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For those of you who have never been horse racing before or are fairly new to horse racing and would like to know a little more about what is available this is our guide to a Day At The Races. Hopefully it will help you to get as much enjoyment from a day's horse racing as possible.
Race Courses
In the U.K. there are 59 different horse racing courses. Therefore there should be one not too far away from you. Some of the courses offer flat racing only or jumps racing only. A number will provide both. The turf flat racing season runs from the end of March through to November. Outside of these months there are three all weather tracks at Lingfield Park, Wolverhampton and Southwell that provide flat racing all year round.
Jump racing now takes place all year round. There is a notional end of season towards the end of April, but for those of you who like to see horses meet the challenge of jumping over obstacles there is a full summer program and jump racing is therefore never far away.
To check out what is happening at a racecourse near you click this link to all 59 courses. We provide full contact information and a list of fixtures for every course.
Travelling To And From The Course.
By their very nature racecourses cannot normally be found lurking just off the high street. Because of their size they are often situated some way out of town. Do not despair though, most courses usually offer bus services from the nearest train stations. Always phone ahead for details. There is normally ample parking available at courses as well, but be aware traffic can be heavy around courses on busy horse racing days, so it pays to arrive early.
Enclosures.
Courses are usually split into three sections. These are the Silver Ring, Tattersalls (The Grandstand), and Members (sometimes called the Club Enclosure). Anybody can go into the Silver Ring or Tattersalls and you can usually buy a day badge to the members section as well. The member's section is often divided into two areas with certain parts off limits to everyone except annual members.
From the Silver Ring you will be unable to see the horses parade before the race and the Silver Ring is usually situated someway from the finish line. At some courses the Silver Ring is located in the centre of the track so this is then less of a problem. The dress code for the Silver Ring is relaxed and you will have no problem gaining access in jeans and tee shirt for example. There are bar facilities and you will also be able to place a bet with both The Tote and some on course bookmakers.
Entry into Tattersalls will position you a lot nearer the finish line, so you will get a much better close up of any exciting finishes. You also get to see the horses parade before the race and you can also get access to the area around the winner's enclosure once a race has been completed. There are plenty of bars available and you will have a wider choice of bookmakers to place a bet with. Dress code is normally smart casual.
The member's area is the most upmarket area on the course. You have access to all the same facilities as those available in Tattersalls, but you are right on the finish line. Dress code is smart and it is unlikely that you will get in wearing jeans. Often jacket and tie is the order of the day. If you are unsure always check with the course before you go.
The Silver Ring is the cheapest enclosure. To gain access usually costs around £5. Entry to Tattersalls costs around £12 and Member's around £15. These prices vary from course to course and can cost considerably more on major race days.
Discounts are usually on offer to groups of racegoers, although advance booking is usually required.
To get a full flavour of a day's horse racing I would recommend that you at least try the Tattersalls enclosure.
Eating and Drinking.
If you want to eat at the course then there is food on offer to meet most people's requirements. I am in fact a big fan of the noodle bar at Windsor on a Monday evening in summer! There is usually an assortment of food outlets ranging from a restaurant, café type food and snack bars offering hog roasts etc.
Drinkers are always well catered for with each course having a range of bars. For those with more refined tastes you can always find champagne bars and Pimms bars around. For those of us with tastes a little more down to earth there are plenty of bars selling bear. A word of warning though, queues, especially at the bigger meetings, are the order of the day and a man or woman for that matter could easily die of thirst when waiting to get served at the Cheltenham Festival. My favourite bar can be found at Newbury where the good ladies behind the bar have always been happy to put our drinks in a safe place whilst we are placing a bet and watching the race. Don't count on this service always being available on the busiest horse racing days though.
The Racecard.
If you are new to horse racing of are not too sure where to start with the horse racing form book, then make sure you pick up a race card when you get to the track. Some courses will give them out free with entry to the member's enclosure, but even if you have to pay they are usually a sound investment. Quality obviously varies a bit from course to course, but they are usually well written and can give some very handy hints on which horses to back.
Placing a Bet.
A day's horse racing wouldn't be complete without placing a bet. There are three ways of placing a bet at a racecourse. Firstly you can bet with The Tote or you can bet directly with a bookmaker. When you place a bet with The Tote your money goes into a pool. If you win you get back a percentage of the pool based on the number of bets taken on the horse, less a deduction made by The Tote. This deduction is The Tote's profit. Therefore you don't know what odds you will get at the time of placing the bet.
At The Tote you can also place Jackpot and Placepot bets. These are bets which need to be placed before the horse racing starts for the day. For the Jackpot you need to select the winner of six races and for the Placepot you need to select horses that will be placed in six races. You can also place bets on forecasts and tricasts.
For me a large part of the enjoyment of a day's horse racing is placing a bet with a bookmaker. Be aware that most bookmakers only take bets on horses to win (i.e. they don't accept each way bets) and their minimum bet is normally higher than The Tote. The fun comes though from trying to get the best price available. There is a real buzz in getting on at 5/1 as opposed to 4/1. If you have never been before you might think that bookmakers are likely to be imposing figures, but I have always found them friendly, helpful and above all honest.
The third way to place a bet is through the on course betting shop. This is just like any other betting shop and is used primarily to either place bets on races at other courses or to place multiple bets, such as doubles and trebles, on races at the track that you are at.
One useful tip is that if you are planning to back a horse that is unlikely to be one of the favourites, back it with The Tote as you are likely to get a better return for your money.
To find out more about betting, check out our comprehensive Betting Guide.
Hospitality.
If you fancy going racing in style then there are a number of hospitality packages available. As a minimum you can have a good quality lunch in the restaurant whilst you are watching the horse racing. Most courses also have boxes available and some also have marquees. Hospitality packages differ from course to course, so contact the course that you are planning to visit in advance and ask for details.
Racing Festivals.
If you would like to try horse racing at it's very best then try one of the major meetings. For these it is always wise to buy tickets in advance to avoid disappointment. For flat racing the leading festivals are Guineas Meeting (Newmarket early May), Derby Weekend at Epsom (early June),Royal Ascot (late June), Newmarket July meeting (early July) Glorious Goodwood (first week of August), York Ebor meeting (late August), Festival of Racing (Ascot late September). There is also excellent horse racing to be found at Chester and York in May.
Over the jumps the biggest meetings are the Kempton Christmas meeting, Aintree in early April and the biggest of them all the Cheltenham Festival in March.
Evening Meetings.
During the summer months a number of courses have meetings in the evening. These are often very popular and are well attended. A number of courses lay on entertainment after the horse racing has finished. There is simply no excuse for not trying a trip to the track with evening horse racing available as well.
Sunday Racing.
This is a recent innovation, but now a number of courses have horse racing on a Sunday. These are often a good day out for families with facilities and entertainment available for children as well.
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