National Hunt racing

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National Hunt racing, also known as Jump Racing,^[1] is a form of horse racing particular to France, Great Britain and Ireland, that requires horses to jump over fences and ditches.

In the UK, it is divided into two major distinct branches, hurdling and steeplechase, as well as flat races called "bumpers". Hurdling involved the horses jumping over obstacles called hurdles, whereas in a steeplechase the horses jump over a variety of obstacles that includes plain fences, water jump or an open ditch.^[2] In the UK, the biggest National Hunt events of the year are generally considered to be the Grand National and the Cheltenham Gold Cup.