For as long as anyone can remember national hunt racing has had to play poor second cousin to the flat racing that takes place in England during the summer. Because of the dominance of the flat racing format many people associate horse racing with tiresome royal processions, expensive hats and really short sprints over 5 furlongs by forgettable thoroughbreds. But all this is about to change.
In recent years national hunt racing has been steadily gaining on flat racing in popularity, and in some parts of Britain has become a clear favourite amongst horseracing fans. The Irish in particular have turned jump racing into an art form, and as a result their horses and trainers have come to dominate the sport.
There are a number of factors that contribute towards national hunt racing’s increasingly popularity amongst the English public. The first of these is the horses themselves. A quick search of the internet will quickly demonstrate that the horses who excel at national hunt racing are far more popular than their flat racing contemporaries and far more likely to develop enduring reputations.
One of the reasons for this is that horses running in the key national hunt races like the Grand National and Cheltenham Gold Cup are not restricted to a single opportunity to run either race. This allows horses to build up a record in these races and become familiar to the public. Furthermore typical national hunt horses are not thoroughbreds, and many of the greatest overcame adversity of one sort or another before making their mark on racing history.
In comparison, flat racing horses are relatively charmless. Even the top flat racing horses are only able to run in any big race once and tend to disappear into obscurity by the age of four. This means that while its quite likely that you’ll have heard of three time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Best Mate, you may know nothing about 2007 Ascot Gold Cup winner Authorised.
The fact that national hunt horses quickly develop into celebrities in their own right despite their lack of pedigree reveals another reason for the growth in popularity of national hunt racing. Whilst flat racing is firmly linked to the English aristocracy and their thoroughbred breeding programs, national hunt racing is staunchly working class and has a huge following in the north.
Proof for the incredible growth in popularity of national hunt racing can be found in the increases in prize money available at the biggest national hunt meetings. In 2008 the Grand National day will see £1,150,000 in prize money awarded. In comparison only £660,000 will be handed out on the prestigious Ladies day at the Royal Ascot meeting.
Furthermore media attention is focused primarily on the Grand National meeting and the Cheltenham Festival, with the BBC covering the Grand National meeting live as one of the biggest sport broadcasts year. So whilst the fine-heeled, coutured crowds will be vying for tickets in the royal enclosure at Epsom Downs and Ascot racecourse for the foreseeable future, English racing fans are likely to shift their attention to the heroics at Aintree and Cheltenham in ever-increasing numbers.
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