News
Monday June 29 2026
Jump Races for your bucket list
One of Jump racing's endearing traits is the sheer variety of venues where people thrill to horses leaping obstacles. Across Europe and the United States, jump racing holds to a tradition established in the Victorian era, and still continuing - like the curate's egg - successfully in parts. if you've a wanderlust that hasn't been put off by rocketing fuel prices and the cost of living crisis, plan ahead for one or two of the following eclectic racemeetings.
Waregem - Grand Steeplechase of Flanders
Waregem is a small market town not far from Bruges, literally a couple of hours' drive from le tunnel at Calais. Once a year, it comes alive with an enormous holiday crowd to enjoy a mixed card that includes the Grand Flanders Steeplechase, a cross country chase over 2m 7f, watched by a crowd of some 40,000.
For those with long memories, this race and its supporting card has in the past been supported by Sussex trainers. Some 30 years ago, Lewes handler John Ffitch-Heyes sent runners. Sadly for Waregem, they were mostly of the calibre of his enigmatic selling plater Manhattan Boy, and couldn't match the quality sent over by top French trainers. But £60,000 steeplechases don't grow on trees in early September, so it's something of a surprise that there are not more adventurers from across the Channel. Among horse racing cards today, Waregem is an anomaly in not attracting more overseas representation.
Bruges is a pretty Flemish town with excellent accommodation and plenty of hostelries. Not a difficult choice if you already live in Sussex, and a great way to extend the August bank holiday.
Craon - les Trois Glorieuses
A week after Waregem comes one of the most popular fixtures in Western France, which is a stronghold of jump racing in France.
Les Trois Glorieuses is the name of Craon's annual 3 day fixture, centred around the Grand Cross de Craon, a Listed Cross Country steeplechase over 3m5f. The race has a history of attracting long distance staying chasers from the UK and Ireland. Balthazar King was a three time winner here 20 years ago, whilst more recently, the Irish-trained Roi Mage has thrilled spectators with back-to-back victories.
The well-appointed racecourse has an excellent running surface, modest stands but with good viewing, and promises unfettered sunshine over three days which include listed flat races and one of ther trotting community's biggest events. There's pleasant gites and B & Bs around this market town, the lazy Mayenne river to boat on and a clutch of nearby chateaux, including the birthplace of Richlieu at Plessy-Bourrais.
The Velka Pardubicka
Any self-respecting follower of jump racing has to attend the Velka Pardubicka at least once in their life. This centrepiece of eastern European steeplechasing is a fascinating and thrilling affair, and illustrates a keen interest in our sport, with no little success from British participants over its 136 year history.
In its early Victorian years, English-trained winners were frequent, alongside German and Russian, these being the representative cavalry nations of Europe in a post-Napoleonic era. Two world wars largely put paid to that, and British interest was only re-stimulated after the Cold War, and the madman known as Charlie Mann decided to have a tilt! In 1995, he trained and rode It's A Snip to a famous 1 1/4l victory in the four miler, outwitting the local jockey talent. It's A Snip returned to Pardubice 12 months later, when Ferdy Murphy's Irish Stamp under Norman Williamson was second, It's A Snip third under Richard Dunwoody.
Brexit has played a role in diminishing British & Irish interest in the race until last year, when Stumptown, king of Cheltenham's cross country races, marked a first ever Irish victory in the race under Keith Donoughue. The race is part of the Crystal Cup, the pan-European cross country series spanning 7 European countries.
Montpelier Races - Virginia charm
The deeper you drive into Virginia, the longer the drawl and the more outback it feels. And just when you feel it couldn't get much hickier, you stumble across Montpelier, a village on the railway that borders the estate of the fourth President of the United States, James Madison.
Madison is known as the "father of the Constitution", a founding father of the modern USA, and served from 1809-17, a critical time for the country which included the War of 1812 with the mother country, when the USA successfully fought for independence.
Montpelier Races is something of a throwback: a huge social event on a flat course overlooked by a large colonial mansion that needs no imagination to see served by legions of black American slaves. The Steeplechases are very popular, attracting thousands for a single day each November where tailgate parties are the stuff of legend.
American steeplechasing is populated by plenty of Brits and Irish - both horses and humans, so there are always familiar names, even if the chasers tend to be top of the ground types that wouldn't cut it against our winter kings.
Bad Harzburg - King of water jumps
This Bavarian race week in late July is another Victorian invention; perhaps no surprise that the Germans emulated the British given our Royal families were joined at the hip at the time.
But if you're bemoaning the loss of the water jump at a majority of British courses, this will be the place for you. The cross country steeplechases are titled SeeJagd - literally Lake Hunt, and the water comes halfway up the jockeys' boots! So this is more a swimming obstacle.
Sadly jumping is in its death throes in Germany, with little more than a half dozen races all told. The President of Bad Harzburg, Stephan Ahrens, is single-handedly keeping the Jump racing going through horses trained under his ownership, so be quick. Whilst the racecourse is thriving, the programme may not include Jumping for much longer.
Several hundred miles further north, I'll wager you hadn't even registered that Jump racing takes place in Sweden, and if truth be told, this is another racing jurisdiction where racing over obstacles is fighting a losing battle for survival. The betting public is ambivalent toward racing in Sweden, where use of the whip is banned excpet for steering, and bettors have voted with their wallets on jumping to the extent no odds are offered on the sparse selection of Jumps races.
Time was when British runners would have a tilt at the Swedish Grand National, but its value has sadly diminished and our summer programme is so much better that there is little incentive to travel for a race worth just £20,000.
This one day a year in the grounds of Strömsholm royal castle includes the magnificent Topham Trophy, a cup provided by Mirabel Topham herself back in 1971. Mirabel was at that time owner of Aintree Racecourse.
Punchestown - home of Irish National Hunt racing
This eclectic selection finishes closer to home with the Irish National Hunt Festival, un unashamedly triumphalist five days that celebrate every level of Irish National Hunt racing, even to the extent they're not afraid to call it by its original title and disguise its hunting roots.
Accommodation will be your greatest problem here as hotel rooms are in short supply in the immediate vicinity of the racecourse and Naas town centre. But once that issue is solved, it's like Cheltenham, except more relaxed, and less expensive!
The quality of the racing can be excpetional, but also variable, punctuated by mares novice hurdles and bumpers as well as Grade Is. My favourite day is the Thursday which hosts the La Touche Cup, a 4m banks race, and one of three races over these unique Irish banks during the week. But whichever day(s) you choose, you'll be guaranteed a warm Irish welcome, and loads of space to do your thing.
Pardubice - Easter Europe's answer to Aintree
