List_of_British_National_Hunt_races

List of British National Hunt races

List of British National Hunt races

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A list of notable National Hunt horse races which take place annually in Great Britain, under the authority of the British Horseracing Authority, including all races which currently hold Grade 1, 2 or Premier Handicap status.

History of the National Hunt Pattern

A National Hunt (NH) Pattern of important races was first recognized in 1964 when the Horserace Betting Levy Board made a grant of £64,000 to fund a "prestige race allocation" split between the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle and Grand National. In 1968 a Jump Racing Pattern Committee headed by Lord Leverhulme recommended the creation of a formal NH Pattern, which came into being in 1969 with 14 races initially. The Pattern underwent further revisions in the 1980s and was subject to a major change in 1989 when the Jockey Club, the governing body of British horseracing at the time, overhauled the Pattern to create a mid-season and season-ending Grade 1 race in each of twelve categories, with lead-up Grade 2 races and a set of 14 major handicaps of Grade 3 status.[1] This forms the basis of the current Pattern, which has since been subject to further changes in status and number of races, most recently for the 2023–24 season.[2] Major changes took place in the 2022–23 season when the Grade 3 handicaps were renamed Premier Handicaps and Listed handicaps were removed from the pattern, either becoming Premier Handicaps or being downgraded to Class 2 status.[3][4]

Grade 1

More information Month, Race Name ...
  1. Run at Sandown in 2023, due to abandonment at Newcastle
  2. Formerly run at Sandown as the Tolworth Novices' Hurdle
  3. Run at Cheltenham in 2024, due to abandonment at Ascot

Grade 2

More information Month, Race Name ...
  1. Previously run as the Berkshire Novices' Chase
  2. Previously run over 3m
  3. Was abandoned in 2024 but the race was rescheduled at the same course
  4. Run at Doncaster in 2024, due to abandonment at Ascot.
  5. Run at Doncaster in 2024, due to abandonment at Haydock.
  6. Previously run at the December meeting

Premier Handicaps

More information Month, Race Name ...

Listed

More information Month, Race Name ...
  1. Run at Exeter as the Exeter Mares' Novices' Chase in 2023, due to abandonment at Bangor.
  2. Run at Aintree in 2023, due to abandonment at Carlisle.
  3. Run at Doncaster as the Bet365 Mares' Open NHF Race in 2023, due to abandonment at Huntingdon.
  4. Run at Wincanton in 2023, due to abandonment at Warwick.
  5. Was abandoned in 2024 but run in February at the same course
  6. Run at Haydock over 2m 3f in 2024, due to abandonment at Warwick.

Conditions, novices, juveniles & sales

More information Month, Race Name ...

Other selected handicaps

More information Month, Race Name ...
  1. Run at Warwick in 2024, due to abandonment at Sandown.
  2. Was abandoned in 2024 but will be run in May (not technically as a novice race due to being in the next Jumps season) at the same course.

Hunter chases

More information Month, Race Name ...

Discontinued

More information Last Run, Race Name ...

Distances in miles and furlongs


References

  1. Rae, George (1992). A Guide to The National Hunt Pattern. The Sporting Life. pp. 9–14. ISBN 0901091448.
  2. "Package of changes agreed to help strengthen performance of British Jump racing". British Horseracing Authority. 26 April 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  3. Robson, Michael. "Chepstow disappointed as Finale Hurdle loses Grade 1 tag in jumps Pattern shift". Racing Post. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  4. "Jump Pattern Committee update 22/23 season". British Horseracing Authority. Retrieved 12 August 2022.


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