It is hard to determine the five best racecourses in UK; every racecourse is unique and special in its own way. However, there are some race tracks that enjoy such legend status they set themselves apart from the rest of the racing spots.
Ascot Racecourse
Ascot is without question one of the most impressive racecourses in the UK. Nine of the 32 Group 1 races running annually in the United Kingdom are hosted at Ascot Racecourse; and the venue holds 25 race days every year. Ascot is also closely associated with the Royal Family. Queen Anne established the racecourse in 1711 and made it the home of the Royal Meeting, a four-day racing extravaganza and one of the first organised, regular racing carnivals in history. In close proximity to Windsor Castle, Ascot Racecourse still hosts the Royal Ascot Festival every year – an event that is attended by Her Majesty The Queen without fail, as well as attracting celebrity spectators from across the world. As Ascot hosts both flat and national hunt races, the racecourse is never out of season and visitors can immerse themselves in the historic atmosphere and enjoy the “Sport of Kings” in the most appropriate of settings.
Cheltenham Racecourse
Cheltenham is widely considered as the home of national hunt racing. Today this scenic racecourse, located in Prestbury, Gloucestershire; is best known for the iconic Cheltenham Festival, featuring the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Apart from this quintessential steeple chasing fixture, the Cheltenham is also home to the Champion Hurdle, the Queen Mother Champion Chase, the World Hurdle and the Paddy Power Gold Cup. One feature makes Cheltenham Racecourse particularly unique: the venue sports two separate race tracks, the Old Course and the New Course, preserving horse racing history while keeping the spirit of the sport alive close by.
Aintree Racecourse
Aintree Racecourse is home to the Aintree Grand National, the most notorious steeple chase in the United Kingdom. The Aintree Grand National is held over a distance of 4 miles, an enormous length for a race, which is made possible by Aintree’s enormous race track. The setting – aside from renovations to the facilities and occasional maintenance on the race track – has not undergone drastic changes since 1839, the year of the inaugural Grand National. Aintree has over the decades become a Mecca for jump racing fans, with the Grand National as the centrepiece of every fan’s national hunt season.
Newmarket Racecourse
Newmarket is perhaps the most famous racecourse in the UK. Strictly a venue for the flat races, Newmarket sports two separate race tracks, the July Course and the Rowley Mile, which host nine Group 1 races every year. Records of organised thoroughbred racing in Newmarket go back as far as 1622, making Newmarket Racecourse a pillar of horse racing history. Newmarket is home to the 1,000 Guineas Stakes and the 2,000 Guineas Stakes – the first two English Classic Races – as well as fantastic fixtures like the July Cup, the Sun Chariot Stakes and the Cheveley Park Stakes.
Epsom Downs Racecourse
This georgeous racing venue, located in Surrey, hosts three clear main attractions: the Epsom Oaks, the Epsom Derby and the Coronation Cup. The Epsom Oaks has been held at Epsom Downs since the late 1700s, making it one of the longest running fixtures in the country. Epsom has an impressive history of grandeur and scandal. Perhaps the most exciting Epsom Downs scandal dates back to 1913, when infamous suffragette Emily Davison brought down Anmer, a horse owned by King George V, as an act of protest. Although Davison succeeded in her attack on the horse, she was so gravely injured in the process that she died only days later. Nonetheless, Epsom to this day stands for old school flat racing and a certain je-ne-sais-quois.
