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With Fairyhouse in mind on Monday and as someone who is always attracted to the longer distance handicap chases, other than Aintree, Chepstow, Ayr, Downpatrick and the aforementioned Fairyhouse, is there an official batch of Nationals? I can think of the Midlands National (Uttoxeter), Devon National (Exeter), Sussex National (Plumpton), Southern National (Fontwell), London National (Sandown) and Somerset National (Wincanton). Are there others? Surely there is one further north than Uttoxeter, maybe Yorkshire (Doncaster or Wetherby, I guess?) or even a Northern National?
Others I can think of are the “Grand National” (Cork) and the Norfolk National (Fakenham). Suspect there are quite a few obscure ones now.
The ones I always find strange are the Munster National (Limerick) and Kerry National (Listowel), both over 3 miles. That seems much too short to be a National!
There used to be a Summer National at Uttoxeter, but that is now a shorter race called the Summer Cup.
The Eider Chase at Newcastle was rebranded as the Northern National for a while, but has thankfully been changed back.
Highland National at Perth.
Durham National at Sedgefield.
West Wales National at Ffos Las.
Lincolnshire National at Market Rasen.
Every hole in the road has a National now, even America which runs theirs over hurdles
At least the Northumberland National (Hexham) is a proper 4 miles on a stiff track. I like that the Eider is still called the Eider. Thanks everyone for the replies. I’d heard of almost all of them, feel stupid now that I didn’t list them. I wasn’t familiar with the North Yorkshire at Catterick though. Also just remembered the Leinster National at Naas. On the point above around the Munster National and Kerry National, is there any loose criteria for calling a race a National? I guess not, within reason?
Squeezing a little more juice out of the one, the Cambridgeshire National is run at Huntingdon.
And despite the closure of Folkestone, there is still a Grand National staged in Kent.
Central Park in Sittingbourne is the current home of the Greyhound Grand National. That one probably gets the smallest field of all those listed!
From what I can make out, “National” is an informal term that seems to have evolved into a signifier of an area or course’s most important long-distance chase. The term isn’t defined in the BHA’s Rules of Racing.
For me, a minimum distance of 3m 3f would seem appropriate, and that’s being generous!
There’s BK Racing Grand National Handicap Chase run at the Hexham meeting during the Cheltenham Festival. A bit of opportunism by the sponsors. I had a discussion with them via Twitter and they an on-course firm still supporting their favourite course during lockdown, so I’m more than prepared to give them some leeway on race name.
The Surrey National at Lingfield over 3m 4f+ was a recent addition in 2017, although the 2020 and 2021 meetings were abandoned.
....and you've got to look a long way back for anything else.
“West Wales National at Ffos Las.”
Is that still run? The last one I can remember was on Ffos Las heavy ground (i.e unraceable) and only two horses finished, the second having initially refused at the last before clambering over at the second attempt and almost walking up the run in (just as well because I had backed him each way). I thought it was discontinued after that?
A lot of these Nationals are quite new, but an older one that has disappeared sadly is the Warwick National, known back in the day as the Brooke Bond Oxo National. It was last run in 2000. The Classic Chase is a similar modern event at Warwick, first run in 2004.
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