The North Yorkshire Grand National at Catterick: Your Complete Guide

North Yorkshire Grand National day at Catterick is a full jump racing programme, typically featuring six or seven races across the afternoon. The feature race runs in the middle of the card, giving it prominence without leaving the day feeling like an afterthought before or after.

The North Yorkshire Grand National Handicap Chase (3m 6f)

Prize money: approximately £26,000. Class 3. This is the headline race, run over three miles and six furlongs with 24 fences — Catterick's longest race by a considerable margin. Horses complete two and a half circuits of the left-handed track, crossing the finish line three times before the final, decisive pass. That unusual course configuration means race-reading becomes critical: horses who tire in the second circuit and lose their jumping rhythm can lose enormous ground, while those who handle the repeated encounters with the home straight bends tend to run creditably throughout.

The field size varies but typically attracts 12 to 16 runners. The race is a handicap, meaning horses carry adjusted weights based on their official ratings, and form can be difficult to assess across the full distance and these specific conditions. Northern-trained horses dominate the entries — Catterick in January is not a meeting that tends to attract raiders from the south — and familiarity with sharp, left-handed courses is a real advantage.

Sue Smith's yard near Bingley has a particularly strong record in the race, with four wins including back-to-back victories in 2018 and 2019. Phil Kirby trained the winner in 2020 and 2023. Both are Yorkshire-based yards who understand Catterick's demands intimately and target the race deliberately.

The winning time — typically around eight and a half minutes for the trip on normal ground — is slower than comparable distances at Cheltenham or Newbury because Catterick's configuration requires horses to negotiate tight bends repeatedly. Pure straight-line speed matters less than jumping accuracy, track sense, and real staying ability.

The Supporting Handicap Chases

The card on North Yorkshire Grand National day typically includes two or three other handicap chases at distances ranging from two miles to three miles. These serve as appetisers and epilogues to the feature race, drawing similar types of horse from northern yards. The two-mile chase on the card gives faster types an opportunity to shine on the day, while the three-mile contest bridges the gap between shorter chasing distances and the extreme stamina test of the feature.

The Hurdle Races

January at Catterick means soft or heavy ground in most years, and the hurdle races on the day tend to be competitive novice or handicap events drawing horses who are either new to jumping or experienced enough to handle variable conditions. The novice hurdle on the card is often worth watching for longer-term form purposes — Catterick's hurdle track uses the same left-handed configuration as the chase track, and hurdle winners here often convert well to chasing in subsequent seasons.

The Bumper

Most North Yorkshire Grand National day cards include a National Hunt flat race — a bumper — which provides an opportunity for young, unraced horses to have their first racecourse experience. These races occasionally throw up future stars, and watching bumpers at small, testing tracks like Catterick in January gives a better impression of real ability than bumpers run on flat, galloping courses in good ground.

Catterick in January is unambiguously a winter racing experience. The course sits in the Vale of Mowbray between the North Yorkshire Moors and the Yorkshire Dales, and by early January the landscape has the stripped-back quality of the English north in its hardest season. The trees along the course boundary are bare. The ground in the paddock is firm underfoot from frost. The forecast is usually for soft ground after overnight rain. You dress accordingly.

What the North Yorkshire Grand National day provides — and what most summer racing in Britain cannot — is the atmosphere of a proper jump meeting where the racing itself is the entire reason people have come. There is no backdrop of Champagne bars or dress code competitions. Catterick's capacity is around 5,000, and a good January card might draw two or three thousand, concentrated in the stands and along the rails. That concentration of real racing interest creates a particular kind of energy.

The crowd on North Yorkshire Grand National day tends to be experienced. Many of the people there have been following the northern jump circuit through October, November, and December, and they know the horses. When the feature race is declared and the runners emerge for the parade, the conversations around the paddock are specific — weights carried, ground preferences, previous form at the trip, whether the trainer has placed the horse to win today or is using the race for experience. This is not a day for those who need the form explained. It is a day for those who have already done the form.

The course configuration at Catterick — tight bends, compact straight — means spectators can see all the action clearly. The grandstand on the home straight gives a good view of the jumps in the final circuit, and the position at the top of the home straight allows racegoers to watch the field negotiate the bends and come off the final turn into the home straight where the race is usually decided. For three miles and six furlongs of jumping, Catterick is a better spectator venue than courses with longer, wider tracks where the field disappears into the distance.

The Denys Smith Challenge Trophy presentation after the feature race connects the day to the history of northern racing. Denys Smith trained at Bishop Auckland for decades, sending out hundreds of winners at tracks across the north, and his 146 Catterick winners reflect a lifetime's engagement with the course. The trophy is presented by his family, and for the winning connections — typically a small northern yard celebrating the best result of their season — it means considerably more than its monetary value.

There is no pretension about North Yorkshire Grand National day. It is a cold January racing afternoon at a functional racecourse in North Yorkshire, with horses doing difficult things over a very long distance for a modest prize. That honesty is its appeal.

Getting there

Catterick racecourse is on the A6136 between the A1(M) and Catterick village, about two miles south of Richmond. By car, the A1(M) is the obvious approach from any direction — Junction 50 southbound or Junction 53 northbound. Parking at the course is free and straightforward, with large fields on both sides of the entrance road. There is no realistic public transport option to the course itself; the nearest station is Northallerton, about eight miles away, and taxis from there are available but should be booked ahead.

Tickets and admission

Admission on a standard race day at Catterick is modest — typically between £12 and £20 for adults depending on the enclosure, with concessions available for under-18s and over-65s. The course has two main enclosures: the Premier Enclosure with access to the main grandstand, and the Paddock Enclosure which gives access to the parade ring and the main betting areas. For North Yorkshire Grand National day, advance booking is recommended, though the capacity of 5,000 means the course rarely sells out entirely. Check the Catterick racecourse website for exact prices for the year you are attending.

What to wear

January at Catterick requires serious thought about warmth. The Vale of Mowbray can be bitterly cold in winter, with a wind that comes off the moors and seems to find every gap. Thermal base layers, a substantial outer layer, and waterproofs are advisable regardless of the morning's weather, because conditions can change in the afternoon. Boots with grip are useful if the ground is soft and the public walkways show signs of wear from previous meetings. There is no dress code on a standard jump race day — the crowd ranges from tweeds to North Face fleeces and everything is appropriate.

The course facilities

Catterick's facilities are functional rather than luxurious. The main grandstand has covered seating and standing areas, with good sight lines over the home straight. The betting ring runs along the rail and accommodates on-course bookmakers as well as tote facilities. Food and drink are available from kiosks and a restaurant in the main stand — hot food is worth seeking out on a cold January day, and the kitchen on North Yorkshire Grand National day is usually well-prepared for a winter crowd. There is no racecourse hotel on site, but Catterick village and Richmond nearby have accommodation options.

Arrival and timing

Racing at Catterick on North Yorkshire Grand National day typically starts around 12:30 or 13:00, with the feature race mid-card, usually the third or fourth race. Arriving 30 to 45 minutes before the first race gives you time to park, buy your racecard, inspect the runners in the parade ring, and find your spot on the rails or in the stand. The paddock at Catterick is compact — walk the perimeter once and you have seen the horses from every angle. For the feature race, the paddock will fill up, so arrive early if you want a clear view of the runners being saddled.

The North Yorkshire Grand National is a handicap chase over three miles and six furlongs, and the betting angles that apply to staying handicaps generally are highly relevant here. The race does, however, have specific course characteristics that give Catterick punters additional information to work with.

Northern trainers dominate

The single most important selection filter is trainer base. This race is won by northern yards — Sue Smith, Phil Kirby, Brian Ellison, and similar operations based within striking distance of Catterick. Southern raiders who make the trip in January typically struggle with the combination of a sharp track, heavy ground, and a trip that local horses run over regularly. The four consecutive wins for Sue Smith (2016–2019) were not coincidental. Her Bingley yard understands Catterick's tight bends, her horses are prepared for the ground, and she targets this race with appropriate horses. When a Smith or Kirby runner tops the market on North Yorkshire Grand National day, that is significant.

Ground preference matters enormously

Check each runner's ground preference. The going on North Yorkshire Grand National day is heavy or soft in the majority of years. Horses who have won or run very well on similarly testing ground at comparable distances — particularly at Catterick, Hexham, Kelso, or other sharp northern tracks — should be prioritised over horses who have shown their best form on good or good-to-soft ground at Cheltenham or Sandown.

Top weights under pressure

Eleven to twelve stone is a significant burden over three and a half miles on heavy ground. Horses running off a high handicap mark often find the combination of weight, distance, and conditions too demanding. The past results of the North Yorkshire Grand National show a reasonable strike-rate for horses carrying between 10st 6lb and 11st 2lb — enough weight to indicate quality without being crushed. Novice chasers are eligible and occasionally compete, but their inexperience over Catterick's repeated circuits is usually a disadvantage.

Front-runners and course form

Catterick's left-handed bends reward horses who can settle handy and maintain position through the turns. Horses who require a long gallop to produce their best — the Cheltenham-type stayers who need the uphill finish to spark their best efforts — do not always translate to Catterick's flat, tight configuration. Look for course form on the card, particularly for horses who have won or been placed at Catterick in chases at a distance of two miles or more.

Each-way value in the feature

With fields of 12 to 16, each-way bets in the North Yorkshire Grand National are worth considering, particularly if there is a horse at 8-1 or above with a good profile of northern form, appropriate ground preference, and a manageable weight. Bookmakers pay four places at most meetings with 12 or more runners.

On-course bookmakers

Catterick has a traditional on-course betting ring with rails bookmakers who offer competitive prices on the feature race. Comparing their prices against the best available online can occasionally produce a value edge, particularly in the less prominent races on the card where the online market may not have been fully considered.