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Grade 1 Horse Races (National Hunt)

Gold Number 1 with Laurel WreathAt the very top of the National Hunt ranking ladder are the Grade 1 contests – effectively the equivalent of Group 1 races on the flat. Be it over hurdles, the larger more formidable fences, or indeed in National Hunt Flat events, Grade 1 races provide the stage upon which the best of the best strut their stuff.

The likes of Desert Orchid, Kauto Star, Denman and Best Mate (to mention only a few) are names which have truly transcended the sport over the years, seeping their way into the public psyche, and a large part of that fame and acclaim has come through their numerous successes in Grade 1 contests.

There are a total of 40 Grade 1 National Hunt races held in Britain each year; 20 over fences, 19 over hurdles and just the one National Hunt flat race or “bumper” – see list below for full details. Here we take a closer look at what makes a Grade 1 a Grade 1, and we pick out a few of the key contests which fall into the category.

Full list of Grade 1 Races

Race Racecourse Distance Age
November
Betfair Chase Haydock 3m 1½f 5yo +
December
Fighting Fifth Hurdle Newcastle 2m 4yo +
Henry VIII Novices’ Chase Sandown 2m 4yo +
Tingle Creek Chase Sandown 2m 4yo +
Long Walk Hurdle Ascot 3m 1f 4yo +
Kauto Star Novices’ Chase Kempton 3m 4yo +
Christmas Hurdle Kempton 2m 4yo +
King George VI Chase Kempton 3m 4yo +
Finale Juvenile Hurdle Chepstow 2m ½f 3yo
Challow Novices’ Hurdle Newbury 2m 4½f 4yo +
January
Tolworth Hurdle Sandown 2m 4yo +
Clarence House Chase Ascot 2m 1f 5yo +
Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase Sandown 2m 4½f 5yo +
February
Ascot Chase Ascot 2m 5½f 5yo +
March
Supreme Novices’ Hurdle Cheltenham 2m ½f 4yo +
Arkle Challenge Trophy Cheltenham 2m 5yo +
Champion Hurdle Cheltenham 2m ½f 4yo +
David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle Cheltenham 2m 4f 4yo +
Baring Bingham Novices Hurdle Cheltenham 2m 5f 4yo +
Broadway Novices’ Chase Cheltenham 3m ½f 5yo +
Queen Mother Champion Chase Cheltenham 2m 5yo +
Champion Bumper Cheltenham 2m ½f 4–6yo
Golden Miller Novices’ Chase Cheltenham 2m 4f 5yo +
Ryanair Chase Cheltenham 2m 5f 5yo +
Stayers’ Hurdle Cheltenham 3m 4yo +
Triumph Hurdle Cheltenham 2m 1f 4yo
Spa Novices’ Hurdle Cheltenham 3m 4yo +
Cheltenham Gold Cup Cheltenham 3m 2½f 5yo +
April
Manifesto Novices’ Chase Aintree 2m 4f 5yo +
Anniversary 4-Y-O Novices’ Hurdle Aintree 2m 1f 4yo
Aintree Bowl Aintree 3m 1f 5yo +
Aintree Hurdle Aintree 2m 4f 4yo +
Top Novices’ Hurdle Aintree 2m ½f 4yo +
Mildmay Novices’ Chase Aintree 3m 1f 5yo +
Melling Chase Aintree 2m 4f 5yo +
Sefton Novices’ Hurdle Aintree 3m ½f 4yo +
Mersey Novices’ Hurdle Aintree 2m 4f 4yo +
Maghull Novices’ Chase Aintree 2m 5yo +
Ryanair Stayers’ Hurdle Aintree 3m ½f 4yo +
Celebration Chase Sandown 2m 5yo +

What Is a Grade 1 Horse Race?

Jumps Horses Racing Towards Bend
roger blake, flickr

The first thing to note when it comes to these top-level events is that they are all what is known as “weight for age” races. This label refers to how the weights carried by the combatants are determined. Unlike handicap races – where weights are assigned according to a runner’s official rating – the burden a runner is shouldered with in a Grade 1 will be defined by the age and sex of the horse.

In hurdle events four year olds carry more than three year olds, and in chases the five year olds carry more than the younger runners. The exact weight concession operates on a sliding scale throughout the season, becoming less as those younger runners close the gap on their elders in terms of physical maturity. The fillies and mares always receive an allowance, which in most instances is 7lbs.

Whilst the official ratings system may not define the weights carried by the runners, they do determine whether a given runner is able to take part in the race at all. The rules for Grade 1 racing have continually evolved over the years, with the latest update coming in 2018, and thankfully, it is all relatively straightforward.

In order for a horse to line up for a non-Novice Steeple Chase or Hurdle it must have an official rating of 130 or above. For a Grade 1 Novice Chase, this barrier to entry is set at 120. Novice Hurdle’s are exempt from any such restriction as they generally take place at the beginning of a runner’s National Hunt career, and as such are the races in which those talented performers initially begin their climb towards those lofty ratings.

Noteable Races

Thistlecrack Kempton 2016
Thistlecrack Winning 2016 King George VI Chase by michimaya, flickr

Whilst there may well be 40 Grade 1 events over the course of the racing season, there are those which really ought to be labelled as Grade 1+. Quality races though they undoubtedly are, they likelihood is that non-racing fans will not know their Melling Chase from their Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase, for example. There are other contests however which count as titanic events not only in the racing world, but also make a big splash on the sporting scene as a whole. In no particular order, here are our top three Grade 1 contests which fall into this category.

Cheltenham Gold Cup

When it comes to the National Hunt game, the event which soars above all others, and for many, the Festival around which the whole season hinges, comes at Prestbury Park in March. That event is of course the racing and betting monster that is the incomparable four-day Cheltenham Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse. As the premier event of the season, it should be no surprise that this meeting has its fair share of Grade 1 contests – a veritable feast in fact – with a whopping 14 on offer in all.

Of those 14, the best of the bunch – certainly over fences – is the mighty Cheltenham Gold Cup. A race for the best staying chasers in the game, this is effectively their World Cup Final, and represents the crescendo to which this whole meeting builds. The distance of 3m2½f is the trip, with 22 formidable fences to be jumped at championship pace putting the contenders fencing ability under maximum scrutiny. For those who like their racing to be both high-class and dramatic, it simply doesn’t get any better than this.

Taking place on the fourth and final day of the meeting, the race has been the scene of performances both majestic – Kauto Star’s 13-length romp in 2009 for example – and warrior-like – Native River’s monumental battle with Might Bite in 2018 – and is a race not to be missed.

King George VI Chase

Vying for top honours in the chasing department is Kempton Park’s festive spectacular that is the King George VI Chase. Falling right in heart of the festive season, this Boxing Day sporting highlight is one of the most watched and highly coveted events of its type year upon year, and is very close to the top of the tree when it comes to a horse galloping its way into the public’s affections.

Not quite so much of a test as the Cheltenham Gold Cup, due to its 2f shorter trip and easier track, stamina is still very much to the forefront when it comes to qualities needed to succeed. Stamina and a large dose of class have led horses of such calibre and renown as Kauto Star (five times), Desert Orchid (four times) and Wayward Lad (three times) to success in this 18 fence, three mile, Christmas Cracker.

Champion Hurdle

These Grade 1 contests aren’t all about the chasers though. The standout event over the smaller obstacles also comes at the Cheltenham Festival, with the opening day highlight that is the Champion Hurdle being the barometer by which the most talented hurdlers in the game are measured.

A distance of 2m½f may not sound particularly short to the ardent gym abstainer, but when it comes to National Hunt horses, it is just about the bare minimum trip over which they are asked to compete. As such it is speed and fluency over the obstacles which are the name of the game here. Watching the highest-class hurdlers in the business going at it full tilt around Cheltenham is one of the most thrilling sights of the meeting in a race to have been landed by the likes of the simply brilliant Istabraq, Faugheen “The Mahine” and Grade 1 World record holder – with 22 top level wins – Hurricane Fly.

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