The best horse racing tracks around the UK
- Ascot. Located in the heart of Britain, Ascot hosts 26 days of top-class racing, including nine Group 1 Flat races.
- Cheltenham Racecourse.
- Aintree Racecourse.
- Chester Racecourse.
- York Racecourse.
- Newmarket Racecourse.
- Aintree.
- Goodwood Racecourse.
List of horse racing venues by capacity
| Venue | Capacity | Country |
|---|
| Ascot Racecourse | 70,000 | United Kingdom |
| Cheltenham Racecourse | 67,500 | United Kingdom |
| Hamilton Park Racecourse | 60,000 | United Kingdom |
| Meydan Racecourse | 60,000 | United Arab Emirates |
At 780 feet (238 m) above sea level, Bath is Britain's highest flat racecourse, although National Hunt courses Hexham and Exeter are higher.
The longest 'official' horse race – or, in other words, the longest horse race run under the Rules of Racing, as defined by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), on a pay-at-the-gate enclosed racecourse – remains the Grand National.
Australia. One of the most popular sports in Australia is thoroughbred horse racing, with only football and rugby bringing in larger crowds throughout the year. There are more than 300 racecourses in the country, more than any other country in the world, and only the US has more horses starting races annually.
The Top 10 Most Famous Racehorses Of All Time
- Secretariat. The greatest racehorse of all time.
- Man o' War. Man o' War's weight-carrying performances are the stuff of horse racing legend. [
- Seattle Slew.
- Winx.
- Kelso.
- Makybe Diva.
- Zenyatta.
- Hurricane Fly.
nine Yorkshire racecourses
Dating back to 1685, Downpatrick Racecourse is the oldest racecourse in Ireland. It has long been a hub of local life and attracts visitors from far and wide for great sport, entertainment, and fun. We host 10 fixtures each year, with our feature being the Ulster National in March.
| Betting Term | Description |
|---|
| Back | A bet on a horse to win (or each-way). The opposite of lay, and the more traditional bet type. |
| Banker | A supposedly certain bet. |
| Bar | The lowest odds of horses not mentioned in the betting forecast '20-1 bar' means those not quoted are 20-1 or bigger. |
Horseracing in Scotland is a popular spectator sport, with a history dating back over 900 years. There are currently five operating racecourses in Scotland - one exclusively for flat racing, two exclusively for jump racing and two mixed. Between them they held one hundred and three race meetings in 2014.
There are 60 Flat and National Hunt racecourses in Britain, including 17 multi-purpose tracks offering both disciplines.
It owns and operates 16 racecourses in Great Britain, accounting for 39% of British racing fixtures.
Arena Racing Company.
| Type | Private |
|---|
| Founded | 2012 |
| Headquarters | Millbank Tower, London, United Kingdom |
| Key people | David Thorpe (chairman) |
| Owner | David and Simon Reuben via Reuben Brothers |
17 of these UK racecourses are what is called dual-purpose, meaning that they provide both flat and jumps meetings. All these 60 racecourses are included and reviewed in our list of British racecourses above (which includes English racecourses, Welsh racecourses as well as racecourses in Scotland).
five Scottish racecourses
Australia. There are over 360 registered racecourses in Australia where Thoroughbred racing takes place during about 3,050 race meetings. There are also a number of separate harness racing tracks.
In the United States, tracks all tend to look alike. They are all oval and flat, and the horses always run in the same direction: counterclockwise. In the argot of racing, they are all left-handed. On one track, Ascot, they sometimes race a mile without having to turn in any direction.
Visiting a horse track sometimes feels like you're stepping back in time. There is a total of 112 thoroughbred and harness racing tracks across the United States, and many of the most popular tracks in America are also registered as historical landmarks.
With 26 racecourses in Northern and The Republic of Ireland, there are plenty of racing events and racecourses to choose from.
