National Hunt Horse Racing Calendar
The National Hunt season has a massive following amongst horse racing fans and horse racing punters throughout the entire winter. The Cheltenham Festival is of course the focal point of the season but there are plenty of other excellent races to enjoy through the year.
The National Hunt horse racing calendar runs for most of the year but the season really gets going when the flat season ends at the start of October. It runs right through the middle of April with the final fixture of the season taking place at Sandown with the Bet365 Gold Cup the Feature.
There are many great horse racing spectacles during the National Hunt season with the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the Grand National, the King George VI Chase and the Hennessy Gold Cup amongst the highlights. We have put together an overview of the season with some of the biggest races in the UK and Ireland featured for punters to take a look at.
October
Featured Race
Old Roan Chase
Run over 2 miles 4 furlong on the Mildmay Course at Aintree, the Old Roan Chase has 16 fences. Initially established in 2004 as the Wigan Chase, it's a limited handicap for horses aged 4 years plus. Details
| Race | Venue | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Roan Chase | Aintree | 2 | Details |
| Charlie Hall Chase | Wetherby | 2 | Details |
November
Featured Race
Hennessy Gold Cup
Run over 3 miles, 2½ furlongs at Newbury, the Hennessy Gold Cup has 21 fences. Sponsored by Hennessy since 1957, the race enjoys the longest commercial sponsorship association. Details
| Race | Venue | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morgiana Hurdle | Punchestown (IRE) | 1 | Details |
| Fighting Fifth Hurdle | Newcastle | 1 | Details |
| Betfair Chase | Haydock | 1 | Details |
| JNwine Champion Chase | Down Royal (IRE) | 1 | Details |
| Paddy Power Gold Cup | Cheltenham | 3 | Details |
| Hennessy Gold Cup | Newbury | 3 | Details |
| Elite Hurdle | Wincanton | 2 | Details |
| Fortria Chase | Navan (IRE) | 2 | Details |
| Long Distance Hurdle | Newbury | 2 | Details |
| Coral (Ascot) Hurdle | Ascot | 2 | Details |
| Royal Bond Novice Hurdle | Fairyhouse (IRE) | 1 | Details |
| Clonmel Oil Chase | Clonmel (IRE) | 2 | Details |
December
Featured Race
King George VI Chase
Run over 3 miles at Kempton Park, the King George VI Chase has 18 fences and typically takes place on Boxing Day (Dec 26th). Surpassed only by the Cheltenham Gold Cup, it is the 2nd most prestigious chase in the UK. Details
| Race | Venue | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drinmore Novice Chase | Fairyhouse (IRE) | 1 | Details |
| Future Champion Novice Hurdle | Leopardstown (IRE) | 1 | Details |
| International Hurdle | Cheltenham | 2 | Details |
| Istabraq Hurdle | Leopardstown (IRE) | 1 | Details |
| Feltham Novices Chase | Kempton | 1 | Details |
| Hatton's Grace Hurdle | Fairyhouse (IRE) | 1 | Details |
| Long Walk Hurdle | Ascot | 1 | Details |
| Becher Chase | Aintree | 3 | Details |
| Durkan Chase | Punchestown (IRE) | 1 | Details |
| Navan Novice Hurdle | Navan (IRE) | 1 | Details |
| Lexus Chase | Leopardstown (IRE) | 1 | Details |
| Tingle Creek Chase | Sandown | 1 | Details |
| Wayward Lad Novices Chase | Kempton | 2 | Details |
| Peterborough Chase | Huntingdon | 2 | Details |
| Desert Orchid Chase | Kempton | 2 | Details |
| King George VI Chase | Kempton | 1 | Details |
| Welsh Grand National | Chepstow | 3 | Details |
| Challow Novices Hurdle | Newbury | 1 | Details |
| Christmas Hurdle | Kempton | 2 | Details |
January
Featured Race
Irish Champion Hurdle
Run over 2 miles at Leopardstown, the Irish Champion Hurdle has 8 fences. Considered equal to the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, it has been won by Hurricane Fly three times in a row since 2011. Details
| Race | Venue | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Arkle Chase | Leopardstown (IRE) | 1 | Details |
| Dipper Novices Chase | Cheltenham | 2 | Details |
| Tolworth Hurdle | Sandown | 1 | Details |
| Slaney Novice Hurdle | Naas (IRE) | 2 | Details |
| Limestone Lad Hurdle | Naas (IRE) | 2 | Details |
| Irish Champion Hurdle | Leopardstown (IRE) | 1 | Details |
| Clarence House Chase | Ascot | 1 | Details |
| Cleeve Hurdle | Cheltenham | 2 | Details |
| Neptune Novices Hurdle Trial Race | Cheltenham | 2 | Details |
| Argento Chase | Cheltenham | 2 | Details |
| JCB Triumph Hurdle Trial | Cheltenham | 2 | Details |
February
Featured Race
Irish Hennessy Gold Cup
Run over 3 miles at Leopardstown, the Irish Hennessy Gold Cup has 17 fences. Established in 1987 as the Vincent O'Brien Irish Gold Cup the race has served as a principal trial for the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Details
| Race | Venue | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tied Cottage Chase | Punchestown (IRE) | 2 | Details |
| Betfair Ascot Chase | Ascot | 2 | Details |
| Irish Hennessy Gold Cup | Leopardstown (IRE) | 1 | Details |
| Denman Chase | Newbury | 2 | Details |
| Adonis Juvenile Novices Hurdle | Kempton | 2 | Details |
| Welsh Champion Hurdle | Ffos Las | 1 | Details |
| Scilly Isles Novices Chase | Sandown | 1 | Details |
| Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle | Punchestown (IRE) | 2 | Details |
| Game Spirit Chase | Newbury | 2 | Details |
| Rendlesham Hurdle | Haydock | 2 | Details |
| Bobbyjo Chase | Fairyhouse (IRE) | 2 | Details |
| Dovecote Novices Hurdle | Kempton | 2 | Details |
April
Featured Race
Grand National
Run over 4 miles 3 and a half furlongs at Aintree, the Grand National has 30 fences. With a prize fund of a little under £1 million, it is the most valuable jump race in Europe. Details
| Race | Venue | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand National | Aintree | 3 | Details |
| Irish Grand National | Fairyhouse (IRE) | 3 | Details |
| Aintree Hurdle | Aintree | 1 | Details |
| Liverpool Hurdle | Aintree | 1 | Details |
| Scottish Grand National | Ayr | 3 | Details |
| Punchestown Gold Cup | Punchestown (IRE) | 1 | Details |
| World Series Hurdle | Punchestown (IRE) | 1 | Details |
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Festival Market Movers
Stable Chat with Neil Mulholland
Read the thoughts and views from Neil Mulholland on a weekly basis this season.
Cheltenham Festival / Betting Tips
Following on from last year, we are delighted to announce that we are featuring horse racing tips from Channel Four Racing presenter, Tom Lee.
Tom works for RTE Racing, his Cheltenham Festival Tips and previews of each day's Racing will be available during the Festival and supported with opinions and views from our Racing writers.
Cheltenham Festival / Racing
The four days of the Cheltenham Festival play host to a number of exceptional races:
