Chase vs hurdle: the difference in jumps racing

What is a hurdle in horse racing?

A hurdle is a light, sloping frame of timber panels packed with brush, at least 3ft 6in high in Britain, built to give way when a horse clips it so jumping errors are punished less than over fences.

Hurdle races, like chases, have a minimum distance of two miles in Britain, with a few exemptions. Because a hurdle is lower and forgiving, a hurdle race is closer to a Flat race with obstacles in it: speed matters, horses jump low and fast, and a clumsy jumper can still win if it is quick enough. Many Flat-bred horses switch to hurdles for that reason.

In Britain a hurdle race must have at least eight flights in the first two miles, with one more for every extra quarter mile. That gives the typical two-mile hurdle its eight flights and the three-mile hurdle its twelve.

What types of fence does a chase use?

A chase uses fixed fences at least 4ft 6in high with a solid frame dressed in birch, including plain fences and open ditches.

A plain fence has a sloping take-off guard rail in front of it to help the horse judge its jump. An open ditch has a ditch on the take-off side guarded by a low rail, so the horse must stand off further and jump wider. Water jumps, where a horse clears a small fence and a stretch of water, have also featured on some chase courses, built to a lower minimum height.

A British chase must include at least twelve fences in the first two miles, at least six more for each extra mile, and at least one open ditch in every mile. Aintree's Grand National fences are a separate case, built to their own designs.

Do favourites win more often over hurdles or fences?

Over ten British and Irish jumps seasons, hurdle favourites won 36.4% of the time against 33.6% for chase favourites, a gap that reflects the extra risk each fence adds.

A fence punishes a mistake far more than a hurdle does. A chase favourite can be beaten by one bad jump, a fall or an unseated rider, which adds a layer of uncertainty that a hurdle race does not have. Big-field handicap chases magnify that, because a faller can bring down or hamper others.

National Hunt flat races, or bumpers, have no obstacles at all, and their favourites won 37.6% over the same ten seasons. The chart below shows all three race types side by side, updated every morning.

Why do most jumps horses go from hurdles to fences?

Most jumps horses start over hurdles because they are younger and still learning, then move to fences when they are physically mature and have the size and scope that chasing demands.

A typical British or Irish jumps career runs from a point-to-point or bumper to novice hurdles, then handicap hurdles or a novice chase campaign, often at five or six years old. Big, rangy store horses bred for jumping are often described as chasers in the making, and connections sometimes race them over hurdles for only a season before going chasing.

A horse's first run over fences is its chase debut. The free chase debut stats page tracks how debutants have fared by their last hurdle mark, and which trainers do best with them.

Do more horses fall in chases than in hurdle races?

Falls and unseated riders are clearly more common in chases than hurdle races, because the fences are bigger, fixed and include open ditches, while a hurdle gives when it is hit.

On a racecard, form figures record the outcome of each run, and letters replace numbers when a horse does not finish: F for fell, U for unseated rider, P for pulled up, B for brought down and R for refused. A chaser with several Fs or Us in its recent form carries more jumping risk than its ratings suggest.

Jumping errors also cost ground without a fall. Watch for horses that make a mistake at the last or lose momentum at the open ditches, as these rarely show in the form figures.

• F: fell
• U: unseated rider
• P: pulled up
• B: brought down
• R: refused

Why do some horses suit hurdles and others fences?

Horses with speed and a low, quick jumping style often suit hurdles, while bigger, bolder horses with stamina and a careful, accurate jump are more likely to improve for fences.

Some top hurdlers never go chasing, because their speed is their weapon and a fence would expose their jumping. Others, rated modestly over hurdles, improve markedly for the extra time a fence gives them to measure their jump. That is why a chase debut can produce a big step forward or a disappointment, and why a horse's jumping in schooling is so closely guarded.

Pedigree helps too. Sires known for producing chasers tend to throw big, late-maturing horses that need time, so their progeny often show their best over fences at seven or older.

Keep reading