What is a steeplechase race?

What is a steeplechase horse racing?

A steeplechase is a form of horse race that involves high jumps, known as fences. These are the tallest obstacles horses can jump during National Hunt races in the UK and Ireland, and stand at least 4ft 6in tall. The steeplechase is designed to test a horse’s longevity and jumping skill.

What is for steeple chases?

For Hurdle Races, is a horse which has not won a Hurdle Race before April 28th, 2019. For Steeple Chases, other than Hunters’ Steeple Chases, is a horse which has not won a Steeple Chase before April 28th, 2019.

What is a novice chase in horse racing?

A novice chase is a type of horse race found during the National Hunt season. First of all, we need to understand what a chase is. A chase race is another term for a steeplechase, which is a race run during the National Hunt season over fences and ditches.

What is the most athletic breed of horse?

Thoroughbreds are widely considered to be the most athletic breed of horse, and ‘chasers are especially known for their speed and agility. 3. Proportionally, race days are rare for steeplechase horses

What is a Novice Chase race?

A chase race is another term for a steeplechase, which is a race run during the National Hunt season over fences and ditches. These obstacles are the sort you will see at the Grand National and provide the toughest test for race horses and jockeys to navigate. Now, a novice chase is one of these steeplechases that is open solely to novice horses.

What are novice hurdles and hunter chases?

Novice Hurdles: A horse which has not won a Hurdle race prior to a specified date at the end of April Novice Chases: A horse which has not won a chase prior to a specified date at the end of April Novice Hunter Chases: A horse which has not won a chase prior to 1st June

Why do horses train in different weather?

The horses will train in all kinds of weather to keep up with their practice schedule. Some horses are re-schooled in order to refine their technique or break unwanted behaviors. Horses’ skeletal systems adjust in conjunction with how much they are exercised.

How many types of novice races are there in the UK?

We will now take a look at the types of novice races to be held in the UK and Ireland, and detail the types of horses eligible to run in each. There is only one category of novice race on the flat: the Novice Stakes.

Can any horse run in a novice hurdle?

No horse can run in a novice hurdle once they have won a National Hunt race in the previous season (although novices can run until the next October if they win a race within the last few months of the previous season). It means the majority of novice hurdlers are young, inexperienced horses that have the potential to become stars.

What is a novice hurdle?

Any horse which wins a Hurdle Race or Steeple Chase for the first time from February 1st, 2020 until April 25th, 2020 (both dates inclusive) will be regarded as a “Novice” and eligible to run in Novice Hurdle Races or Novice Steeple Chases as the case may be until November 30th, 2020.

What do steeplechase horses eat?

Their diet mainly consists of hay and grains In addition, medications and joint supplements are sometimes included with feeding to treat arthritis or other health concerns. It is important that a horse’s heart rate returns to normal before eating. 8. Steeplechase horses need a lot of stamina

How does weather affect a horse’s racing performance?

Weather can play havoc with track conditions and turf racing is the most affected surface of the three. Many veteran turf horses will get in a nice winning groove and develop a preference for a specific condition of the grass, whether it be firm, yielding or in between.

When does a novice become a novice in horse racing?

In any category of National Hunt racing – be it hurdles, chases or hunter chases – a novice will remain a novice until the end of the season in which they gain their first win, no matter how many wins they achieve during that season.

What is a novice hurdle in horse racing?

A novice hurdle is a race run at a National Hunt meeting that features hurdle obstacles that horses must jump over. But before we get to the novice bit, we need to understand the difference between hurdles and fences seen at National Hunt meets.

What is a novice race?

That is, a novice race is an event for runners who are (at least relatively) inexperienced in a certain sphere of racing, be that on the flat or in hurdles or chases. But just how inexperienced is relatively inexperienced?

What are horse hurdles made of?

By contrast, hurdles, which are used, unsurprisingly, in hurdle races, consist of individual, lightweight panels of cut brushwood, each at least 3’6” in height. The panels are driven into the ground, side-by-side, at an angle, to create a ‘flight’ of hurdles at least 30’ wide and at least 3’1” high.

How many hurdles are there in a horse race?

The BHA stipulate that eight flights of hurdles must be present in the first two miles of a race, with an additional hurdle for every further quarter of a mile. Hurdles can often flap forward after horses have galloped over them and they are far less sturdy than fences.

Are steeplechase horses trained like flat horses?

In most cases, no. While most flat horses are housed in the stable areas of racetracks, steeplechase horses generally are trained in country settings. Steeplechase horses can be trained anywhere, but most of them are based on the East Coast between Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Tennessee.

How does the weather affect horse racing?

The Impact of Weather On Horse Racing (The “Going”) Extreme weather heavily impacts the going. It complicates — and potentially ruins — racedays for everyone involved. Yet in less extreme cases the weather may prove to be a useful variable that’s advantageous for your betting criteria.

What happens when dirt gets wet at a horse race?

Dirt remains the same in dry spells, but is also impacted by wet weather. When dirt gets wet it becomes very sloppy and horses regularly have mud kicked back into their faces from the horses ahead, leading to unexpected race results. The grip on the track is also much more slippery; the wet dirt track creates similar conditions to a turf track.

What happens if a horse race gets too wet?

If a turf track is too wet, or otherwise deemed “unraceable”, then race is cancelled to protect both the horses and the race surface. Sometimes the race is moved to a dirt track. Fog and snow render any course unraceable, no matter what surface.

When is a novice novice a novice?

A novice remains a novice until the end of the season in which it gains its first win in that particular category, no matter how many wins it achieves. Generally novices race against other novices although there is no restriction preventing novices competing against more experienced rivals.

What is the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle?

Cheltenham ’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle is a Grade 1 race that has produced iconic winners down the years. The likes of Douvan, Vautour, Go Native and L’Escargot all claimed this prestigious prize. Cheltenham Festival also boasts the Grade 1 Spa Novices’ Hurdle and Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle.

What is a hurdle in horse racing?

A hurdle race in Great Britain and Ireland is a National Hunt horse race where the horses jump over obstacles called hurdles or flights that are over three and a half feet high. They are typically made of a series of panels made of brush and are flexible.

What is the difference between a chase and hurdle race?

National Hunt horses that have the size and scope to jump higher than the height of a hurdle use these types of races in order to gain experience of jumping obstacles so they can later be sent to jump bigger obstacles called fences. Hurdle races tend to be run at a faster pace than Chases as the height…