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Flat Racing

The difference between the two types of racing are fairly obvious. In flat racing there are no fences or hurdles to be jumped and these contests are generally shorter in length. Races may be as short as just 5 furlongs and they are rarely much more than a mile and a half. The flat season generally runs from April to mid-November, with the harder summer ground unsuitable for the higher impact of jumps racing. That said, there is the winter flat season, with limited and usually lower class racing, often on all-weather tracks, during the colder months.

National Hunt

Jumps racing, officially called National Hunt, or NH, unsurprisingly features some form of obstacle. These are broadly divided into higher, more rigid fences for steeplechase races and smaller, more forgiving hurdles. Just to keep us all on our toes there are bumper races, which, although part of the NH calendar, are actually flat, with no obstacles. These are used as training races for inexperienced horses who are expected to go on to become National Hunt racers.

Jumps races tend to be longer, with the shortest races usually taking place over around 2 miles and the longest going right up to 4 miles or more. The NH season generally runs from mid- to late-October until the following April. Again, however, as with the flat season, you may see less prestigious jumps races at more or less anytime throughout the calendar, especially at courses less prone to drying out.

Cheltenham Gold Cup

One of the biggest steeplechases in the world is the Cheltenham Gold Cup, which takes place over three miles and 22 fences at the hugely popular Cheltenham Festival every March at Cheltenham Racecourse. It’s without doubt the most prestigious of all National Hunt events, and is the most valuable non-handicap chase in Britain.

The first Gold Cup took place way back in July 1819. Back then, it was a flat race contested over three miles on Cleeve Hill, which overlooks the present venue. The first race to be held over jumps was in March 1924. During World War II, the Gold Cup was cancelled twice, in 1943 and the year after.

The most successful horse in Gold Cup history is Golden Miller, who won this prestigious race on five occasions, in consecutive years from 1932 to 1936. The leading jockey with four wins remains Pat Taaffe, who won three times on the legendary Arkle and once on Fort Leney.

As of 2016, the prize money stood at £575,000, with the winner bagging £327,326. The Cheltenham Gold Cup is watched by millions of people worldwide, making it one of the biggest racing events on the calendar. Modern legends such as Best Mate and Kauto Star are among the recent multiple winners of the Gold Cup, the highlight of the last day of the Festival.

Grand National

The Grand National is arguably the most popular and well-known horse race in the world. First run in 1839, the National is now run over a gruelling four miles and 30 fences. It’s the most valuable jump race in Europe, with a prize fund of £1m in 2017. The event is renowned for attracting interest from people who don’t normally bet on or watch horse racing.

The Grand National takes place at Aintree, Liverpool, usually in early April every year. The course is extremely famous, with jumps such as Becher’s Brook. The Chair and the Canal Turn becoming famous in their own right. Those particular jumps coupled with the distance of the event make this race “the ultimate test for horse and rider”. Betting on the National is something of a lottery, with winners at 33/1, 50/1 and even 100/1 not especially uncommon.

Red Rum, who won in 1973, 1974 and 1977, remains the leading horse in Grand National history. George Stevens, who won five Nationals on four different horses, is the most successful jockey. Meanwhile, George Dockeray, Fred Rimell and Ginger McCain share four wins each as the leading trainers (as of 2017).

The Grand National has been broadcast live on free-to-air British terrestrial television since 1960. As of 2017, ITV has the UK rights. An estimated 600 million people watch the Grand National in over 140 countries each year.

The Epsom Derby

The Epsom Derby is open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies, and is run over a distance of one mile, four furlongs on the first Saturday of June each year at Epsom Racecourse. The race serves as the middle leg of the Triple Crown, after the 2000 Guineas and before the St Ledger. The inaugural running of The Derby was held on May 4th, 1780, and was won by Diomed.

Lester Piggott won the Epsom Derby more than any other jockey, with nine wins to his name. The longest winning margin was in 1981 when Shergar won by a huge 10 lengths. The most runners in a Derby has been 34 (1862), with the least being just four, all the way back in 1794.

St Ledger Stakes

The St Leger is a Group 1 flat horse race and, as said, is the final leg of the English Triple Crown. It also completes the Fillies’ Triple Crown, following on from the 1000 Guineas and the Oaks. The race is run over one mile, six furlongs at Doncaster each September.

Established in 1776, the St Leger is the oldest of Britain’s five Classic races. It’s also the last of the five to be run each year, as well as the longest distance of all five. The first running of the St Leger was in September 1776. The purse as of 2017 is £700,000, with the winner getting £396,970.

Bill Scott is the most successful jockey, with nine victories from 1821 to 1846. Last year (2017), Ryan Moore won aboard Capri. Thousands of fans flock to Doncaster Racecourse each year to watch the final Classic of the season and the atmosphere is lively to say the least.

2000 Guineas Stakes

The 2000 Guineas, the first of the Triple Crown races, is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket Racecourse over a distance of one mile, and usually takes place in late April or early May each year. Along with The Derby and St Ledger, the 2000 Guineas is a huge horse race on the British racing calendar.

The 2000 Guineas Stakes was first run on 18th April 1809. By the mid-1860s, the 2000 Guineas was regarded as one of Britain’s most prestigious races for three-year-olds. Since 2001, the 1000 & 2000 Guineas have offered equal prize money – in 2012, both races had a prize fund of £350,000 and that has now increased to a massive £500,000.

Aidan O’Brien is the leading trainer in the 2000 Guineas with eight wins, winning his first in 1998 (King of Kings), and his last in 2017 (Churchill). The leading jockey is Jem Robinson, who won nine times from 1825 to 1848.

Other Notable Mentions

There are far too many huge races on the UK calendar for us to list them all. The other two flat Classics, The Epsom Oaks and the 1000 Guineas are huge, filly-only affairs. Also, the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes has the second largest prize fund in Britain, only behind The Epsom Derby.

When it comes to NH racing, some of the other huge races are the other feature races on each day at Cheltenham. These are the Champion Hurdle, the Champion Chase and the Stayers’ Hurdle. The King George VI Chase and the Betfair Chase are just two of the other massive highlights of the jumps campaign.

As well as these brilliant British contests, there are also similar races of considerable prestige in Ireland. Each of the five flat Classics has an Irish equivalent whilst there are a number of massive jumps contests too, such as the Ryanair Gold Cup, Irish Gold Cup and Lexus Chase.

Several other big races take place annually all over the world. In America, the Breeders’ Cup Classic is the richest horse race in the US. Despite the first race taking place in 1984, the Breeders’ Cup Classic has grown enormously over time. The Kentucky Derby is arguably the most popular horse race in the world. The 1.25-mile race is the leading leg of America’s Triple Crown, and is known as the ‘Fastest Two Minutes in Sport’.

The richest horse race in the world is the Dubai World Cup, which has a prize pool of a whopping $12m at the time of writing. Another notable mention is the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe, which takes place at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris. Lastly we should mention the “race that stops the nation” the Melbourne Cup. Although a flat race, this is the Aussie equivalent of the Grand National in that there is huge prize money and the race has a cultural significance even for those with little interest in the sport.