National Hunt racing Grade 1-3 National Hunt races and the list of Group 1-3 Flat races The capital of National Hunt racing in the UK is Cheltenham Racecourse, in the Cotswolds, which hosts the Cheltenham Festival in the third week of March each year, as well as other important fixtures during the NH calendar. There are numerous well-known trainers operating in the Cotswolds including Jonjo O'Neill, Richard Phillips, Tom George, Nigel Twiston-Davies, and latterly Kim Bailey. The highlight of the Cheltenham Festival is the Gold Cup. All races run at Cheltenham finish with a long uphill run-in in front of the stands. The
Horse racing in Ireland Run over a minimum of 2 miles, National Hunt races require the horses to clear a number of obstacles. There are three types of National Hunt race: Steeplechase and Hurdle races are held each year at 23 courses, of which 3 run exclusively National Hunt races. A number of other types of horse racing take place in Ireland, including Harness racing and Endurance racing. There are 26 major racecourses in Ireland, more per head of population than any other country, with more than 350 race meetings and 2,000 races annually. More than 1.3m people visit Irish racecourses each year, with