Great Northern Steeplechase
The Great Northern Steeplechase is New Zealand's richest steeplechase jumping race. The race exceeds six kilometres, making it New Zealand's longest horse race, and usually takes over eight minutes to complete. It is one of the great tests of stamina and fitness in thoroughbred racing, for both horse and rider. It is run in winter when the grass tracks are soft or heavy. Location and scheduling For most of its life the race was run over at Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland. The contestants cleared 25 jumps during the 6400m race. A notable feature of the race was the Ellerslie Hill, on the eastern side of the steeplechase course, which the horses must climb three times during the race. The race was called the DB Draught Steeplechase in the 1990s when sponsored by DB Breweries. The race has been run in early September since 2005, after previously being held in early June. The Great Northern steeplechase is now raced on the same day as the Great Northern Hurdles. The race was moved to Te Aroha in: 2018, raced over 6300m, due to a track upgrade at Ellerslie 2021, raced over 6200m on October 3, due to COVID-19 restrictions in Auckland. The