National Hunt
National Hunt Races are races where jockeys jump their horses over hurdles or fences. The name of the type of race derives from hunting origins - where riders had to jump obstacles at speed. National Hunt Races are popular in the Winter when the ground is softer and more appropriate for jumping. National Hunt horses tend to be cheaper than racing horses as the majority are geldings and have no breeding value. This makes the sport more popular as the horses are not usually retired at such a young age. Jump racing is popular in Britain, Ireland and France. The highlight of the National Hunt Calendar is the March Cheltenham Festival. Many of the best National Hunt horses come to the Cheltenham festival, as well as huge numbers of Irish fans, who enjoy the Festival which coincides with St. Patrick's Day. Cheltenham is known "Olympics of Horse Racing" and hundreds of millions of pounds are gambled at the Cheltenham Festival. Other important National Hunt festivals are the Punchestown Festival - the Irish equivalent of Cheltenham; the Aintree's Grand National meeting; The William Hill Tingle Creek in Sandown, as well as the Scottish National in Ayr and the Welsh National in Chepstow.
