National Hunt
In horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Republic of Ireland, National Hunt racing requires horses to jump fences and ditches. National Hunt racing in the UK is informally known as "jumps" and is divided into two major distinct branches: ...
steeplechase
Steeplechase may refer to:
* Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles
* Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...
in Ireland which is open to
horses
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...
aged five years or older.
It is run at
Naas
Naas ( ; ga, Nás na Ríogh or ) is the county town of County Kildare in Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 21,393, making it the second largest town in County Kildare after Newbridge.
History
The name of Naas has been recorded in th ...
over a distance of about 2 miles (3,218 metres) and during the race there are 10 fences to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year in late February or early March.
The race was run as a handicap until 1994, was not run in 1995, and returned in 1996 as a Listed race. The race was raised to Grade 2 status in 2003 and was downgraded to Grade 3 in 2017. It is currently sponsored by
Paddy Power
Paddy Power is an Irish gambling company founded in 1988. Its product offering includes sports betting, online casino, online poker, and online bingo. The business is split into two divisions, UK Ireland (UKI) and International. UKI operations ...
bookmakers and run under a sponsored title.
Records
Most successful horse since 1988 (3 wins):
* Opera Hat – ''1996, 1997, 1998''
* Days Hotel - ''2013, 2014, 2016 ''
Leading
jockey
A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...
since 1988 (4 wins):
* Anthony Powell – ''Flying Ferret (1988), Guesswork (1993), Opera Hat (1996, 1997) ''
*
Ruby Walsh
Rupert Walsh (born 14 May 1979 in Kill, County Kildare, Ireland) is an Irish former jockey. He is the second child, and eldest son, of former champion amateur jockey Ted Walsh and his wife Helen. Walsh is the third most prolific winner in Britis ...
Paul Carberry
Paul Carberry is a retired Irish National Hunt jockey.
Background
He was born on 9 February 1974.trainer since 1988 (5 wins):
*
Henry de Bromhead
Henry de Bromhead (born 28 October 1972) is an Irish horse trainer who specialises in training horses for National Hunt racing. He has trained a number of Grade 1 winners including Sizing John and Honeysuckle, and is based at stables in Knockeen, ...
- '' Days Hotel (2013, 2014, 2016), Alisier D'Irlande (2017), Captain Guinness (2022) ''
Winners since 1988
See also
*
Horse racing in Ireland
Horse racing in Ireland is intricately linked with Irish culture and society. The racing of horses has a long history on the island, being mentioned in some of the earliest texts. Domestically, racing is one of Ireland's most popular spectator ...
*
List of Irish National Hunt races
A list of notable National Hunt horse races which take place annually in Ireland, under the authority of Horse Racing Ireland
Horse Racing Ireland (HRI; ga, Rásaíocht Capaill na hÉireann) is the governing body of horse racing on the island ...
References
*
Racing Post
''Racing Post'' is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing and sports betting publisher which is published in print and digital formats. It is printed in tabloid format from Monday to Sunday. , it has an average daily circulation of 6 ...