Category: FAQ

In National Hunt racing, an ‘open ditch’ is one type of obstacle that must be negotiated during a steeplechase. In fact, the Rules of Racing stipulate that, in any steeplechase, one in six obstacles must be an open ditch.

An open ditch consists of a standard, plain fence, the bottom of which is extended to accommodate a shallow ditch on the take-off side. The fence is constructed in the same fashion as any other plain fence – that is, of birch, or birch and spruce or any other approved material – and must stand at least 4’6″ high on the take-off side. However, the presence of the ditch increases the width, or spread, of the obstacle, such that it presents a more challenging test of jumping ability and agility than a plain fence alone. Steeplechasers must be nimble enough to approach the take-off board closely enough to stretch over the ditch and clear the fence successfully.

Perhaps the most famous open ditch in British National Hunt racing is the ‘The Chair’ at Aintree, which is jumped as the penultimate fence on the first circuit of the Grand National. The Chair stands 5’2″ high and is preceded by a 6′ wide ditch on the take-off side, making it the tallest and broadest obstacle on the Grand National Course.

‘Seller’ is a shortened form of ‘selling race’ or ‘selling plate’ and refers to a type of horse race immediately after which the winner is sold, or at least offered for sale, at public auction. Selling races are run on the flat, over hurdles and over fences and can be level-weights contests, with allowances for age and gender, or handicaps. It would be fair to say that selling races are at the bottom end of the market in terms of quality and prize money, but the entry fees are correspondingly low.

Of course, the owner(s) of the winning horse may lose it at the subsequent auction and any other horse in a selling race, regardless of its finishing position, can be bought for a price specified by its trainer beforehand. However, the winning bid must be at least £3,200 and possibly more, at the discretion of the racecourse authorities, and the winning owner(s) can bid in the auction; if successful, the winning horse is said to be ‘bought in’. Of course, it is still possible that the winning bid his higher than the prize money. Nowadays, as an incentive for owners to run their horses in selling races, racecourses can retain commission up to a maximum of 10% of the sale price of the winning horse.

In handicap races, the weight carried by each horse is determined by its official handicap rating, as assigned by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA). The race conditions for a ‘Class 6’ handicap on the Flat, for example, might specify that the race is open to horses officially rated 46-65, but horses rated 45 and below are also eligible. In such a race, a horse rated 65 would carry top weight, say, 9st 7lb, a horse rated 64 would carry 9st 6lb, and so on.

At the bottom of the handicap, a horse rated 46 would be required to carry 19lb less than a horse rated 65 or, in this example, 8st 2lb, which would be the minimum weight applicable. Thus, if a horse rated 45 was entered for the race, its rating would merit carrying 8st 1lb, or 1lb lower than the minimum weight applicable. Such a horse can compete, but must carry 1lb more than its ‘true’ handicap mark, and is said to be racing from ‘1lb out of the handicap’.

If a horse is running from out of the handicap, its name will be listed in the ‘Long Handicap’ section of the racecard, along with the weight it would be carrying if allowed to run off its correct mark. Of course, it is not unknown for horses to win from out of the handicap but, win or lose, they are competing on disadvantageous terms, in the eyes of the official handicapper and should be treated with caution.

As the same suggests, jump racing is the discipline of horse racing that involves jumping obstacles of one form or another. Jump, or National Hunt, races can be divided in hurdle races, steeplechases and, rather confusingly, National Hunt Flat races, which involve no obstacles at all. Hurdles are the smaller type of obstacle, standing a minium of 3’1″ high and consisting of lightweight, brushwood panels driven into the ground. Unlike hurdles, which are often knocked flat during a race, steeplechase fences are tallest, more rigid obstacles. They must be a minimum of 4’6″ high, but in the case of ‘The Chair’, which is the tallest fence on the Grand National course, can reach 5’3″ in height.

Jump races are typically run over distances between 2 miles and 4 miles 2½ furlongs, the latter being the distance of the world famous Grand National, run at Aintree Racecourse in April each year. Nowadays, jump racing takes place all year round, almost without interruption, but for National Hunt purists, the season ‘proper’ still starts in mid-October and ends in late April or early May. Aside from the Grand National, the highlight of the National Hunt season is undoubtedly the Cheltenham Festival, staged annually in March; the four-day Festival features the Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase, Stayers’ Hurdle and Cheltenham Gold Cup, which are ‘championship’ races in their respective disciplines.