Although National Hunt racing gets a lot of attention over the winter months in Britain and Ireland, when the season is in full swing, there is often little mention of races further afield. Although flat racing is the more dominant form of racing globally, many other countries still dabble with jump racing. Here is a list of where racing over obstacles (whether fences or hurdles) takes place.
Great Britain
Of the 1,460 race meetings scheduled to take place in Britain across 2025, 563 exclusively offer jump racing action. National Hunt meetings are scheduled year-round but the main season runs between October and April. This is the period where you will find the biggest jump racing meetings, including the Aintree Grand National Festival and Cheltenham Festival. Although there is typically less money in National Hunt racing compared to flat racing, these festivals show that jump racing can still be lucrative.
Ireland
Ireland is quite unusual compared to other big horse racing nations because it is the only place where National Hunt is bigger and more popular than flat racing. In flat racing the nation offers 27 Group 1 & 2 races compared to 66 Grade 1 & 2 events, the jump racing equivalent. Only three racecourses in the whole of Ireland exclusively host flat racing with the rest either covering both disciplines or jump racing only.
The love the Irish have for jump racing means that many of the biggest festivals to take place during the year see action over the fences and hurdles. Some highlights include the Punchestown Festival (NH only), Galway Races Summer Festival (mixed), Leopardstown Christmas Festival (NH only) and the Fairyhouse Easter Festival (NH only).
France
Each year France has in the region of 50 Grade 1-3 obstacle races, very evenly split across hurdles and steeplechase events. While this is a small total compared to what you will find in Britain and Ireland, it is still a reasonable offering. There are a few racecourses to host jump racing including Cagnes-sur-Met, Enghien and Pau but the majority of the action occurs at Auteuil. The Paris track is home to all of the nation’s Grade 1 events including the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris, the country’s most prestigious jumps race.
Australia
You will find jump racing in Australia but only in the state of Victoria. South Australia previously offered it but phased it out in 2022, leaving Victoria as the only state to allow this particular form of the sport. The jumps racing season in Victoria runs between February and August and there are around 20 full meetings, which take place across several venues including Warrnambool, Hamilton and Casterton. The biggest event on the calendar is the Grand Annual at Warrnambool – a testing 5.5km (just under three and a half miles) race offering $400,000 in prize money.
New Zealand
Jump racing in New Zealand is not particularly popular and sees a similar level of activity to neighbouring Australia. In 2024 there were 14 meetings scheduled between April and August spread across eight racecourses. As in the case of most countries to offer jump racing, it is the marathon event, the 6.4km Great Northern Steeplechase that boasts the biggest prize fund ($150,000). The 5.6km Grand National Steeplechase is another major affair with its $100,000 purse.
United States
The National Steeplechase Association is the governing body of jump racing in America. This more niche form of horse racing does not attract the crowds of flat contests, but its interest remains healthy enough for its survival. The jump season runs between March and November and there are over 20 courses that host a meeting. These small venues may only host one or two days of racing a year, however, and the contests themselves will attract little in the way of attention. There are a couple of races that do enjoy a bit of press coverage though such as the Grand National Hurdle Stakes and Iroquois Steeplechase.
Japan
Jump racing in Japan serves as something of a retirement hobby for old flat race horses. Here horses are rarely bred specifically for jump racing, instead most only make the switch when they are no longer competitive in flat races. Nakayama Racecourses is home to the three major jump races taking place each year, the Pegasus Jump Stakes, the Nakayama Daishogai and the Nakayama Grand Jump. The last of these has been known to witness some foreign winners including Blackstairmountain (2013), trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by Ruby Walsh.
Elsewhere
Out of the countries not yet mentioned, Italy has the most sizeable jump racing schedule. In 2024 it offered 143 jump races across three racecourses (Pisa, Milan and Merano). The Czech Republic is the only other nation to offer a credible number of jump race meetings each year. Germany no longer does as interest in the discipline has plummeted to almost nothing over the past two decades. Outside of this, you can still find a small number of jump races in the likes of Sweden, Poland, Slovakia and Switzerland but all the action is very low-profile.