Road to Cheltenham in November, the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle Racecourse in November, the International Hurdle at Cheltenham Racecourse in December, the Champion Hurdle Trial at Haydock Park in January, and the Champion Hurdle at The Cheltenham Festival in March. The overall concept of The Road To Cheltenham revolves around the basic premise of raising the profile of British horse racing among the general public’s consciousness and thus attracting new followers to British horse racing. The Road To Cheltenham series is part of a five-year sponsorship deal signed by StanJames.com. The deal begins with the 2010 Fighting Fifth Hurdle. Road to Cheltenham
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