Racecourse Guide

Catterick
National Hunt

Catterick Bridge, North Yorkshire · sharp, tight, and unforgiving of horses that aren’t travelling

⬤ National Hunt
Turf
Left-Handed
Sharp

Shape

Oval ~1m3f

Track Type

Sharp, Undulating

Fences

8 per circuit

Hurdles

5 per circuit

Home Straight

3 fences

Run-in

240 yards

Direction

Left-handed

Course Highlight

North Yorks GN Feature Handicap

Also at Catterick

Catterick also stages Flat turf racing. Read the Flat racecourse guide →

Course Overview

What is Catterick like as a jumps track?

Catterick is a sharp, left-handed oval of around a mile and three furlongs, with pronounced undulations and tight turns — though the jumps circuit is noticeably less severe in that respect than the track’s famously quirky Flat course. Racing here can be traced back to informal meetings in the mid-17th century, with the first official card run in 1783 and a permanent course established in 1813. The track has been run by the independent Catterick Racecourse Company Ltd since 1923 — it is not part of any of the large multi-track operating groups. The current grandstand still shows the framework of its 1906 build despite many alterations since, and a new hospitality building, the Dales Stand, opened in 2021.

What defines Catterick over jumps is tightness: fences and hurdles are set close together, particularly down the back straight, which sharpens the test even though the obstacles themselves are considered fair and jumpable at speed. Jockey Mick Fitzgerald has summed up the key requirement as simply needing “a horse under you that’s travelling” — falling off the bridle with a circuit still to run leaves very little room to recover. The result is a course with more fallers than its modest fences alone would suggest, because horses are typically ridden at a stronger pace than the obstacles themselves demand.

The Chase Course

Circuit Left-handed, ~1m3f, sharp with secondary undulations
Fences 8 per circuit — 5 down the back straight (middle one an open ditch), 3 after turning for home (middle one an open ditch) — no water jump
Run-in 240 yards from the last fence, generally flat and pacey rather than a stamina-sapping finish
Run style Tight spacing and sharp turns punish horses that aren’t travelling with a circuit to go

The Hurdles Course

Circuit Shares the same sharp left-handed oval
Hurdles 5 flights per circuit — 3 down the back straight, 2 in the home straight
Run style Accurate, fast jumping matters more than raw stamina over the shorter, sharper circuit

Notable Races

When does Catterick race?

Feature Handicap · January

North Yorkshire Grand National

Around 3m6f, 24 fences. Catterick’s flagship jumps race since 2003, succeeding the earlier North Yorkshire Handicap Chase — a race Red Rum won in 1972, the year before his first Grand National victory, under local trainer Anthony Gillam.

Season Opener · Late November

Start of the Jumps

Traditionally opens the North of England’s winter jumps calendar, kicking off Catterick’s card of handicaps and novice events through to spring.

Throughout the Season · Nov–April

Regular Handicap & Novice Programme

No Graded or Listed races are run at Catterick. The jumps calendar is built around competitive regional handicap chases and hurdles, novice and maiden hurdles, and conditional jockeys’ events.

Pace Bias

The Number That Matters

No course specifically publishes a quantified percentage or Impact Value breakdown for Catterick’s National Hunt track. What exists instead is a strong, consistently repeated qualitative reputation: front-runners and handy racers are favoured because the tight turns and closely-set obstacles make it genuinely difficult to come from off the pace.

Run Style Bias — Chases & Hurdles (qualitative)

▲ Front-runners / Handy

─ Favoured

─ Mid-Division

─ Manageable

▼ Hold-up

─ Toughest Ask

Treat these bars as a reasoned reflection of the track’s well-documented character rather than a data-backed statistic. The underlying logic is straightforward and repeated across course guides and jockeys’ own accounts: with sharp turns and fences or hurdles set close together, a horse that isn’t already travelling well loses ground it rarely gets back. There’s also a genuine optical trap worth knowing — horses swinging wide off the home turn can look closer to the leaders than they actually are, a specifically noted quirk of watching (and riding) races here.

Statistics · Since 2010

Which trainers and jockeys win most at Catterick?

Trainer	Runs	Wins	Win%	Places	Place%	A/E	P/L
1 McCain Jnr, D	487	89	18.28%	198	40.66%	0.94	-37.60
2 Smith, Mrs S J	311	59	18.97%	112	36.01%	1.17	+98.03
3 Hammond, Micky	490	42	8.57%	124	25.31%	0.86	-101.31
4 Ellison, B	139	29	20.86%	59	42.45%	1.06	-13.48
5 O’Neill, Jonjo and AJ	99	26	26.26%	46	46.46%	1.19	+43.83
6 Menzies, Rebecca	127	23	18.11%	42	33.07%	1.22	+11.97
7 Kirby, P A	209	22	10.53%	54	25.84%	1.04	-65.71
8 England, Sam	117	20	17.09%	46	39.32%	1.03	-23.71
9 Skelton, Daniel	72	18	25.00%	30	41.67%	0.85	-21.97
10 Snowden, Jamie	41	17	41.46%	27	65.85%	1.18	-0.62
11 Easterby, T D	153	14	9.15%	43	28.10%	0.81	-28.50
12 Keighley, M	62	14	22.58%	25	40.32%	1.18	-8.26
13 Ferguson, J P	21	13	61.90%	15	71.43%	1.62	+16.01
14 Foster, Miss J E	111	11	9.91%	27	24.32%	1.23	+12.88
15 Sayer, Mrs Dianne	82	10	12.20%	21	25.61%	1.49	+77.25
16 Candlish, Jennie	80	10	12.50%	30	37.50%	0.81	-29.52
17 Quinn, J J	48	10	20.83%	26	54.17%	0.76	-18.76
18 Grant, C	163	9	5.52%	36	22.09%	0.54	-99.45
19 Easterby, M W	78	9	11.54%	26	33.33%	1.08	-12.37

Catterick NH, since 2010. Mrs S J Smith is the standout — 59 winners from 311 at 18.97%, A/E 1.17 and +£98.03, the biggest trainer profit on the page and a reversal of her heavy Wetherby losses. Jonjo and AJ O’Neill are also strongly positive (26.26% from 99, A/E 1.19, +£43.83), with Brian Ellison fair at 1.06. Donald McCain Jnr leads on winners (89) at A/E 0.94. Oppose C Grant, whose 163 Catterick runners return A/E 0.54. Below the table, Mrs Dianne Sayer has returned +£77.25 from 82 runners at A/E 1.49 — again the opposite of her Kelso record.
catterick NH · Current trainers, since 2010

Jockey	Runs	Wins	Win%	Places	Place%	A/E	P/L
1 Hughes, Brian	493	78	15.82%	189	38.34%	0.88	-90.79
2 Quinlan, Sean	230	27	11.74%	69	30.00%	0.92	-67.08
3 Sheehan, Gavin	74	24	32.43%	43	58.11%	1.14	-0.22
4 Reveley, James	109	23	21.10%	41	37.61%	1.13	+49.31
5 England, Jonathan	135	18	13.33%	52	38.52%	0.86	-46.71
6 O’Farrell, C	114	16	14.04%	36	31.58%	1.19	+4.08
7 Chapman, Ross	107	16	14.95%	29	27.10%	1.21	-41.39
8 O’Neill, Jonjo (Jr)	44	14	31.82%	22	50.00%	1.51	+52.26
9 Mania, Ryan	111	13	11.71%	38	34.23%	0.87	-32.13
10 Skelton, Harry	57	13	22.81%	28	49.12%	0.78	+14.38
11 Hamilton, Jamie	176	12	6.82%	41	23.30%	0.60	-106.09
12 Smith-Chaston, Emma	76	11	14.47%	27	35.53%	1.21	-6.12
13 O’Regan, Denis	61	11	18.03%	22	36.07%	1.08	+8.84
14 McLernon, R P	59	11	18.64%	14	23.73%	1.22	+4.14
15 McMenamin, Daniel	88	9	10.23%	28	31.82%	0.73	-30.16
16 Twiston-Davies, Sam	38	9	23.68%	18	47.37%	0.88	-9.89
17 Nichol, Craig	140	8	5.71%	34	24.29%	0.49	-91.83
18 Bewley, Callum	97	8	8.25%	17	17.53%	1.03	-32.62
19 Williamson, Joseph	59	8	13.56%	14	23.73%	1.07	-20.05
20 Bowen, Sean P	32	8	25.00%	11	34.38%	0.98	-11.84

Catterick NH, since 2010. James Reveley is the pick — 23 winners from 109 at 21.10%, A/E 1.13 and +£49.31, the largest rider profit here — with Gavin Sheehan striking hardest (32.43% from 74, A/E 1.14). Brian Hughes has the most winners (78) at A/E 0.88. Oppose Jamie Hamilton (176 rides, A/E 0.60, £106.09 down). Below the table, Jonjo O’Neill Jr has returned +£52.26 from 44 rides at A/E 1.51 and Mr A Anderson A/E 2.25 from 53 — a short book, flagged as such.
catterick NH · Current riders, since 2010

Sire Statistics · Since 2010

Which sires do best at Catterick?

Sire	Runs	Wins	Win%	Places	Place%	A/E	P/L
1 Presenting	141	22	15.60%	49	34.75%	1.04	-20.07
2 Getaway (GER)	93	20	21.51%	38	40.86%	1.21	+52.64
3 Milan	140	19	13.57%	39	27.86%	0.86	-48.63
4 Mahler	99	18	18.18%	28	28.28%	1.07	-19.99
5 Flemensfirth (USA)	114	17	14.91%	37	32.46%	0.84	-38.15
6 Oscar (IRE)	101	17	16.83%	32	31.68%	1.09	+14.29
7 Westerner	87	14	16.09%	30	34.48%	1.01	-19.17
8 Yeats (IRE)	93	13	13.98%	33	35.48%	0.79	-23.18
9 Midnight Legend	75	13	17.33%	28	37.33%	0.93	-31.31
10 Gold Well	64	12	18.75%	22	34.38%	1.12	-8.83
11 Black Sam Bellamy (IRE)	48	12	25.00%	19	39.58%	1.31	-15.96
12 Balko (FR)	33	11	33.33%	17	51.52%	1.37	+21.76
13 Kayf Tara	103	10	9.71%	31	30.10%	0.64	-65.87
14 Cloudings (IRE)	46	10	21.74%	18	39.13%	1.32	+3.77
15 Robin Des Pres (FR)	40	10	25.00%	16	40.00%	1.58	+3.57
16 Beneficial	101	9	8.91%	29	28.71%	0.62	-50.52
17 Walk In The Park (IRE)	56	9	16.07%	21	37.50%	0.83	-18.85
18 Sageburg (IRE)	37	9	24.32%	16	43.24%	1.51	+51.08
19 Shantou (USA)	55	8	14.55%	15	27.27%	0.77	-29.92
20 Dansili	45	7	15.56%	20	44.44%	1.16	-12.37

Catterick NH, since 2010. Getaway is the standout — 20 winners from 93 at 21.51%, A/E 1.21 and +£52.64, the only meaningful profit on the page. Presenting (A/E 1.04) and Mahler (1.07) are around fair, and Milan is the one to leave alone at 0.86. Below the table, Robin Des Pres has returned A/E 1.58 from 40 runners and Cloudings 1.32 from 46. Samples here are modest throughout — Catterick’s jumps fixtures are few — so treat the sire column as supporting evidence rather than a signal.
catterick NH · Since 2010

How to read these tables. The figures are a first-party pull for this course and code covering runs since 1 January 2010, taken as a snapshot rather than updated live. A/E compares actual wins with the wins implied by starting price, so a figure above 1.00 means the group has won more often than its SP suggested. P/L is profit or loss to £1 win stakes at starting price.

Insider Knowledge

Betting Angles

🏇

The Sharpest Value Names Here

Among the trainers, Mrs Dianne Sayer (A/E 1.49, +£77.25), Jonjo and AJ O’Neill (A/E 1.19, +£43.83) and Mrs S J Smith (A/E 1.17, +£98.03) beat the market; in the saddle Jonjo (Jr) O’Neill (A/E 1.51, +£52.26) and James Reveley (A/E 1.13, +£49.31) are the value rides.

🐴

Sue Smith Owns the Big One

Four winners of the North Yorkshire Grand National in the last seven years — the strongest specialist record in Catterick’s flagship race.

📍

Local Trainers Punch Above Their Weight

Phil Kirby, based at East Appleton just minutes from the track, won the 2020 North Yorkshire Grand National with Little Bruce.

⚡

Position Matters More Than Class

Tight turns and closely-set obstacles make it hard to recover from off the pace — a horse that’s travelling with a circuit to run is the key requirement, echoed by jockeys who ride here regularly.

👁️

Don’t Trust Your Eyes on the Home Turn

Horses swinging wide off the final bend can look deceptively close to the leaders — a genuinely noted optical effect at this course, not just a betting cliché.

🐎

Getaway and Sageburg Lead the Sire Value

Presenting tops the sire list on volume (A/E 1.04), but the value signals are Getaway (GER) (A/E 1.21, +£52.64), Sageburg (IRE) (A/E 1.51, +£51.08) and Balko (FR) (A/E 1.37, +£21.76); oppose the over-bet Beneficial (A/E 0.62), Kayf Tara (A/E 0.64) and Shantou (USA) (A/E 0.77).

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Reading a North Yorkshire Grand National win as Graded form. Catterick runs no Graded or Listed jumps races at all — even its valuable feature is an unclassified handicap — so don’t inflate a course win into black-type form.
Trusting your eye off the home turn. Horses swinging wide out of the last bend can look deceptively close to the leaders here — a genuinely noted optical effect at this course — so trust the tight-turns bias, not how close the field looks rounding it.
Backing D McCain Jnr here on winner count alone. He leads the page on volume but the market already prices it in (A/E 0.94) — Mrs S J Smith (A/E 1.17), Mrs Dianne Sayer (A/E 1.49) and Jonjo and AJ O’Neill (A/E 1.19) are the real value signals, with C Grant (A/E 0.54) the one to oppose.
Treating the fences as genuinely difficult obstacles — they’re fair and jumpable at speed, and most fallers come from pace and tight spacing rather than the fences themselves.

Common Questions

Catterick Racecourse FAQs

Does Catterick host any Graded or Listed jumps races?

No. Catterick is a regional track without a Graded ladder. Its clear feature event is the North Yorkshire Grand National, a valuable but unclassified handicap chase run every January.

Is there a genuine pace bias at Catterick over jumps?

Course guides and jockeys consistently describe a front-running/handy bias driven by the track’s tight turns and closely-spaced obstacles, but no source publishes a quantified percentage breakdown for the NH course specifically.

Who owns Catterick Racecourse?

The independent Catterick Racecourse Company Ltd, formed in 1923 — Catterick is not part of any of the large multi-track operating groups.

What is Catterick’s most famous jumps result?

Red Rum won the old North Yorkshire Handicap Chase here in 1972, the year before his first Grand National victory, trained locally by Anthony Gillam.

Explore

Other Jumps Tracks

Aintree

Home of the Grand National — Mildmay and National courses.

Ayr

Home of the Coral Scottish Grand National.

Doncaster

Fair, galloping left-hander — the Great Yorkshire Chase.

Want the thinking behind National Hunt bets?

FormDial posts every selection before the off with its full reasoning: the angle, the price, the logic. See how course analysis feeds into real selections.

Today’s Dial →

From the Formdial Shop

Going racing here?

The Trackside Companion is your day at the races, written to order — every race on your meeting’s card broken down, plus this track’s pace, angles and people distilled from the guide you’ve just read. Order at least a week before your raceday.

Plan your raceday →

Official site. Fixtures, tickets and going updates: Catterick Racecourse.

CatterickNational Hunt