UK racecourse guide · 2026

UK racecourses: big races and fun facts

Every course has its own character, from the Grand National fences at Aintree to the figure-of-eight at Windsor. Here are the UK’s racecourses with their biggest races and a fact or two about each, plus famous courses abroad.

Big-race coursesMore UK coursesAround the world
Illustration of a racecourse track

Britain’s big-race courses

Ascot

BerkshireFlat & JumpsRight-handed
Biggest races
  • Royal Ascot (June)
  • King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (July)
  • British Champions Day (October)
Did you know? Founded by Queen Anne in 1711. Every day of Royal Ascot opens with the Royal Procession of horse-drawn carriages down the straight mile.
Course guide →Royal Ascot →

Aintree

MerseysideJumpsLeft-handed
Biggest races
  • Grand National (April)
  • Aintree Bowl
  • Topham Chase
Did you know? The Grand National was first run in 1839. Red Rum is the only horse to win it three times, in 1973, 1974 and 1977.
Course guide →Grand National →

Cheltenham

GloucestershireJumpsLeft-handed
Biggest races
  • Cheltenham Gold Cup (March)
  • Champion Hurdle
  • Queen Mother Champion Chase
Did you know? The roar from the crowd as the first race of the Festival starts is famous across racing. Arkle won the Gold Cup three years running, from 1964 to 1966.
Course guide →The Festival →

Epsom Downs

SurreyFlatLeft-handed
Biggest races
  • The Derby (June)
  • The Oaks (June)
  • Coronation Cup
Did you know? The Derby was first run in 1780 and gave its name to races around the world. Runners swing downhill round the famous Tattenham Corner.
Course guide →The Derby →

Newmarket

SuffolkFlatTwo courses
Biggest races
  • 2,000 Guineas (May)
  • 1,000 Guineas (May)
  • Cesarewitch and Cambridgeshire (autumn)
Did you know? Known as the headquarters of British racing, with two courses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. The town is also home to the National Horseracing Museum.
Course guide →Guineas →

York

North YorkshireFlatLeft-handed
Biggest races
  • Juddmonte International (August)
  • Ebor Handicap (August)
  • Nunthorpe Stakes
Did you know? The Knavesmire hosts the Ebor Festival every August. The Ebor is one of the richest flat handicaps in Europe.
Course guide →Ebor Festival →

Goodwood

West SussexFlatUndulating
Biggest races
  • Sussex Stakes (July)
  • Goodwood Cup
  • Stewards’ Cup
Did you know? High on the South Downs, its summer festival is known as Glorious Goodwood. King Edward VII called it “a garden party with racing tacked on”.
Course guide →Glorious Goodwood →

Sandown Park

SurreyFlat & JumpsRight-handed
Biggest races
  • Eclipse Stakes (July)
  • Tingle Creek Chase (December)
  • Jumps season finale (April)
Did you know? The Eclipse Stakes is named after Eclipse, the unbeaten 18th-century racehorse. The stiff uphill finish catches out many front-runners.
Course guide →

Doncaster

South YorkshireFlat & JumpsLeft-handed
Biggest races
  • St Leger (September)
  • Lincoln Handicap (March)
  • Futurity Trophy (October)
Did you know? First run in 1776, the St Leger is the oldest of Britain’s five Classics. The Lincoln marks the start of the flat turf season.
Course guide →St Leger →

Chester

CheshireFlatLeft-handed
Biggest races
  • Chester Cup (May)
  • Chester Vase
  • Dee Stakes
Did you know? The Roodee is thought to be the oldest racecourse still in use in England, with racing recorded since 1539. The tight circuit is only around a mile round, so a low draw helps.
Course guide →

Kempton Park

SurreyJumps & All-weatherRight-handed
Biggest races
  • King George VI Chase (Boxing Day)
  • Christmas Hurdle
Did you know? Kauto Star won the King George VI Chase a record five times. Flat racing is run on a floodlit all-weather track.
Course guide →King George →

Haydock Park

MerseysideFlat & JumpsLeft-handed
Biggest races
  • Sprint Cup (September)
  • Betfair Chase (November)
  • Grand National Trial (February)
Did you know? One of the few courses to stage top-class racing on both the flat and over jumps.
Course guide →

Newbury

BerkshireFlat & JumpsLeft-handed
Biggest races
  • Lockinge Stakes (May)
  • Coral Gold Cup (late November)
Did you know? The Coral Gold Cup was run for decades as the Hennessy Gold Cup, first staged in 1957.
Course guide →

Ayr

Ayrshire, ScotlandFlat & JumpsLeft-handed
Biggest races
  • Scottish Grand National (April)
  • Ayr Gold Cup (September)
Did you know? Scotland’s premier racecourse. The Ayr Gold Cup is one of the biggest sprint handicaps of the year.
Course guide →Scottish National →

Musselburgh

East Lothian, ScotlandFlat & JumpsRight-handed
Biggest races
  • Edinburgh Cup (June)
Did you know? Racing here dates back to 1816, and the Old Links golf course sits in the middle of the track.
Course guide →

Perth

Perthshire, ScotlandJumpsRight-handed
Biggest races
  • Perth Festival (April)
Did you know? Britain’s most northerly racecourse, set in the parkland of Scone Palace.
Course guide →

More UK racecourses

Bath

SomersetFlatOne of the highest flat courses in Britain, on Lansdown Hill above the city.

Beverley

East YorkshireFlatA stiff uphill finish on the Westwood, common land where cattle still graze.

Bangor-on-Dee

Wrexham, WalesJumpsThere is no grandstand: racegoers watch from a grassy bank.

Brighton

East SussexFlatA horseshoe-shaped course with no complete circuit, high above the sea.

Carlisle

CumbriaFlat & JumpsA testing, undulating track with an uphill finish.

Cartmel

CumbriaJumpsA tiny Lake District course with one of the longest run-ins in jumps racing.

Catterick

North YorkshireFlat & JumpsA sharp, undulating track that suits nippy, front-running horses.

Exeter

DevonJumpsOne of the highest courses in Britain, on Haldon Hill. Home of the Haldon Gold Cup.

Ffos Las

Carmarthenshire, WalesFlat & JumpsOpened in 2009 on the site of a former opencast coal mine.

Great Yarmouth

NorfolkFlatA seaside course a short walk from the beach.

Hereford

HerefordshireJumpsReopened in 2016 after closing in 2012.

Hexham

NorthumberlandJumpsNorthumberland’s only racecourse, with sweeping views over Tynedale.

Huntingdon

CambridgeshireJumpsA flat, fast jumps track. Home of the Peterborough Chase.

Kelso

Scottish BordersJumpsCalls itself “Britain’s Friendliest Racecourse”.

Leicester

LeicestershireFlat & JumpsA dual-purpose course in Oadby, on the edge of the city.

Lingfield Park

SurreyFlat, Jumps & All-weatherHosts All-Weather Championships Finals Day on Good Friday.

Ludlow

ShropshireJumpsA jumps track that runs around a golf course.

Market Rasen

LincolnshireJumpsStages the valuable Summer Plate in July.

Newton Abbot

DevonJumpsA summer jumps favourite, close to the Devon coast.

Plumpton

East SussexJumpsA sharp, undulating course with its own railway station.

Pontefract

West YorkshireFlatOne of the longest continuous flat circuits in Britain, at around two miles.

Redcar

North YorkshireFlatA straight mile and the Two-Year-Old Trophy each October.

Ripon

North YorkshireFlatKnown as “The Garden Racecourse” for its flower beds and lakes.

Sedgefield

County DurhamJumpsA tight, undulating jumps track with plenty of character.

Southwell

NottinghamshireJumps & All-weatherIts all-weather track was switched to a Tapeta surface in 2021.

Stratford-on-Avon

WarwickshireJumpsA summer jumps track and home of the Champion Hunters’ Chase.

Taunton

SomersetJumpsA winter jumps track with views of the Blackdown Hills.

Thirsk

North YorkshireFlatSummer flat racing, including the Thirsk Hunt Cup.

Uttoxeter

StaffordshireJumpsHome of the Midlands Grand National in March.

Warwick

WarwickshireJumpsOne of the oldest courses in Britain, with racing recorded since the 1700s.

Wincanton

SomersetJumpsStages the Kingwell Hurdle, a key Champion Hurdle trial.

Windsor

BerkshireFlatA figure-of-eight course beside the Thames, famous for its Monday evening meetings.

Wolverhampton

West MidlandsAll-weatherA floodlit Tapeta track that races all year round.

Famous racecourses around the world

ParisLongchamp

Paris, France
Biggest race
  • Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (October)
Did you know? Europe’s richest race, run on the first Sunday in October.

The Curragh

County Kildare, Ireland
Biggest race
  • Irish Derby (June)
Did you know? Home of all five Irish Classics.

Leopardstown

Dublin, Ireland
Biggest race
  • Irish Champion Stakes (September)
Did you know? Also hosts the Dublin Racing Festival every February.

Punchestown

County Kildare, Ireland
Biggest race
  • Punchestown Festival (April/May)
Did you know? Ireland’s big end-of-season jumps festival.

Galway

County Galway, Ireland
Biggest race
  • Galway Plate (July/August)
Did you know? The Galway Races run for seven days every summer.

Churchill Downs

Kentucky, USA
Biggest race
  • Kentucky Derby (May)
Did you know? Known as “the Run for the Roses”, held on the first Saturday in May.

Flemington

Melbourne, Australia
Biggest race
  • Melbourne Cup (November)
Did you know? Billed as “the race that stops a nation”, on the first Tuesday in November.

Meydan

Dubai, UAE
Biggest race
  • Dubai World Cup (March)
Did you know? One of the richest race meetings in the world.

See the racing calendar for when each big race is run. Most UK betting apps stream UK and Irish racing, and many also cover France, the USA and other international meetings. See our bookmaker app directory for which apps stream what. 18+ | Please gamble responsibly.