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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.
York Racecourse is a horse racing venue in York, North Yorkshire, England. It is the third biggest racecourse in Britain in terms of total prize money offered, and second behind Ascot in prize money offered per meeting. It attracts around 350,000 racegoers per year and stages three of the UK's 36 annual Group 1 races – the Juddmonte International Stakes, the Nunthorpe Stakes and the Yorkshire Oaks.
Down Royal Racecourse is a horse racing venue near Lisburn in Northern Ireland. The most valuable race run there is the Ladbrokes Champion Chase, run at the Northern Ireland Festival of racing in November. The most valuable flat race to be run there annually is the Ulster Derby.
Catterick Racecourse, sometimes known as Catterick Bridge Racecourse, is a thoroughbred horse racing venue one mile north west of Catterick in North Yorkshire, England, near the hamlet of Catterick Bridge. The first racing at Catterick was held in 1783.
Great Yarmouth racecourse is a horse racing course located a mile north of Great Yarmouth, owned by Arena Racing Company. The track takes the form of a narrow oblong of a mile and five furlongs round, with two long straights about five furlongs in length. It is a left-handed course, used for flat racing only. An extension to the finishing straight allows races of up to a mile to be run on the straight course.
Perth Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue adjacent to the ancient Scone Palace, near Perth, Scotland.
Pontefract Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England.
Ripon Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Ripon, North Yorkshire, England and is nicknamed the Garden Racecourse.
The Curragh Racecourse -- usually referred to as simply the Curragh -- is one of Ireland's most important Thoroughbred racecourses. It is situated on the Curragh plain in County Kildare, between the towns of Newbridge and Kildare.
Navan Racecourse is a horse racing venue at Proudstown near Navan, County Meath, Ireland, approximately 48 kilometres from Dublin. The course stages Flat racing but is best known for National Hunt racing. Navan Racecourse is owned by Horse Racing Ireland.
Tramore Racecourse is a horse racing venue in Tramore, County Waterford, Ireland which stages both National Hunt and Flat racing. The course is a Grade Two racecourse and is noted for its right-handed track on a 7 furlong (1400m) circuit.
Listowel Racecourse is a horse racing venue in the town of Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland which stages both National Hunt and Flat racing. The course is flat and run left handed over an inner rectangular shaped circuit measuring just over a mile, and a triangular outer circuit of a mile and a furlong. There is a chute for the 7 furlong and 1 mile races. The current racecourse which is close to the town centre first opened in 1858 and celebrated its 150th Anniversary in 2008.
Clonmel Racecourse is a horse racing venue in the town of Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland which stages both National Hunt and Flat racing.
Thurles Racecourse is a horse racing venue in the town of Thurles, County Tipperary, Ireland which stages National Hunt racing. Racing has taken place at Thurles since 1732 when a three-day festival took place at the venue.
Limerick Racecourse is a horse racing venue in Limerick, Ireland, which stages both National Hunt and flat racing. The course opened in October 2001 and is the first purpose-built racecourse in Ireland in 50 years. The present location is the seventh different horse racing location in Limerick since 1790. In 1999, the course at Greenpark near Limerick city closed after 130 years of racing.
Killarney Racecourse is a horse racing venue in Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland which stages both National Hunt and Flat racing. Racing at Killarney has been taking place since 1822. The course is a left-handed oval, one mile and two furlongs in circumference.
Wexford Racecourse is a horse racing venue in the town of Wexford, Ireland which stages National Hunt racing. The earliest record of racing in the area is in the 1870s.
Laytown Racecourse is a horse racing venue on the beach at Laytown, County Meath, Ireland. Laytown is unique in the Irish racing calendar as it is the only race event run on a beach under the Rules of Racing. The first recorded race meeting in Laytown was in 1868. The races take place on the strand for one day every September.
Kilbeggan Racecourse is a horse racing venue in Kilbeggan, County Westmeath, Ireland. The first recording of racing in the Kilbeggan area was in March 1840. The course is located 13 miles from the nearest, larger town of Mullingar and 57 miles from the capital city of Dublin. The presence of the M6 motorway means that the course is reachable from Dublin in approximately 1 hour. The race meetings in Kilbeggan begin in mid May and finish in mid September.
Horse racing in Ireland is intricately linked with Irish culture and society. The racing of horses has a long history on the island, being mentioned in some of the earliest texts. Domestically, racing is one of Ireland's most popular spectator sports, while on the international scene, Ireland is one of the strongest producers and trainers of Thoroughbred horses. The Irish horse racing industry is closely linked with that of Great Britain, with Irish horses regularly competing and winning on the British racing circuit.
