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What’s On this Jumps season
The 2021 jumps season is off to a flying start (pun intended!) and we’re just getting started. Get out your diary and pen and note down the premier jumps meetings for the season.
Waikato Steeple and Hurdle – Saturday 22 May
Te Rapa’s Signature Homes Jumps Day, featuring the Waikato Steeple and Hurdle, is the first of the jumps days where you can expect the big guns to be on-course! The bad news – hospitality has already sold out! The good – you can still get amongst the action with FREE gate entry or a member’s day pass, giving you access to the Members Kentucky Lounge (advised on what could be a chilly Autumn afternoon!).
Dress to impress, Te Rapa’s style spotters will be roaming the racecourse and on the lookout for the best dressed of the day.
Ellerslie’s McGregor Grant Steeplechase and K S Brown Hurdle – Monday 7 June
Ellerslie have brought the ‘Sport of Kings’ to Queen’s birthday weekend, with the running of the famed McGregor Grant Steeplechase and the K S Browne Hurdle landing on Queen’s Birthday weekend. Supported by a card of flat races, Ellerslie are providing you the perfect Queen’s Birthday plans.
Bring the next gen of racing fans – Ellerslie will have their bouncy castles and swing ball sets available for use. For the horse lovers among us, be sure to pop down to Ellerslie’s public-friendly stabling area to wish our four-legged friends good luck before they race.
Manawatu Steeple and Hurdle – Saturday 19 June
A gold coin, with all proceeds going to Riding for the Disabled, will get you entry into one of the most exciting days of jumps racing around! Pack up a picnic and kick back on the public lawn or enjoy the day from the Silks Lounge, complete with reserved seating, a light lunch and afternoon tea, four standard drinks, racebook and pen (to circle all those winners!)
Hawke’s Bay Steeple and Hurdle – Saturday 3 July
A day known for attracting some of the best thoroughbred jumping horses and their jockeys, there’s no better place to experience the thrill of jumps racing that at the Hawke’s Bay Hunt Raceday, at Hastings racecourse.
Snag yourself a general admission tickets for just $10 (bargain!) or take things up a notch and enjoy Hawke’s Bay Racing’s hospitality with their Mid-Winter Premier Lounge Package.
Wellington Steeple and Hurdle – Saturday 17 July
Tweeds at the ready, Wellington Racing Club is providing the perfect opportunity to channel your inner Peaky Blinders character and enjoy a day of both flat and jumps racing. Famed for its unique ‘figure-eight’ course, watch the country’s top steeplechasers and bravest jockeys navigate the Trentham racecourse in the Wellington Steeplechase.
Throw in live music, a style stakes and a few hot Toddys, and you’ve got the ultimate winter raceday.
Grand National Hurdle – Wednesday 11 August
Iconic on the New Zealand jumps racing calendar, the Grand National Festival of Racing is a ‘must-attend’ for any jumps racing enthusiasts. A week of racing will all the trimmings – think fine food, winter fashion, live music and an electric atmosphere, be sure to get on-course at Riccarton Park Racecourse this winter.
Grand National Steeple – Saturday 14 August
If fashion is your forte, this is the day for you! Enter Riccarton Park’s Winter Fashion in the Field (think rich colours, wool and tweed), and posse up in the Tea House for a day of winter fashion and great racing.
If you’re more interested in what’s happening on the racetrack than runway, that’s cool too! A race with almost 150 years of history, the Grand National Steeple is bound to be a spectacle.
For more jumps racedays, head to loveracing.nz/lovejumps.
