Horse Racing - National Hunt Courses

Below is a list of all the national hunt courses in the UK summarising the varying characteristics of each.

Direction - refers to the direction the horses turn when they go round a bend.

Stiff - A stiff track requires a lot of stamina, such as one with a long home straight or an uphill finish.

Speed - Tight or Galloping

Tight - On a tight track there are no long straights where the horses can build up speed. During a race the horses are constantly racing around a turn or approaching one. Races run at these courses are generally run at a slower pace. These tracks suit smaller more agile horses who are able to pick up speed quickly.

Galloping - These are tracks which have long straight stretches which allow horses to build up speed gradually. This type of track suits the big long striding horse.

Surface - Flat or Undulating - this refers to the surface of the track.

Gradient - Uphill or Downhill - this refers to significant stretches of the track.

Big Fences - Refers to whether the course has bigger than average fences.

TV - Sky Sports Racing (Sky) or RacingTV - refers to which TV channel the course's races are shown on.

Click on the course name for a fuller description including,

- Detailed characteristics of the course.
- Betting strategies for the course.
- Details of any particular running styles that are favoured on the course.