Essential Guide to Jumps Racing Part 1

Over the coming weeks I `ll be covering the many different aspects of betting on horses. These tutorials will collectively build into  the False-Favourites/blog…

“Betting Essentials Master Class Series”

In the first part of this valuable series of article tutorials we`ll be looking at understanding the fundamental aspects of the Jumps racing code in the UK. The core aim being to help you make better informed decisions when betting on this unique sport.

PART 1. The National Hunt Season

The National Hunt season begins in October and it has to be said the winter sport is a firm favourite with racing fans. Unlike flat horses, courageous national hunt animals stay in training much longer, so punters can follow them for a few seasons.

Subscribers to the false favourites members club follow our profitable Trainer trends every month.

Some of the top class animals eventually go on to be household names, endeared by the public. Even grannies can be spotted sneaking into betting shops to have a punt on the National and the Gold Cup.

Highlights include the excellent Cheltenham Festival and the Aintree Grand National – the former event takes place over nearly a week, and the quality of jump racing showcased is considered to be the best in the world.

National Hunt Flat Races (Often referred to as Bumpers)

Are generally the last race of the day at any jumps meeting; usually run at around 2 – 2.5 miles on the flat. They are contested by debutant’s and previous bumper entrants. Races of this kind are pipe openers for NH horses starting their career.

The aim is to give them valuable racing experience before they learn to jump. Because there are no obstacles to hurdle, bumpers are often run at a muddling pace – sometimes fast, sometimes slow.

However the low quality of many of these races often results in a slow pace which is not surprising considering most of the horses are competing to gain experience.

Hurdling

Novice Hurdles are run over distances of 2 – 3½ miles, over obstacles called hurdles, which are a minimum of 3½ feet high.

These types of races are contested by horses that haven’t won before the start of the current season. They are the focus for horse’s just starting their jumping career. If a novice hurdler doesn’t win during the season it retains its novice status, and can then race against other novices in the subsequent season.

Eventually when a novice does win, it will have to carry extra weight compared to other novices that haven’t. Novice hurdle races are mainly contested by horses between the ages of 4, 5 and 6 that vary widely in ability.

Some will be ex flat horses, whilst others will have only raced in bumpers. Hurdles are easier to negotiate than fences, so produce fewer fallers than in chases.

Handicap Hurdles (Ranging from 2 miles 3m +) are the same as novice hurdles in principle, but every horse must carry a weight penalty. Just like novice hurdles these races are run at a decent pace and the horses need to jump hurdles in quick succession.

Handicap hurdles are competitive, featuring horses of varying abilities, with the better animals carrying more weight. The outcomes of these races are often difficult to predict, especially over the longer trips which are ideal lay territory.

Fences

Chases are run over distances of 2 – 4½ miles over obstacles called (fences) usually a minimum of 4½ feet high and much more demanding than hurdles.

Novice Chases

Involve horses that have not won over fences before the start of the current season, generally full of animals beginning their career jumping the larger obstacles. Usually they have been previous season hurdlers. These horses still qualify as novices when racing over chase fences, even if they won a good amount of races over hurdles.

The reason for this is the obstacles are considerably bigger, so it is like learning a new discipline for the horse. Not all successful hurdlers make successful steeple chasers.

Chasers can retain their novice status for more than one season, if they don’t win during that year they still qualify as novices, and can spend another season in novice races. When they do eventually win they must face more experienced horses in Handicap and Conditions races the subsequent season.

Handicap Chases

Are races where all the horses have to carry different weights based on an evaluation of their form. Successful horses that have been winning races will carry larger weights than horses with poor form, who are likely to be inconsistent jumpers.

The weight carried by a horse is calculated by the handicapper; any horse that wins a handicap race will be reassessed and due to carry increased weight in its next race. Conversely any horse that appears to declining will be dropped in the weights.

Experience is vital in chases; novices are not always competent when first jumping fences, which will often lead them to fall. If the horse does manage to complete the course safely, slow jumping can be another factor to affect performance and ultimately stamina, thus determining which horse has enough left at the business end to win a races.

Jumping ability is absolutely essential in all chases. Any horse which is mediocre is likely to lose ground, jump poorly and possibly fall.

Hunter chases

The hunters chase season begins in February and finishes in May. Races are limited to horses that have been hunting with an official Hunt throughout the winter months. They are open to amateur riders only, and frequently many of the trainers in this sphere are amateurs also. The non-professional nature of these races means any trainer with a few decent horses can run up a string of successive wins in the season.

Another factor to be aware of is big name trainers frequently enter horses in Hunter Chases as well. This can cause disputes, because amateur trainers feel they are unable to compete with the better class horses.

National Hunt Grading

• CLASS 1 > Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, Listed
• CLASS 2 > H`CAPS 0-140+
• CLASS 3 > 0-115/135
• CLASS 4 > 0-100/115
• CLASS 5 > 0- 85/95
• CLASS 6 > Hunters chase`s and National Hunt Flat races

Class 1 races are contested by the very best horses in training from around the UK, and the prize money can be large, anything from £20,000 up to £400,000. These top class horses are generally more consistent; even though the races they contest are extremely competitive. Their form has a higher value than in the lower classes.

Moving downwards in the class scale the prize money decreases, as do the quality of the horses and the level of form can be inconsistent. A horses form is directly related to the class of races it’s been contesting.

In PART 2: of my guide to National Hunt (Jumps racing) we`ll look at…

• National Hunt racing statistics
• How ground conditions affect the results
• How to prepare  for the coming winter jumps season

Make sure to read the next article in this series here  ==>>National Hunt Season Part 2: <<==

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 Jonathan Burgess

Learn how to make realistic profits from betting

Practical, profitable advise direct to your inbox

Proven techniques I use in my own betting Honest reviews on systems and services that are profitable Exclusive tips to make your betting easier & more profitable

Name : Email : 22 subscribers

Get your hands on one of the most successful laying systems online click on the image below...

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 Jonathan Burgess