page_title: Steeplechase (horse racing)
section_title: Australia
hierarchical_section_title: Steeplechase (horse racing) / Steeplechasing by country / Rest of the world / Australia
caption_attribution_description: Five-Dock, NSW Grand Steeplechase. The Stone Wall - Mr Garrick on British Yeoman, Mr Watt on Highflier and Mr Hely on Block.
context_page_description: A steeplechase is a distance horse race in which competitors are required to jump diverse fence and ditch obstacles. Steeplechasing is primarily conducted in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Canada, United States, Australia and France. The name is derived from early races in which orientation of the course was by reference to a church steeple, jumping fences and ditches and generally traversing the many intervening obstacles in the countryside.
  Modern usage of the term "steeplechase" differs between countries. In Ireland and the United Kingdom, it refers only to races run over large, fixed obstacles, in contrast to "hurdle" races where the obstacles are much smaller. The collective term "jump racing" or "National Hunt racing" is used when referring to steeplechases and hurdle races collectively. Elsewhere in the world, "steeplechase" is used to refer to any race that involves jumping obstacles.
  The most famous steeplechase in the world is the Grand National run annually at Aintree Racecourse, in Liverpool, since its inception in 1836, which in 2014 offered a prize fund of £1 million.
context_section_description: Australia has a long history of jumps racing which was introduced by British settlers. In the late 20th century, the eastern states of Queensland and New South Wales shut down jumps racing, while Tasmania ceased jumps racing in April 2007 due to economic unfeasibility and a lack of entries.
  The jumping season in Australia normally takes place from March until September. (some minor races are held either side of these months). Horses used for steeplechasing are primarily former flat racing horses, rather than horses specifically bred for jumping.
  There is an emphasis on safety in Australia which has led to a reduction in the size of obstacles. As jumps races take place at flat racing meetings there is also a need for portable jumps. Most chasing occurs on steeple lanes but also includes parts of the main flat racing track. From Easter to May the major distance races occur: The Great Eastern Steeplechase is held on Easter Monday at Oakbank, South Australia drawing crowds of over 100,000, and the Grand Annual, which has the most fences of any steeplechase in the world, is held in May at Warrnambool.
  Each state holds its own Grand National race: the most prestigious is the VRC Grand National at Flemington run in the winter. The jumping season culminates with the set-weights-and-penalties Hiskens Steeple run at Moonee Valley. The Hiskens is regarded as the Cox Plate of jumps racing.
  The most famous Australian horse in the field was Crisp, who was narrowly beaten by the champion Red Rum in the 1973 English Grand National. Crisp subsequently beat Red Rum at set weights. Oju Chosan has won Japan's Nakayama Grand Jump five consecutive times.
  Jumps racing was set to end in Victoria after the 2010 season. In September 2010, having satisfied a limit on the maximum number of deaths among starting horses, hurdle racing was granted a 3-year extension by Racing Victoria. A decision regarding steeplechase was postponed until October 2010 when a program for the 2011 season only was granted. Since 2012, both hurdle races and steeplechases have been approved by Racing Victoria.
caption: A steeplechase at Five Dock, NSW.
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