Horse Racing - National Hunt Courses - Stratford

Racing has taken place Stratford since 1769 and it hosts action over jumps throughout the summer months. Two of the highlights of Strafford’s calendar are the Stratford Foxhunters’ Champion Chase and the Stratford Summer Cup.

Run over three and a half miles during an evening meeting in May, the Stratford Foxhunters’ Champion Chase is, after the Cheltenham and Aintree Foxhunters, traditionally seen as the third jewel in the Hunter Chase crown and run towards the end of the Hunter Chase season, having been first staged in 1958. The Stratford Summer Cup ran over an extended two miles and one furlong, takes place in July.

Characteristics

Left handed, sharp; the high number of falls/unseats in recent years is due to the size of the fences and the fact that so many races are well run. A water jump was introduced near the winning post in March 2008, although this is not jumped on the final circuit. The hurdles track also has more than the normal number of well-run races, jockeys often opting to strike for home sooner than normal because of the relatively short straight.

Left handed
Tight
Flat

Aintree (Mildmay)
Bangor
Cartmel
Fontwell
Newton Abbott