Racecourses UK 2024

Best UK Race Tracks

When it comes to race tracks UK and Racecourses UK, the United Kingdom have a lot of bragging rights with these. Several of the race tracks in England are considered the premier racecourses globally. Many racecourses UK have a historical background, Chester dating back 500 years and a few others not far behind. If you enjoy horse racing, you may find you’d like greyhound racing too, there are plenty of greyhound stadiums to choose from in UK.

Our best UK race tracks include the magnificent Silverstone, with its long straights and tight bends make it the perfect racing track. Although most famous for hosting the British Grand Prix, this grand track also attracts MotoGP that regularly has betting offers, especially if Marc Marquez or Valentino Rossi race. Read on below to gain some race tracks UK knowledge. We’ll note a few pointers of what the best UK race tracks and best racecourses UK have when it comes to betting opportunities. These big events are always televised and almost all televised events come with the best odds bookmakers, which include many betting offers from the bookies, which is great news for us punters!

So, let’s dig in, below we’ll specify the different sports and their main events, supply betting tips at the best racecourses UK and best UK race tracks. By the end of this article, you’ll be fully equipped to plan out your TV viewing and betting plans. You’ll also gain a little race track and racecourses UK knowledge.

HORSE RACING

When talking “racecourses UK”, Horse racing provides the most annual betting opportunities than any other sport, by far.

Horse racing is mainly cut into two categories: Jumps racing and flat racing. Flat racing traditionally used to be a seasonal activity, with most of the races happening in the spring and summer months and most of the jumps racing was over the colder months. But with the additions of all-weather tracks, both of these types of racing merged together and now both are run regularly all year.

Many of the race tracks UK mentioned below have several different racecourses. For example, Newmarket has the Rowley Mile, aptly named for its one-mile straight, and the July Course, which unsurprisingly is used during the month of July.

We will only display the main racecourses uk below, as there are far too many to include otherwise! But these ones are the ones to find those much-cherished betting offers and also the ones that have the best horses running too!

If you want to profit well and become a shrewd punter, you would be wise to take a mental note of when the big festivals are, because you will find many extra betting offers around these times, from the top UK bookies.

MAJOR EVENTS

Cheltenham

https://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/cheltenham/events-tickets/the-festival/

This is a jumps event that happens every March. When it comes to betting offers, Cheltenham is the daddy of them all, by far. Mainly because it lasts four days, is televised, highly publicised and attracts the best national hunt horses around. This is considered the most publicised of racecourses UK and also brings a “breath of fresh air” in the early springtime.

Cheltenham Racecourse is one of the best UK Race Tracks, situated in Gloucestershire in the west of England. The racecourse is around 1.5 in circumference, with a much shorter run-in than Aintree. Cheltenham run-in is only around 250 metres. The course is quite testing for horses as it is undulating and the hurdles track has testing uphill finish approaching the finish line. One of the stiffest racecourses UK has to offer when it comes to a gruelling uphill climb.

Almost every one of the total 28 races held over the Cheltenham festival contains classy horses. But we will only list the top feature races below. One good thing to note, though, is the first race of the festival, the Supreme Novices Hurdle will contain more betting offers than any other race. This is quite shrewd of the bookies to do this. If you have a good winner in the first race, you then have the ability to win even more, or lose! But each day will present perfect opportunities for all kinds of punters.

Feature races

• Day 1 Champion Hurdle day.
• Day 2 Champion Chase day.
• Day 3 Ryanair Chase day
• Day 4 The Gold Cup. Considered the top race of the festival.

Aintree

https://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/aintree/

No introduction needed here really. Probably the most famous race tracks UK televises, globally as well. This festival contains the Grand National on Saturday. The festival runs for 3 days. Starting on Thursday and ending with the Grand National race on day 3 which is on a Saturday and most recently has been held at 5:15 pm.

Aintree is one of the top race tracks in England. It is located not far from Liverpool. The bends at this track are quite sharp, considering this course is a big one! The grand national course is around 2.3 miles in circumference. Like some of the race tracks in England, the fences here have been lowered in size over the years and have been made a lot safer. There are now fewer casualties caused by falls because of this.

Newmarket

https://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/newmarket/

Located in Newmarket, Suffolk this track has bags of history. This is a flat racing track and regarded as the headquarters of horse racing racecourses UK.

This track is one of the best race tracks in England, has a wide track and doesn’t really have a draw bias, unlike a lot of racing tracks. This, of course, has an appeal and therefore attracts more horses wanting to race here. It is also one-mile long straight, which is fair to both front runners and late finishers, so there are fewer ‘hard luck’ excuses that can be made from jockeys here!

The Newmarket area is rich with racing trainer's stables and studs where horses are bred, probably more so than any other racecourses UK area. Horses are bred usually for huge money and/or huge stud fees that are charged for breeding with their horses. History states that both James the 1st and Charles the 2nd used to hang out here in the early days. Charles II’s Mistress Nell Gwyn used to hang out here too, for any history lovers, which may account for why he loved frequenting the area so much. There is also a race called “The Nell Gwyn Stakes”, which has been run annually every April for many years.

Ascot

https://www.ascot.co.uk/

Situated near Reading, around 30 miles west of London. If you ever get the chance to go racing, this track is truly a class act. Most famous for its June meeting, named Royal Ascot. This lovely meeting is screened on TV every summer and is very popular. Royal Ascot has been running since the early 1700s and has a celebrity appeal to the event.

Ascot is quite a large track that hosts both classy flat and national hunt races. The jumps fences here are quite stiff and the end of the track has a 3-furlong finish which is uphill, similar to the Cheltenham hurdles stiff finish.

Chester

https://www.chester-races.com/

Although Chester does not have as many top-class events as the above tracks, this is the oldest of all race tracks UK, having been established way back in 1539. This track is quite unique, it is the smallest of all racecourses UK, being only 1mile 1 furlong in circumference. Some horses that are used to running on straighter Racecourses UK has to offer may find it hard to adapt to this oval-shaped track.

This track receives the most publicity during May when it hosts its annual “May Festival”, which is currently still screened on terrestrial TV each year, which helps the industry a lot.

Greyhound Tracks

For all of the information you need about every track and stadium, please take a look at our guide to UK greyhound race tracks. There you'll find a run-down of all the important facts you need to plan a visit or to wager on one of the top greyhound racing events held throughout the year.

Although nowhere near as popular as horse racing, greyhounds probably provide over ten times the amount of races available to bet on daily than horse racing does. This makes getting into greyhound racing a good choice if betting is your thing.

Visiting a greyhound track is quite a unique experience also. Many people who do not even bet regularly still seem to enjoy greyhound racing. Most of the greyhound race tracks uk provide a fantastic view, where you can almost “feel” the greyhounds running past and hear the vibrations of their paws on the sandy track surface. It is a  very different experience to watching dogs on TV or the computer/mobile phone. Unlike most other sports on TV, greyhound racing generally provides a better, closer view when visiting the track.

Some of the best UK race tracks for greyhounds are spoken about below.

Romford

https://romfordgreyhoundstadium.co.uk/

If you’re a regular daytime bettor then you’re probably more familiar with hearing this track more than any other. The Coral owned Romford Stadium has been a cornerstone of the greyhound industry for a long time, since way back in 1930.

Top race of the year

There are many, but arguably the Coral Champion Stakes is one of the best. Sail Over was the last duel-winner, back in 1991.

Towcester

https://towcester-racecourse.co.uk/greyhound-racing/

Isn’t it ironic how Towcester (situated just outside Milton Keynes) replaced hosting the greyhound derby from previous track Wimbledon; Yet Milton Keynes Dons replaced Wimbledon FC? I’m sure there’s no logical explanation, but a fact.

Top race of the year

Towcester will host the 2021 Greyhound Derby again, this will be the third time, sponsored by our trusty Star Sports. Heats begin in June.

Nottingham

https://www.nottinghamdogs.com/

Betfred select stakes meeting. Various races held over different distances in July. The last back-to-back winner was Jordanssoilutions back in 2011 when romping home at 14-1.

Shawfield (Glasgow)

https://www.shawfieldgreyhounds.com/

Top race of the year

Scottish Greyhound Derby

This track originally started as a football stadium back in 1898, greyhounds were introduced 40 years later, in 1938 as a way of gaining extra revenue. Currently only used for dog racing, this track has also hosted football team Clyde FC.

Brighton & Hove

https://brightonandhovegreyhounds.co.uk/

Top race of the year

Sussex Cup (July) 

Despite not having such glamour and glitz of the old days this beautiful rack is still up there in our rankings. Hove is probably the most famous [in the greyhound world] for being the home track to the legendary dog named Ballyregan Bob. This dog won three major events in 1985, broke the track records and gained a world record of reaching 32 consecutive wins.

Motor racing

Formula 1 Motor Racing

https://www.silverstone.co.uk/events/formula-1-british-grand-prix

When it comes to the best race tracks UK, this surely has got to be the one with the fastest lane possible! Over a weekend in July, the small Silverstone village in Northamptonshire, with a population of just over 2000 people will host many millions of £ of F1 cars and equipment.

The village is literally buzzing over that weekend. Having been to Silverstone myself, I can safely say the buzzword is buzzing, in a nutshell, as you hear the cars roar past you leaving a deafening sound of a swarm of bees throughout.

F1 betting can be very exciting. There are so many variables that can happen during a race and the in-play betting options add so much more excitement to the game. Our own UK guy Lewis Hamilton is looking to win his record-breaking eighth world championship in 2021. Lewis has recently signed a new contract with Mercedes and has insisted his future will not depend on whether he wins or not. Lewis is currently the slight betting favourite to claim this title and if successful will become the most decorated driver in the history of the sport.  You can take advantage of our new sports scores page, to view the latest scores available.

MotoGP

https://www.silverstone.co.uk/events/british-grand-prix-motogp

Silverstone's first motorcycle Grand Prix  [MotoGP] event was held back in 1977. The British [MotoGP] Grand Prix. 

Hosted 27 – 29 August 2021.

After a dazzling closing finish in 2019 between Alex Rins and 8-time world champ, Marc Marquez. All eyes will also be on Valentino Rossi. It is rumoured he may be riding in 2021, the question will be is he still motivated?

NASCAR UK

https://www.speedfest.co.uk/

3-4 July 2021

Hosted at Brands Hatch in Kent is probably the newest events of our race tracks UK. This track has long straights for speed, together with the tight bends where skill and track craft shine through.

NASCAR is most popular in the USA but steadily getting more popular in the UK and Eurozone countries. Many of our recommended betting operators give good prices on NASCAR, including Unibet and Bet365.

For those unaware NASCAR features stock cars, has around 19 teams per season, each team able to race four cars. Each team can have several drivers taking part, between one and four. This is because the race has four sections to it: Qualifying, Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, all consisting of 60 laps each stage.

The NASCAR seasons finalise with a playoff series, which take place after 26 races have been completed that season.

British Athletics

2012 was, of course, a great year for UK Athletics betting. As hosts of the Olympics UK Athletics betting markets were vibrant and healthy with betting offers. You can still enjoy betting on race tracks UK bookmaker betting offers when the big events are held annually.

Welcome to the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham. This is currently the premier location for UK national track and field competitions.

SPEEDWAY UK

https://www.speedwaygp.com/son/event/Manchester

The National Speedway Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Gorton, Manchester. This stadium also homes the Belle Vue Aces and Belle Vue Colts speedway teams, as well as the Manchester Titans.

Speedway betting can be found at most of our recommended race tracks UK bookmakers, including Betfred and bet365. An Interesting market to follow is the outright winner market. For those unfamiliar with speedway, it is based on a points system from a series of stand-alone Grand Prix races, the World Championship is focused on off-road motorcycle racing throughout each season. The eventual winner of each race will then be awarded the most points, drivers that have come in the places get given points too. You even get awarded points for taking part … even if coming last!

RALLY GB – Motorsport

Venue Cymru, Llandudno, Wales

The Wales Rally GB is the most well-known rally in the UK. It hosts one round of the annual FIA World Rally Championship. The Toyota Yaris was the last to bag a win back in 2019, after having a spell of Fiesta and VW Polo domination. Sebastian Ogier is the leading driver, with 5 wins so far. Our recommended bookmakers, including Gentingbet, have Ogier at 7/4 odds favourite to be the outright Rally Championship winner. What will this year bring?

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