The Derby

is the leading English flat race (no jumps). It takes place at Epsom, near London.
The Ascot Races are held in June at Ascot, six miles from Windsor. The meeting is noted for its fashions, particularly women's hats.
The St Leger, run at Doncaster in south Yorkshire and the meeting held at York a fortnight earlier are the most important of the whole year in the North of England.
The Grand National run at Aintree, near Liverpool every year is England's principal steeplechase, i.e. a race over fences and ditches. The course is over four miles long and includes thirty jumps, of which fourteen are jumped twice. Many horses do not finish and it is thought by many people to be too dangerous.