Author: Peter McNeile

Two themes punctuated the chatter at Stratford’s annual Ladies Day, thronged with the great, good and glamorous of Warwickshire. Understandably, paddock picks were on this occasion not limited to the inside of the parade ring; there is nothing like dressing up to generate conversation at least among lady racing spectators.

The other chatter of course concerned the broadcast of Champions – Full Gallop, ITV’s new six part docuseries charting the highs and lows of the past jumps season. An early star of the show is Mr Hollywood himself, Harry Cobden, whose good looks and boyish charm engage spectators and viewers alike in equal measure. That he happens to be champion too only adds to that allure. We haven’t had a poster boy champion since John Francome, with no offence to other champion riders in the interim. Even A P would acknowledge he is no Adonis!

However, even champions have their upsets. it’s an unappealing stat for any budding rider that a fall will occur every 12 rides, and Cobden’s law of probability caught up with him in the opener, when an unseat on the Nicholls – trained Kick Up A Storm left him stood down for the rest of the afternoon, and an enforced couple of weeks on the sidelines.

The race, a 2m 6f handicap hurdle, went to the Alan King – trained Royal Pretender, under Tom Cannon, winning his third hurdle from 19 starts.

As any rider will know, one man’s loss is another’s gain, and the principal beneficiary this time around was Nico de Boinville, previously booked for just one rider for the Seven barrows team, who was promptly snapped up by Nicholls for a winning ride on novice chaser Matterhorn, who scored an 8l victory in the feature 2m John Murtagh 60th Birthday Handicap Chase. The winner is likely to turn out again next month when Newton Abbot’s programme includes a £25,000 handicap chase, even though he remains a novice. He looks a fun addition to owner Johnny de la Hey’s burgeoning stable of stars.

That collection of good horses is only likely to increase, given the imminent sale of Chris Giles impressive string of bloodstock today, which includes horses like Stay Away Fay and Rubaud, which Nicholls will surely want to keep at Ditcheat.

De Boinville’s good fortune with Nicholls continued when Soir de Gala justified 5/2 favouritism in winning the Watch Champions Full Gallop on ITVX Novices Handicap Chase over 2m 3f later in the afternoon for owner J P McManus. As first rides for a new trainer, this was something of a nice pick-me-up on an afternoon in which Nicholls added a third ready winner in the 2m novices hurdle with Brave Knight, this time under Harry Skelton.

There has never been a summer when Stratford enjoyed race divisions at three consecutive fixtures, but the confluence of unseasonably wetter conditions and a reduction in races by some 300, has precipitated some extraordinary results. Divisions 1 & 2 of the Allan Atkinson Memorial Handicap Hurdle over 3m2f may never feature in their own right in some racing quiz or other, but they provided 2 winning opportunities where only one was planned.

Entirely characteristic of the summer programme, the Twiston-Davies yard was quick to take advantage, producing Fine By Me to win the first division easily. Like many of his summer runners, Fine By Me runs in the colours of Twiston-Davies Equine, building up value until a suitable owner hoves into view.

Division II was not much more competitive, the winning distances being 6l and 17l, this time by six year old Catuaba, trained by Charlie Longsdon and ridden by 7lb claimer Elizabeth Gale, her ninth winner overall.

On a day when favourites won 5 of the seven races, layers were given some brief relief when Gary Hanmer produced a 1-2 in the Ardencote Mares Hurdle, where Marina Ocarina beat stablemate Northern Rose a head to delight the few backers of her at 25/1.

Normal service was resumed in the final bumper, when Dan Skelton kept up his early season push for winners and prize money, reaching 39 and over £320,000, when Ronnies Rules kept a 100% record under Rules when following up on debut success here at the start of the month for amateur Ben Sutton.

The prestigious York Ebor Festival in August is undoubtedly one of the biggest betting events of the year in the United Kingdom. The four-day meeting features several Group races and top-class handicaps, each of which provide punters with useful form pointers for later in the season.

Some of the races at the Ebor Festival are a stepping stone to major contests in Australia including the iconic Melbourne Cup in November.

With that in mind, read on as we look at some of the horses who will be bidding to showcase their big race credentials during the upcoming meeting at York.

Weld Eyeing Another Tilt at the Melbourne Cup

Dermot Weld was the first European trainer to saddle the winner of the Melbourne Cup, achieving the feat with Vintage Crop (1993) before following up with Media Puzzle (2002).

He is considering another attempt at winning ‘the race that stops the nation’ with promising stayer Harbour Wind following his recent victory at Limerick.

The horse overcame a near nine-month absence to win the Listed Martin Molony Stakes and has a couple of potential engagements lined up at York.

Weld is considering running the horse in either the Lonsdale Cup or Ebor Handicap and a victory at York would spark a shake-up in the Melbourne Cup market.

With bettors already eagerly searching for Melbourne Cup tips despite the race being more than three months away, there will be plenty of focus on Harbour Wind next month. Weld confirmed after the Limerick contest that the four-year-old could be aimed at the race, although he admitted there are ‘many bridges to cross before then’.

“It was a workmanlike, battling performance under a very good ride from Chris Hayes,” Weld said. “We’ll see how he comes out of the race and discuss future plans with the owner as to where we go next. He’ll be sharper for that.

“The Melbourne Cup is in my thoughts, but it is early days and we will see how the year progresses. He has to step up considerably.”

Mullins Could be Triple-Handed in Melbourne

Willie Mullins has made no secret of his desire to win the Melbourne Cup and is eager to have another crack at the race this year.

He is planning to use the Ebor Festival as the next step along the road for three of his talented stayers – Belloccio, Absurde and Vauban.

Belloccio is on track to line-up in the Ebor Handicap after winning well at Royal Ascot, while Absurde and Vauban could contest the Lonsdale Cup.

Absurde won the Ebor Handicap last year on his way to finishing seventh in the Melbourne Cup and will once again use York to warm-up for his run in Australia. He’s no stranger to jumps fans either, his last outing being a handy length victory in the County Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Belloccio triumphed in the Copper Horse Handicap at Royal Ascot in June – the same race Vauban won on his way to running in the Melbourne Cup.

Vauban finished 14th last year despite being made favourite for the race, and owner Rich Ricci is keen to head Down Under again in November. The horse ran well to finish fourth in the Ascot Gold Cup and Ricci believes he will be more competitive at Flemington Racecourse this time around.

“We’re definitely going back to Melbourne – 100 percent,” Ricci told Sky Sports Racing. “Melbourne is definitely the plan and we’ll see what we do from here.

“We’ve been second, third, sixth, nowhere – we learned a lot last year and we’re going to change things up a bit this year.”

Mullins has another six horses entered in the Ebor Handicap including Ethical Diamond, who ran a race full of promise when finishing fourth in the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes at Royal Ascot. The step up 14 furlongs should suit the horse and he could become a live Melbourne Cup contender if he emerges victorious at York.

The sun shone as Stratford donned its glad rags for the annual Family Day, and spectators were able to flit between the Alcaraz – Djokovic final at Wimbledon and a bumper card with 7 races, courtesy of a second division in as many fixtures. All the talk among the menfolk at any rate was of the impending match in Berlin, which rounded off a vintage day for Spanish sport.

Six And Out seems therefore an appropriate winner for the feature Barry The Butcher Raise The Steaks Summer Salver, Stratford’s summer feature hurdle, given that hero Gareth Southgate must surely stay on as England manager to take the team he has guided through five major tournaments to a successful sixth equivalent. His equine counterpart, the David Weston trained six year old, may never hit the same dizzy heights, but he had every right to this 2 1/4l victory under James Davies, his second in 3 attempts at Stratford this summer. David Weston runs the stud at East Kennet, and jumping is his sinecure, Six And Out being one of just two runners this season for the yard.

Second -placed Finest View continued the run of form from Alan King, but weight told, giving a stone to the winner.

If a series of elegantly dressed racegoers hadn’t been enough to raise the pulse, the finish of the opening Esme, Ellie, Myla & Harvey Allsopp Handicap Chase certainly was, proving the old adage that it’s not always horses of the highest quality that force the most exciting result. Eleven runners set off on the 2m 3f trip, but two out, the chase was among five remaining, led by Invincible Wish and Lonimoss Bareliere, both maidens, who jumped the last as one, before James Best squeezed a little more from 12 year old Invincible Wish to win over obstacles for the first time in 22 starts for Leominster-based Sara-Jayne Davies.

A boys’ race next, albeit the conditionals’ ranks nowadays include some highly competent women riders, this renewal punctuated y a majority of experienced riders who have ridden out their claim. Just two riders were able to claim weight allowances.

Eight year old Outback Frontiers surprised everyone, not least his trainer John O’Shea, with a determined last gasp win by a neck, having shown nothing in his previous races this Spring, beaten a cumulative 104l. It was a race only celebrated in the ring where layers enjoyed a halfway decent margin on the 14/1 shot courtesy of Caoilin Quinn, narrowly denying the Graeme McPherson-trained Eagles Realm.

McPherson and business partner David Killahena didn’t have long to wait however, as Aviewtosea performed above his previous best to land the 2m6f Barbara Shepherd 80th Birthday Celebration Handicap Chase by 1 3/4l under Kielan Woods. The Stow-on-the-Wold training establishment is finding its feet again after the split with Fergal O’Brien, this their seventh winner of the summer.

Another yard looking as if they might be running into some form is Condicote’s Martin Keighley, two miles the other side of Stow-on-the-Wold. Don Rafael’s 3 3/4l victory in the maiden hurdle won’t be setting ante-post markets alight just yet, but was a second winner in five runners, indicating there may be more to come from the one-time home of the Duke. This 31st winner of the summer for Sean Bowen keeps his title hopes alive after narrowly missing out in April to Harry Cobden.

Battle of Omdurman was testing a few onlookers’ history knowledge as he took prominent order in the Malcolm Wheeler 70th Birthday Celebration Juvenile Hurdle. The famoius victory of British troops over the Mahdi in 1898 avenged the death of one General Gordon at Khartoum 13 years previously. Battle of Omdurman won with a fluency that indicates this son of Churchill (who fought at Omdurman) may yet win again as he learns his new craft after transferring from Ollie Sangster.

The University Hospitals Birmingham Charity Novices Handicap hurdle divided at 48 hour entry, and both divisions produced fine tight finishes. in the first division, Hammer Dan justified 9/4 favouritism for Jack Tudor and trainer David Pipe in the latter’s absence on holiday, with a 3/4l success over No More No, whilst the jolly also won the finale, as Inspector Lynley outlasted Joker du Chenet by a neck for Neil Mulholland and Sam Twiston-Davies.

Alan King is seen sparingly at summer jumps meets nowadays, having fielded just 45 runners in five seasons across Stratford’s March-November calendar. Rather more fruitful pickings have been found pursuing the more lucrative flat calendar which now makes up half the Barbury handler’s stable winnings nowadays.

However, his infrequent runners always merit consideration, as a 30/1 double yesterday confirmed. Both ridden by Tom Cannon, juvenile Zodiac Star and handicapper On Se Calme brought the seasonal tally to five, of which 3 have been at Luddington Road.

Four year old Zodiac Star has failed to score in 8 starts on the level, but got his act together to overhaul Archie Watson’s Polling Day on the run-in to win by 3/4l and break his duck. He hadn’t looked the obvious winner turning in, but stuck to his task admirably under a form ride from Cannon.

Three jumped the second last in a line in the Hook Norton Vets Handicap Hurdle (Div II) with a winner possible from any of the 9 runners remaining in the tightly bunched field. On Se Calme was the first to make the bend and kept on well to the line, despite a renewed challenge from Bernard Llewellyn’s Good Impression.

It might well have been a Marlborough – themed evening, as near neighbour Robbie Llewellyn returned his second winner of the new term when Paddy’s Island avoided the early race incident to win by 3 1/2l. A Day To Dream proved to be a nightmare, unseating Brian Hughes at the first then running across the field and carrying out two more and precipitating the fall of a third at the second hurdle. That left just five to continue, and Charlie Price had Paddy’s Island well-placed to pick off the leader Hot Fizzy Lizzy who eventually faded into third place behind Scintillante.

Llewellyn scaled up significantly last season, scoring 25 winners, mostly of low calibre, but at a 23% strike rate, which measures favourably with the senior stables. He’s a welcome addition to the 5 stables now surrounding Barbury Castle following the move of Simon Earle to the estate.

The summer campaign is populated by familiar names for the most part – Jonjo O’Neill, Ben Pauling, Fergal O’Brien, and not merely because Stratford is in close proximity to their yards. The summer’s low grade races afford a chance for some of the lesser lights of these big stables to have their moment in the sun, whilst also establishing a position in the Trainers’ Championship.

No surprise then to see a winner for two of these, as Fergal O’Brien led in commentator’s nightmare Sacchoandvenzetti to score for the first time since his transfer to Ravenswell from John Queally’s twelve months ago in the Saige Composite Products Handicap Hurdle over 2m 6f. It was a smooth and accomplished ride from Jonathan Burke, but won’t have enamoured the affable O’Brien to his landlord Rupert Lowe, busy campaigning in Great Yarmouth for the Reform Party, whose Art Approval came in second.

Ben Pauling is another to make hay during the summer, and he may need it to resolve a property dispute with debenture holders at Naunton Downs Golf Club, home to the stable, which Pauling purchased 2 years ago. Suffice to say, golf and racehorses are not proving a perfect mix; reason enough to press home the success of course and distance winner Chess Player in the visitracingtv.com Handicap Chase over 2m 3f. The four time chase winner is not always the most fluent of jumpers, but Kielan Woods steered him home to a 2 1/4l win over Nibra’s Gold, who may have been closer with a cleaner jump at the last.

Bob O’Rhino pinned his colours to the mast from flagfall in the second division of the maiden hurdle, disputing the lead from the off under Gavin Sheehan. Sheehan asserted from 3 out and had enough in the tank to see off the resolute Far Away West by a length.

Paul Nicholls’ summer team is very select; in truth, it’s not really his scene, but if he is to wrest the Championship back from Willie Mullins, and keep former assistant Dan Skelton at bay, then some pretence at the summer’s calendar is necessary. 12 winners to date compares poorly to Skelton’s 38, but Matterhorn’s 12l stroll in the Davisons Law Anniversary Novices Handicap Chase helped the total along just a smidgen for prominent owner Johnny de la Hey.

That 38 winners for Skelton was helped along by a final race winner for the local Alcester yard in the concluding bumper. A maiden Point-to-Point winner at taylorstown in May, Ronnies Rules was in a hurry from the off, and made out an easy debut 5l Rules winner under Ben Sutton to add to the young horse cavalry squadron at Skelton HQ awaiting the autumn.

Stratford’s enhanced lunch offering for owners with runners demonstrated its worth yesterday when a healthy 73 runners populated a card where not one but two races divided at declaration. Despite coinciding with the opening day of the Royal meeting, there was a healthy attendance, and an Owners & Trainers lunch pavilion enjoyed by many.

The damp and cold May has enabled the popular Warwickshire track to provide unseasonably soft conditions. Our so-called summer provided good to soft ground more readily found in November than mid-June. However, the sun made an appearance and shirtsleeves were the order of the day throughout.

Dan Skelton is leaving no stone unturned in pursuit of his first Trainers’ Championship. Having fought off his former boss, Paul Nicholls, he might reasonably have considered the 2023-24 title his by right, until the Spring exploits of one Willie Mullins denied him. Whilst Mullins was demonstrating his expertise across both codes of the sport with a winner in the final race of Tuesday’s card at Ascot, the Skelton brothers made hay nearer to home, with a 2 1/2-1 double at their home track.

The Alcester yard has gone off like a scalded cat this Spring, with 33 winners already chalked up and £255,000 banked: just the sort of figure that could make all the difference next April when the chips are down. There were no great surprises around the victories of Juan Bermudez or Climate Precedent, both sent off favourite for their respective races.

Juan Bermudez was last seen here at the start of the month when winning a similar novices hurdle over 2m2f, and this looked a textbook ride from the hard puller, who always had Jazz Puller in his sights before pulling clear 100 yards from the line under Skelton Jnr. The 5 year old gelding, a son of Nathaniel, has plenty of speed, and can defy a penalty again.

A change of scene appears to have freshened up Climate Precedent, who proceeded to conclude the card with an accomplished 5 1/2l victory under Harry in the second division of the Novices Handicap Hurdle to wrap up the Skelton double. Formerly with James Owen since coming off the Flat mid summer last year, this was enough to allow the four year old to break his duck over obstacles.

Trainers were in short supply with a majority amusing themselves at Ascot. Alan King chose to saddle Tritonic at Ascot in favour of Theonlywayiswessex in the Injured Jockeys Fund 60th Anniversary Novices Handicap Chase. Tom Cannon, whose sole ride of the day this was, deputized admirably, and rode a perfect race to break the gelding’s duck over fences after a placed effort here a month ago. The IJF was represented by a number of former riders and Lisa Hancock, CEO of the organisation that does so much to pick up injured riders and put them back together. It’s heart-warming to see the positivity with which so many see their lives, not least when their mobility has been compromised on a permanent basis by the sport we all love.

The lot of the smaller trainer is hard. It’s undisputably a young person’s game, so no surprise that Daisy Hitchins has carried on where Brian Barr left off. Barr’s long-serving assistant now runs the Dorset yard and sent out her second winner of the summer when 3/1 favourite Bhold made good at the third time of asking here at Stratford in the Happy Birthday Mary Handicap Chase, the only other race over the larger obstacles. Rider Harry Reed always had enough in hand to see off Callum Bewley on Do No Wrong, the distance 2 1/4l.

Another of the emerging generation of trainers collared the opener, as Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero’s Cawthorne Cracker returned from a 238 day break to land the Conditional Riders handicap hurdle opening the card, under 3lb claimer Toby Wynne. Wynne has 17 more winners to lose his claim altogether.

Two Gloucestershire neighbours were head to head in the finish of the day in the second division of the 2m2f Novices Hurdle. After an eventful start in which Rocky Breeze pulled up, and Six And Out and Habibi hampered each other and unseated their riders, the business end of the race was fought out between Martin Keighley’s Pacific and 10/11 favourite Go Go Chicago, trained by David Killahena and Graeme McPherson. The two stables are within 3 miles of each other either side of Stow-on-the-Wold. Kielan Woods had to ride a fearsome finish to overhaul James Best on the Keighley horse, but prevailed by a neck at the line.

Time was when Lambourn was a racing village dominated by the major Jump yards, but times have changed. The village is top-heavy in Flat yards nowadays, although Seven Barrows flies a flag for the winter sport. Among the leading remaining jumps yards is Folly House in Upper Lambourn, home to Jamie Snowden.

The last two seasons have seen the Snowden yard accelerate to be prominent among that tier of his profession winning shy of £1m, which equates to the 5-15th places in the table. It’s rarely a golden summer for Snowden, whose horses are kept for the core season, but that said, his recent strike rate has been above par in May and June, suggesting our late Spring has enabled him to keep some winter horses going.

One such is Donnie Azoff, who secured his third win in 15 months in the 2m handicap hurdle with a 9l win over Pam Sly’s Take It Easy. This will have been one of Gavin Sheehan’s easier winners, and at this level, Donnie Azoff can score again before the handicapper gives him an unsurmountable weight.

Farrier Andrew Martin has just 8 horses in his yard at Chipping Norton, none of them meriting much consideration. Come On Nia provided a welcome fillip when holding off Gary and Josh Moore’s Sanitiser 1 1/4l in the first division of the novices handicap hurdle to merit a 25% strike rate, comparable to stables at the top of the tree.

In 2022, racing at Stratford Upon Avon underwent an important change. As part of a new initiative, the fence take off boards were changed from orange to white. The transformation across UK racing happened over ten months with work being completed in 2023. Other racecourses across the UK also saw 368 fences change colour, along with 2,132 hurdle panels. The traditional florescent orange colour might have been synonymous with Stratford racecourse, but there was a big reason behind the change, and it’s all to do with the welfare of the horses. Once again, Stratford pioneered the change.

The pursuit of safety in an inherently dangerous sport might seem somewhat anomalous. Yet British racing has an unparalleled reputation for its efforts in reducing injuries and fatalities in Jump racing. The pressure on the sport from lobby groups is intense, as witnessed by the demonstrators at last year’s Grand National.

In other countries of Europe, racing over obstacles has all but expired. There are around 5 Jump races in the whole of Germany, whilst in Sweden, direction from the public has led bookmakers to suspend betting on any jump race. In a sport under pressure to demonstrate it is managing safety of its equine athletes proactively, the BHA has shown strong leadership.

Horse Welfare Board

The Horse Welfare Board were in charge of overseeing the fence colour project. They noted research which was carried out by Exeter University regarding how horses’ vision filters colour. The original research was commissioned by the BHA, and backed by the Racing Foundation. The university found that after trialling numerous colour options under different racing conditions, including the traditional orange markings, horses have reduced dichromatic vision when compared to humans. Although they can see a range of colours clearly, most of their colour vision revolves around blues and yellow. They are unable to tell orange, green and red apart.

The study found that when the wood and vinyl padding on racecourses, guard rails and top boards were changed to white, this gave horses increased visibility. It even helped to improve jumping performance by stimulating the focus around the take off markings.

When betting on races from a trusted UK  bookmaker, race conditions are often taken into account when calculating the chance of a horse winning. Since the fences changed colour, this has led to some horses having a better performance on the track. Punters should have also taken the change of colour into account when formulating horse racing betting strategies, as previous poor jumpers may now perform better.

Adjusting to the change

As a result of the change that happened across racecourses over the last few years, horse trainers and owners have also been making adjustments. Trainers have now adopted white fences when schooling and the alterations have filtered all the way down to the Point-to-Point division too, to try and help horses adjust to the new conditions they may see on the track.

Since the fences changed colour at racecourses across the UK, organisers have also been working to make horse racing safer in other ways. At Aintree, organisers moved the start time from 5:15 pm to 4 pm in an attempt to improve the ground, and the distance to the first fence was cut to ensure horses had a slower speed when making the first jump. Additional veterinary checks were implemented, along with a standing start. Changes like this are set to move across other big horse races, and could even be a focus for smaller race tracks as well moving forward. Softer foam, and rubber toe boards have also been added to numerous race courses.

As time goes on, horse safety is becoming more and more of a priority, and with changes like this set to alter horse performance, it’s certainly helping to make things more interesting for punters. 

Centrepiece of Ascot’s Royal Meeting is the Gold Cup, run over a distance of two miles and four furlongs, so it is no surprise that the race often includes Jumps horses, as they have the stamina to see out the marathon trip.

In the past, we have even seen Ascot Gold Cup contenders feature at Stratford over obstacles. Here is a look at the National Hunt horses involved in the feature race of the royal meeting this year, and their chances of being successful in the fixture’s marquee event.

Vauban

Irish horse Vauban has run eight times over hurdles, with his most famous victory coming in the Triumph Hurdle at the 2022 Cheltenham Festival. He is 9/1 in the Ascot odds 2024 to add the Gold Cup to his record this year, with a repeat visit to Melbourne on his autumn agenda.

What a stunning performance from Vauban!

Willie Mullins’ star is awesome in the Copper Horse Handicap for Ryan Moore in the Ricci Silks at #RoyalAscot pic.twitter.com/4ZVadbVAEP

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 20, 2023

Absurde

Ebor Festival winner to Cheltenham Festival winner 🤝

A versatile horse, Absurde was in the winning enclosure at @yorkracecourse with @FrankieDettori and has now etched his name into Cheltenham history too 🏆

pic.twitter.com/7ebkDkien5

— Champions Series (@ChampionsSeries) March 15, 2024

Two-time hurdles winner Absurde is another Cheltenham Festival winner entered for this year’s Ascot Gold Cup. He won the Country Handicap Hurdle at the biggest meeting in the Jumps racing back in March.

The former French-based horse has shown great durability throughout his career. When he made his debut as a two-year-old in France in 2020, he ran over the distance of 1m on the Flat. He has since appeared in a hurdles race over 2m4f.

Like his stablemate Vauban, Absurde also featured in the 2023 Copper Horse Handicap. He had to settle for the runner-up spot in that race as he proved no match for the former Triumph Hurdle winner.

Absurde did win a big Flat race last summer as he landed the Ebor Handicap at York. He stayed on strongly at the back end of the 1m6f contest under the hands of Frankie Dettori to get the better of his Gold Cup rival Sweet William. 

The Irish St Leger at the Curragh is an option for Mullins’ gelding should he run well at Royal Ascot this year. He may also switch back to hurdles in October for the 2024/25 National Hunt season.

The 2024 Ascot Gold Cup takes place on day three of the royal meeting on Thursday, 20th of June at 16:25, with the final field declared two days earlier on Tuesday, 18th of June.

Stratford upon Avon is a unique race course, with some of the smallest jumps in the country and a tight circuit that is in stark contrast to galloping tracks like Cheltenham or Haydock Park. Yet that does not mean it provides less excitement. These races are often much faster than others that contain more imposing obstacles. If you are new to racing and feel unsure of the types of races available in UK jump racing, then we can help you understand the different divisions, and the nuances of particular race types.

National Hunt Flat Races

National Hunt is the name given to jump races. They differ from flat races in that they are often over much longer distances and contain obstacles, making them much more a test of endurance and jumping ability than speed. There are plenty of horse racing guides that will help you understand the differences and how to bet on them. However, quite confusingly, these national hunt races also provide flat racing.  

Often known as bumpers, they are races for horses bred for National Hunt races that will at some point be jumping fences and hurdles. The title stems from a time when the pool of riders included amateur and novice riders, and refers to their weaker riding style which included bumping along on the horse’s back instead of driving a finish rather neater. These bumper races are only open to horses seven years and under. Horses must also exclusively have only raced in bumpers before, and are limited to just 4 runs before they must graduate to a hurdle or chase.

Hurdle Races

Hurdling is a race type where horses must jump over obstacles, commonly known as hurdles. They differ from fences, also used in racing, as they are smaller. The fences are made from brush and are very flexible. Combined with their low ground clearance, these races tend to be faster than ones that contain fences. They also attract many flat race horses that have changed to an obstacle-based race.  The jumping style over a hurdle is much flatter; a well seasoned horse will flick through the top of the hurdle without losing momentum in a flat trajectory, barely losing its stride pattern. Hurdles can be uprooted by poor jumps too, unlike a steeplechase fence, which will always come off best in a fight!

Races of this type generally have a distance of two miles or longer, with a minimum eight hurdles in a race. Any horse who has never won a race of this type before can compete in novice hurdles, or a maiden hurdle, defined as open to those that have not yet won. Novices can carry on for the season in which they pick up their first win. This is often a reason why good quality maidens that have been placed in high quality races toward the end of a season are held back for a clean shot at a full second season in the novice category, where their experience will hold them in better stead than a new generation coming through. 

Steeplechase Races

A chase is a shortened way of describing a steeplechase. These are races that include fences as obstacles, which are larger than hurdles. Each one is a minimum four feet 8inches high. However, they are not the only obstacles and water and open ditches can also be included. The water provides an excellent spectacle in front of the stands at Stratford. The races are run between two miles to four and a half miles.  

The types of horses in these races are generally older with more experience. They will likely have run over hurdles before and will have the stamina to complete a more demanding race. Races of this kind do not use starting stalls. Instead, jockeys will walk the horse towards a tape which is released when the race begins.  

Just like hurdling, there are also novice and maiden chases. These are for horses without a win over fences and horses can run until the end of the season they win in.  Confusingly, however, a horse having won a point-to-point in Ireland can start his career over here as a maiden. And over in France, there are 4 year olds chases, limited to younger horses, meaning often French-bred horses are more precocious than their British and Irish contemporaries.

One further category common to Stratford’s Spring season is Hunter Chases, limited to horses that have not competed in professional races since mid-October of the previous year, and to be ridden by amateur riders. These are usually competing in point-to-point races, where the type of race is always a conditions race. Stratford is unique in staging the sport’s only Hunter chase handicap.

Handicaps

Each category of race except National Hunt Flat races offers a ladder of excellence up which a horse may climb, starting with Novice events, graduating to Handicaps, where horses carry different weights allotted by an official handicapper who has assessed their performances to date. There are often Novice handicaps too, where unexposed horses can be afforded an advantage by the handicapper’s lack of knowledge of their ability.

In the race conditions, you’ll see a classification of each race, from Grade I (sadly none at Stratford) to Class 5. Handicaps are also managed so that they are framed for horses of a similar standard each time; eg: rated 0-120. This means the top-rated horse would carry 8st 5lb (120lb) in an open competition of all the horses in Britain.

Weight for Age Races

The traditional model of race is commonly known as a Conditions race, where horses are allotted a weight depending on their age, in a time-honoured scale devised by Admiral Henry Rous, who served in the Royal Navy in the Napoleonic era, but is best known in racing circles for devising the weight for age scale back in 1855. Penalties can be incurred by horses for races won, either in quantity or value.

A horse’s weight may not exceed 11st 12lb under Rules, irrespective of the volume of penalties.

Once you know these types of races, you will find many different subcategories that you should take a look at. The most common are graded races, where horses with a certain form and record compete. There are also listed races which involve handicaps for horses. Do some research, understand your races and enjoy the season ahead.

 

Royal Ascot is one of the most prestigious events in the horse racing calendar, set to return in 2024 with a line-up of extraordinary talent. Here, we’ll spotlight some of the top contenders to watch at Royal Ascot 2024, when of course, on the opening day, you’ll be here enjoying the action over jumps at Stratford.

This five-day festival showcases equestrian excellence but is also a hub for hospitality, and social and cultural events, attracting the attention of racing enthusiasts and casual spectators alike. With numerous races and an international field of runners, it can be challenging to identify which horses are poised for standout performances, we’ll aim to look at some winning contenders as recommended by betting expert Daniel Smith.

Inspiral

Inspiral, a standout mare from the John & Thady Gosden stable, has been turning heads with her powerful performances. Known for her strong finishes and tactical versatility, Inspiral is expected to run in the Queen Anne Stakes for a second year, hoping to go one better than her neck second in 2023. Her previous victories in Group 1 races like the Jacques le Marois, Sun Chariot and Breeders Cup Fillies & Mares the have solidified her reputation as a top-tier competitor. Will jockey Frankie Dettori be summoned back to perform at the stage he excels at? If so, Inspiral’s chances at Royal Ascot look even more promising.

Luxembourg

Another notable contender is Luxembourg, a horse with a significant following due to his impressive performances in high-stakes races all over the world. Trained by legend of Coolmore, Aidan O’Brien, Luxembourg has shown remarkable growth and resilience. His entry in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes is highly anticipated to see if he too can go one better, beaten 4l last year by Mostahdaf. Luxembourg’s ability to maintain high speed over long distances and his tactical racing style makes him a strong contender for this prestigious event.

Emily Upjohn

Emily Upjohn, trained by the Gosden team, has captured attention with her remarkable victories and consistent performance. She has demonstrated exceptional talent in middle-distance races and is expected to be a major player in the Hardwicke. Emily Upjohn’s combination of speed, stamina, and strategic racing make her a horse to watch closely at distances of 1m2f+. She holds entries later in the summer in the Coral-Eclipse, Pretty Polly and Irish Champion Stakes.

King of Steel

King of Steel was an emphatic winner of the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot 2023 after nearly upsetting the odds-on Auguste Rodin in the Derby, and followed up in the Qipco Champions Stakes at Ascot in October. Having shown this level of impressive form, he was being aimed at the Prince of Wales’ Stakes until an injury early this month put him on the sidelines. This looks likely to curtail at least this year’s racing record, if not his career at large, so discount him from any selections at this year’s Ascot.

Absurde

Willie Mullins has become the go-to trainer for international comparison, and Absurde is being tilted again at the Melbourne Cup in the autumn. An unorthodox prep has already included victory in the County Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, and he will likely hold other entries in races like the Queen Alexandra alongside stablemate Vauban. Mullins knows what is required to win down under, where Absurde and Vauban represented him last year. He won’t be making the extended trip without good reason, so a good run at Ascot will tell a story.

In recent seasons, the Skelton yard has largely focused on the core winter season, but stung by having been touched off by Willie Mullins in pursuit of a first British Trainers’ Championship, Dan Skelton has been firing in runners right, left and centre this May. It was, indeed, a cruel twist for Skelton, that having seen off his former boss Paul Nicholls, he should be upstaged by none other than Willie Mullins, a man who frequents British shores only for the marquee events.

He looks to be doubling down on the Championship assault in ’24-25, with 27 winners already having amassed over £200,000 in prize money (hat figure itself something of a side comment on the prizes on offer in the summer). With 17 winners in the last fortnight, and a 35% strike rate in hurdle races, this is a yard in a hurry.

And boy, what a hurry this is. A 9/1 treble at Stratford on Saturday evening continued a streak of form that is leaving the rest in the shade. Early days it may be, but even the prolific Fergal O’Brien is languishing at well under half the stakes won of the Alcester powerhouse.

Five year old Juan Bermudez set the ball rolling on Saturday, picking up division one of the Grace & Dottie Novices Hurdle, a symptom of perfect ground conditions. It was an overdue maiden success for the son of Nathaniel who has been bridesmaid at Fakenham and Huntingdon since his introduction in March.

The Skelton yard boasts a splendid 35% strike rate in chases, so it was difficult to oppose Hidden Heroics in the Farmers Fresh Handicap Chase, where he was sent off 7/2 favourite. Making the running for the first time appeared to retrieve the form that saw him successful last at Ludlow in December.

Given his breeding, it will have surprised no-one to see Supreme Yeats staying on to land the final visitracingtv.com Handicap Hurdle over 2m6f. A change of scene from laura Morgan’s seems to have rejuvenated his form, and it would be no surprise to see him defy a penalty.

Meantime, other handlers have also been making hay, and Marlborough was double-handed as David Weston and Emma Lavelle both enjoyed a winner. Weston’s East Kennet yard is hardly a full-time operation. He hasn’t returned to the dizzy heights of four seasons ago, when 26 runners produced 6 winners, but one from two isn’t so bad. It all looked pretty smooth for James Davies on Six And Out, second throughout in division 2 of the novices hurdle, before picking off the leader before the last and staying on to win by 1 1/2l.

Lavelle has enjoyed greater prominence after making the leap to train at Peter Makin’s old yard at Ogbourne Maizey. With the retirement of stable stars like Paisley Park, it’ll be a time for renewal. Porter In The Park appears to enjoy this ground, having already been successful at Ludlow and touched off at Market Rasen this Spring. Off a lowish weight at this level, he’s well capable of adding to his tally, winning here by 2 3/4l from Olly Murphy’s Secret Trix in a 3m2f handicap hurdle.

Gary Hanmer is another who thrives in the slightly less competitive environment of summer jumping. May has always been a fertile month for him, with 6 winners this year, 5 in 2023, and 8 in 2022. Rotten Row began June as Hanmer had left May, with a ready 4 1/4l win over Begin The Luck in the BRC Roofing’s 30th Anniversary Handicap Chase under Robbie Dunne.

The pair were unlucky not to strike a second time, coming off a half length worse on Northern Rose to Anthony Honeyball’s Getmetothemoon in the mares handicap hurdle. Both first and second were staying on well, and it won’t be long before Northern Rose too will break her duck.