The wait is over! The new jumps season is here.
After months of Flat racing dominating the headlines, National Hunt racing is beginning to take centre stage once again, with the likes of Fairyhouse and Chepstow welcoming the return of jumps racing in October.
But when does the new jumps season actually start? When is the first big meeting of the campaign? And when can we expect the biggest stars of the sport to return?
Here is everything you need to know about the 2026/27 jumps season in Ireland and Britain, including the key autumn meetings and the road to the Cheltenham Festival.
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When does the new jumps season start in Ireland?
The 2026/27 National Hunt season is already underway in Ireland, with Fairyhouse hosting its Opening Jumps Meeting on Monday, October 5.
Fairyhouse billed the meeting as the event that would get the National Hunt season underway, with a seven-race card featuring hurdle action.
The action continues at Fairyhouse on Saturday, October 10, with the Return of the Jumps meeting.
Punchestown then gets in on the act with its Jumps Are Back meetings on Tuesday, October 13 and Wednesday, October 14.
So, if you’re an Irish racing fan wondering when the jumps season is back, the simple answer is: now.
The autumn is when the National Hunt campaign really starts to gather momentum, with trainers gradually bringing their leading hurdlers and chasers back to the track.
When does the UK jumps season start?
This is where things get slightly more complicated.
Jump racing does not simply stop for the summer and then restart on one particular date. There is jumps racing outside of the traditional winter period, but October is when the core jumps season begins to take shape.
The British Horseracing Authority has referred to the period as the core 2026/27 Jump season, with a number of changes to the Jump Pattern coming into effect for the new campaign.
And one of the biggest markers of the return of proper winter jumps racing comes at Chepstow.
When is the Welsh Racing Festival?
The Welsh Racing Festival takes place at Chepstow from Friday, October 9 to Sunday, October 11, 2026.
The three-day meeting is one of the major early-season fixtures and Chepstow describes the festival as marking the start of the jump season.
The 2026 meeting gets underway on Friday, with the Grade 2 Persian War Novices’ Hurdle and the Welsh Champion Hurdle among the highlights.
Saturday features the Wasdell Group Silver Trophy, while the festival concludes on Sunday.
There is a slight twist this year, however.
Due to unusually dry conditions, the chase course at Chepstow has not been considered ready for the meeting, meaning the 2026 festival will feature hurdle races only. Some of the scheduled chase races have been moved to other fixtures.
Is the Welsh Racing Festival new?
Yes. The Welsh Racing Festival is a relatively new addition to the jumps calendar.
The three-day Welsh Racing Festival has quickly become an important early-season meeting at Chepstow, giving punters an early look at some of the horses who could feature prominently throughout the winter.
And 2026 marks an important year for Chepstow, with the racecourse celebrating its centenary.
When is the first Cheltenham meeting of the season?
For many racing fans, the jumps season doesn’t really feel like it’s underway until Cheltenham reopens its doors.
The first Cheltenham meeting of the 2026/27 campaign is the Showcase meeting, taking place on Friday, October 23 and Saturday, October 24.
Cheltenham describes the Showcase as the meeting that opens its 2026/27 season, giving fans an early chance to see horses that could go on to feature at the Cheltenham Festival in March.
The meeting is traditionally an important early-season form guide, with established stars returning alongside exciting novice hurdlers and chasers.
What are the biggest jumps meetings this season?
There is plenty to look forward to between now and the spring.
Some of the biggest meetings on the 2026/27 National Hunt calendar include:
November
November
The action begins to ramp up through November, with major meetings in Ireland and Britain providing the first serious clues about the winter’s leading contenders. Among the highlights are the two-day Navan Racing Festival on November 14 & 15 and the two-day Fairyhouse Winter Festival on November 28 & 29.
Christmas period
The Christmas and New Year period is one of the biggest parts of the jumps calendar.
Meetings at Leopardstown, Kempton and Chepstow regularly attract some of the biggest names in National Hunt racing, while several major races can have a significant impact on the Cheltenham betting markets.
Cheltenham Festival
The Cheltenham Festival is, of course, the main target for many horses.
Over four days, the best hurdlers and chasers from Britain and Ireland go head-to-head across some of the biggest races in the sport.
The Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase, Ryanair Chase, Stayers’ Hurdle and Cheltenham Gold Cup are among the headline contests.
Aintree Grand National
A few weeks after Cheltenham comes another of the biggest events in the racing calendar, the Grand National at Aintree.
The world’s most famous steeplechase provides a completely different test, with stamina and jumping ability pushed to the limit over the famous Aintree fences.
Punchestown Festival
For Irish racing fans, the season eventually builds towards the Punchestown Festival.
The five-day meeting traditionally provides the grand finale to the Irish jumps season, with many of the horses who have battled it out at Cheltenham returning for another crack at Grade 1 glory.
When is the Cheltenham Festival 2027?
The Cheltenham Festival will again run across four days, with the 2027 festival taking place from Tuesday, March 16 through to Friday, March 19.
Here’s a look at the schedule for the 2027 Cheltenham Festival:
- Tuesday, March 16: Champion Hurdle Day
- Wednesday, March 17: Ladies Day/Champion Chase Day
- Thursday, March 18: St.Patrick’s Thursday/Stayers Hurdle & Ryanair Chase Day
- Friday, March 19: Gold Cup Day
When does the jumps season finish?
The jumps campaign runs through the spring, with the biggest festivals providing the climax.
For Irish racing, the Punchestown Festival is traditionally the final major destination for the leading National Hunt horses.
By that stage, the Cheltenham Festival and Grand National will already have come and gone, and many horses will be looking to finish the campaign on a high at Sandown’s Jump Finale card on Saturday, April 24, 2027.
Follow the new jumps season with BAR 1 Betting
Whether it’s a run-of-the-mill midweek jumps card or one of the major National Hunt Festivals, horse racing fans can follow the jumps season in its entirety via BAR1Betting.com and the BAR 1 Betting app.
With daily extra-place races, best odds guaranteed overnight, free bet offers, and live streaming, BAR 1 Betting is the go-to destination for passionate horse racing followers.
