinct branches: hurdles and steeplechases. Alongside these there are "bumpers", which are National Hunt flat races. In a hurdles race, the horses jump over obstacles called hurdles; in a steeplechase the horses jump over a variety of obstacles that can include plain fences, water jump or an open ditch. In the UK, the biggest National Hunt events of the year are generally considered to be the Grand National and the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The Coral Trophy is a Premier Handicap National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Kempton Park over a distance of about 3 miles, and during its running there are eighteen fences to be jumped. It is a handicap race, and it is scheduled to take place each year in late February.
The Desert Orchid Chase is a Grade 2 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Kempton Park over a distance of about 2 miles, and during its running there are twelve fences to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year in late December during the course's Christmas Festival.
The Peter Marsh Chase is a Grade 2 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Haydock Park over a distance of about 3 miles 1½ furlongs, and during its running there are nineteen fences to be jumped. It is a limited handicap race, and it is scheduled to take place each year in January. It was first run in 1981.
The Altcar Novices' Chase is a Grade 2 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or above. It is run at Haydock Park over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 furlongs, and during its running there are seventeen fences to be jumped. The race is for novice chasers, and it is scheduled to take place each year in January.
A novice in horse racing is an inexperienced racehorse which has not run in a certain number of races of a particular type, or not won in such races. The definition of a novice is determined by the horse racing authority in a particular country or area.
The Mersey Novices' Hurdle is a Grade One National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Aintree, Merseyside, over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 furlongs, and during its running there are eleven hurdles to be jumped. The race is for novice hurdlers, and it is scheduled to take place each year during the Grand National meeting in early April.
The John Francome Novices' Chase is a Grade 2 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Newbury over a distance of about 2 miles and 7½ furlongs, and during its running there are eighteen fences to be jumped. The race is for novice chasers, and it is scheduled to take place each year in late November or early December.
The Future Champion Novices' Chase is a Grade 2 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Ayr, Scotland, over a distance of about 2 miles, 4 furlongs and 110 yards, and during its running there are seventeen fences to be jumped. The race is for novice chasers, and it is scheduled to take place each year in April.
The Mildmay Novices' Chase is a Grade One National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the Mildmay course at Aintree over a distance of about 3 miles and 1 furlong, and during its running there are nineteen fences to be jumped. The race is for novice chasers, and it is scheduled to take place each year during the Grand National meeting in early April.
The Top Novices' Hurdle is a Grade One National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Aintree over a distance of about 2 miles and half a furlong, and during its running there are nine hurdles to be jumped. The race is for novice hurdlers, and it is scheduled to take place each year during the Grand National meeting in early April.
The December Novices' Chase is a Grade 2 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of about 3 miles, and during its running there are eighteen fences to be jumped. The race is for novice chasers, and it is scheduled to take place each year in December.
The Summit Juvenile Hurdle is a Listed National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged three years. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of about 2 miles and half a furlong, and during its running there are eight hurdles to be jumped. The race is for novice hurdlers, and it is scheduled to take place each year in December.
The Becher Chase is a Premier Handicap National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged six years or older. It is run at Aintree over a distance of about 3 miles and 2 furlongs, and during its running there are twenty-one fences to be jumped. It is a handicap race, and it is scheduled to take place each year in November or December.
The Pertemps Network Final is a Premier Handicap National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3 miles, and during its running there are twelve hurdles to be jumped. It is a handicap race, and it is scheduled to take place each year during the Cheltenham Festival in March.
The Golden Miller Novices' Chase, currently known for sponsorship purposes as the Turners Novices' Chase, is a Grade One National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 furlongs, and during its running there are seventeen fences to be jumped. It is a race for novice chasers and it is scheduled to take place each year on the third day of the Cheltenham Festival in March.
The European Breeders Fund Novices' Handicap Hurdle Final is a Premier Handicap National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged between four and seven. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 furlongs, and during its running there are nine hurdles to be jumped. It is a handicap race for novices, and it is scheduled to take place each year in March. It is currently sponsored by Betfair. The race was first run in 1998.
The William Hill Handicap Hurdle is a Premier Handicap National Hunt handicap hurdle race in England which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Aintree over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 furlongs, and it is scheduled to take place each year in April. The prize fund is £75,000.
The Houghton Mares' Chase is a Listed steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to fillies and mares aged four years or older. It is run at Carlise over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 furlongs, and during its running there are sixteen fences to be jumped. It is scheduled to take place in later November or early December each year. The race was first run in 2015 as the ApolloBet Mares' Chase as part of a British Horseracing Authority move to enhance the National Hunt racing programme for mares.
The Silviniaco Conti Chase is a Grade 2 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Kempton Park over a distance of about 2 miles and 4½ furlongs, and during its running there are sixteen fences to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year in January.
