{"id":4288,"date":"2021-12-17T17:04:59","date_gmt":"2021-12-17T17:04:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ukgamblingsites.com\/?page_id=4288"},"modified":"2021-12-24T22:05:51","modified_gmt":"2021-12-24T22:05:51","slug":"what-are-maiden-novice-introductory-races","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ukgamblingsites.com\/sports-betting\/horse-racing\/what-are-maiden-novice-introductory-races\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are Maiden, Novice & Introductory Horse Races?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"HorseThe UK is fortunate in boasting one of the best and most varied horse racing scenes in the world, playing host to top-class action in both the flat and National Hunt spheres. Many factors come together to place the sport in such a prominent position on our small island; from the thousands working within the industry to the legions of punters and fans, and of course most crucially of all: the horses themselves, of which there are many, with close to 15,000 in training at any one time.<\/p>\n

Much like the rest of us, horses will eventually age and retire, or perhaps (not like the rest of us) embark upon an early career at stud. An influx of new horses, both on the flat and over jumps, is therefore absolutely essential to the continuing wellbeing of the sport, with the breeding and recruitment of talent being a huge business in its own right.<\/p>\n

Being new to the game, these fledgling animals require their own programme of races to compete in \u2013 somewhere to begin in order to gain crucial racecourse experience and to enable an assessment of their ability. And it is to those beginnings to which we now turn, taking a look at when exactly runners set out upon their racing path, in addition to the types of races in which they initially compete.<\/p>\n

First Strides In Racing<\/h2>\n

\"Young<\/p>\n

Given the demand for new horses, modern racing is founded upon a thriving breeding industry.<\/p>\n

Should a horse show ability on the track, a second career in the breeding sheds may well await, with these stallions and race mares then producing the new flow of foals into the sport.<\/p>\n

Foals are then sold either privately or at a dedicated horse racing sale, before eventually being assigned to a trainer in order to embark upon their racing career.<\/p>\n

Exactly when they first hit the track will then vary according to the type of racing in which they are set to compete.<\/p>\n

Flat Racing<\/h3>\n

\"FlatIn flat racing, the vast majority of horses will first race as a two year old \u2013 under the rules of racing no horse may race prior to this. Other than adhering to this rule though, the decision as to when an individual runner does hit the track will lie with the owner and trainer of the horse in question.<\/p>\n

Some quick-developing types may be ready to go almost immediately after their second birthday; incidentally, all racehorses are assigned the 1st January as their date of birth regardless of when they were actually born.<\/p>\n

Others however may take a little longer to come to hand, whether that be due to a slower rate of physical development, or in acquiring the necessary temperament in order to race.<\/p>\n

For some runners, this may mean not hitting the track until very late in their two year old season, or even being kept back until they are three years of age.<\/p>\n

National Hunt Racing<\/h3>\n

\"NationalBeing the more demanding of the two disciplines in terms of the strength and robustness required, National Hunt horses are not permitted to race prior to their third birthday, with the majority of runners not beginning their careers until four or five years of age \u2013 initially taking part in National Hunt Flat races or Hurdles, before progressing to the larger obstacles of chase competition.<\/p>\n

Prior to jumping a hurdle or fence in public, all horses go through a rigorous routine of jumping practice obstacles on the training ground \u2013 a process known as schooling \u2013 before being considered for a competitive jumping contest.<\/p>\n

And much like on the flat, just how long it takes for an individual horse to be deemed race-ready will vary from individual to individual, and be at the ultimate discretion of the trainer.<\/p>\n

Inexperienced Horses: Race Types<\/h2>\n

\"Flat<\/p>\n

As mentioned, this swathe of new horses requires a programme of races in which to take part as they take those first novice steps.<\/p>\n

Fully aware of this, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), in combination with the racecourses up and down the land, provide a vast quantity of races for inexperienced runners over the course of the season \u2013 both on the flat, and over jumps.<\/p>\n

And it is here where Maiden, Novice and Introductory races play such a useful role.<\/p>\n

But what exactly are they?<\/p>\n

Maiden Races<\/h2>\n

\"YoungIn horse racing speak, the term \u201cmaiden\u201d refers to a horse of any age or sex who is yet to win a race. A maiden race is therefore simply a race restricted to such runners.<\/p>\n

Runners may take part in a maiden flat race so long as they have never before won a race on the flat \u2013 wins under National Hunt Rules do not count on the flat, and vice versa. The majority of flat maidens are restricted to two year old runners, followed by a smaller number only for three year olds, and then a smaller number still for all runners aged three and older. The bulk of these contests are run as conditions events, with the only weight allowances being due to the sex of the performers \u2013 fillies carrying less weight than the stronger colts and geldings. All horses must either win once, or run three times in a maiden or novice (see below) event before being assigned a rating and becoming eligible to run in handicaps.<\/p>\n

Over jumps, a maiden hurdle is open to runners who have never previously won over hurdles, although they may have won under a different discipline, be that a flat race, a chase or a National Hunt Flat Race (Bumper).<\/p>\n

Similarly, a maiden chase is for runners who are yet to win a chase, although again they may have won in a different discipline. Note that whilst a maiden hurdle race will almost always simply be labelled a \u201cMaiden Hurdle\u201d, a maiden chase will often instead be referred to as a \u201cBeginners\u2019 Chase\u201d.<\/p>\n

And in common with the flat, National Hunt maiden races are almost always run as conditions events, with a win or three runs in a maiden then qualifying a runner for a handicap rating.<\/p>\n

Novice Races<\/h2>\n

\"Novice<\/p>\n

Here we\u2019ll delve into the various race types that fall under the umbrella category of novice races.<\/p>\n

Flat Novice Races<\/h3>\n

Also designed for those in the early stages of their careers, novice events are open to runners who:<\/p>\n