according to the BHA there are 60 racecourses in the UK. Has anyone been to all of them? I’m at 32/60
Almost certainly, but I haven't. I have only been to: Ascot Bath Brighton Epsom Goodwood Kempton Newbury Newmarket Sandown Windsor I've also been to Hurst Park (closed ages ago), plus Chester and Doncaster racecourses but wasn't for horse racing
I'm a complete novice, only been to Aintree, Cheltenham, Chester, Doncaster and Newmarket (Rowley Mile). I have been to Hoppegarten and Leipzig racecourses here in Germany though (also Karlshorst in Berlin but that was camel racing). I also visited Santa Anita a couple of years back whilst on a business trip (there was no racing on but I could pretty much walk around as I pleased. Beautiful place).
Ascot Bath Cheltenham Chepstow Doncaster Epsom Ffos Las Fontwell Goodwood Hereford Huntingdon Kempton Newbury Newton Abbot Sandown Southwell Stratford Taunton Towcester (rip) Uttoxeter Warwick Wetherby Wincanton Worcester Not a bad list, need to venture northwards more often!! Throw in Meydan, Longchamps, Santa Anita and I can’t complain about the places I’ve seen racing. still the best course is about 5 miles from my door!!
Well done with 32 out of 60. Can't match that. Ascot (flat) Beverley Catterick (flat) Cheltenham Chester Doncaster (flat) Epsom (Folkestone: flat and jumps) Goodwood Kempton (flat, jumps not AW) Lingfield (flat) Newbury (flat and mixed) Newmarket (Rowley and July) Newton Abbot Nottingham (flat) Redcar Ripon Salisbury Sandown (flat, mixed and NH) Thirsk Wetherby (NH) Windsor (flat and NH) (Wye) York Teesside Park (shopping), Longchamp, Deauville (France) Happy Valley, Sha Tin (HK) Turffontein, Germiston, Kenilworth, Milnerton (RSA), Arlington USA).
Aintree Ascot Bangor Bath Brighton Cartmel Chelmsford Cheltenham Chepstow Chester Epsom Exeter Fontwell Goodwood Great Yarmouth Haydock Kempton Leicester Lingfield Ludlow Market Rasen Newbury Newmarket Newton Abbot Plumpton Salisbury Sandown Stratford Uttoxeter Warwick Wincanton Windsor Worcester York So 34 in total. I have been to three others but not on race days. I also did Folkestone which is now closed and Windsor jumps where I used to run from the last fence in the front to the first in the back to watch them jump both. Point to points at Kingston Blount, Kimble, Tweseldown, Parham, Chipping Norton and the one near Swindon who’s name escapes me. Barbury Castle, Penshurst and Mollington. Further afield I have also been to Longchamp and Randwick.
Not many for me Perth York Ascot Sandown Newbury Newmarket but I have been to Lanark (closed years ago) but was for Pony Club camp! Also been to Randwick and Albury
This is my list Aintree Ascot Bangor Beverley Carlisle Catterick Cheltenham Chester Doncaster Epsom Goodwood Haydock Hexham Huntingdon Kempton Leicester Ludlow Newbury Newcastle Newmarket - Rowley Mile and July course Pontefract Redcar Ripon Sandown Sedgefield Stratford Thirsk Uttoxeter Wetherby Windsor Worcester York It’s an ambition to visit all 60 but the West Country courses + Ffos Las are going to be a bit difficult as I live in Yorkshire. I’ve also been to Longchamp and Stockton which became Teesside Oark before it closed down Favourite would be York but I like the little country courses like Hexham and Stratford
Many on here will be groaning when they read that, because they know I will probably prattle on about my hatred of Ascot!! For me, going racing is horses for courses kind of stuff, I seldom drink when racing for example and don't do hospitality unless I have to (when one of our horses is running etc), and I prefer to see the horses in the parade ring and watch from a position high in a stand. As such I don't really like courses like Ascot where I find it is more about being seen and hospitality rather than watching the racing and seeing the horses. I also have a dislike of that courses clientele!! So for me the top 5 courses in the UK visited are - 5 - Stratford - nice summer course, we often go into centre course for picnics with family. Watching the chase races develop down the far side is very good and probably is one of the unknown highlights of british racing. I also like seeing the jumps in the home straight when in the grandstand. The parade ring is set up well too. 4 - Warwick - I love this course, the action is normally decent quality and obviously have good novice chases. I like the way the course is set up and only negative is not being able to see the horses going around the far side behind the hill/woods. 3- Sandown - The railway fences are the best set of fences in UK racing for me. Seeing the G1 2 mile chasers going over them is electric. Course is well set up and the parade ring is a focal point of the course. The grandstand is a bit of a vast airport feel which is the only negative. 2- Chepstow - Love going to the first jumps meeting of the winter, the course is brilliant if not a little run down and in need of a bit of TLC. However the viewing is great, the parade ring position is superb and the racing quality is pretty useful too/ 1 - Cheltenham - just up the road, hosts the best racing and has the best views in UK racing. The fact you can see the action from high in any of the stands and the set up of the parade ring and pre-parade are top notch. The newest developments of the new stand and the two tiers around the parade ring are brilliant and they've improved it no end during the festival as you can find good viewing that isn't full of eejits. Of the overseas courses, I hated Meydan (same rationale as Ascot) whilst Santa Anita was spectacular. Longchamps pre-redevelopment was quality but not been back since they did the grandstand. A quick mention to both Fontwell and Southwell for the quality of their trees/greenery!!
Very interesting - thanks! I like York because of the quality of the racing and it’s easy for me to get to. If you know the back roads you can get to within half a mile of the course without any queues! Also it’s usually a good atmosphere and plenty of room to move around. I know what you mean about Ascot. I once went on Gold Cup day ( Ladies Day) and you couldn’t move. The majority weren’t interested in the racing - each to their own I guess but I wouldn’t go back for more of that Having said that I think Cheltenham during the festival is head and shoulders above any other meeting. It is busy but there is plenty of room to move around and the atmosphere is something else.
Well after a bit of head scratching to try and remember where i've been to, it's the following... Regular visits... Haydock Aintree Holiday trips, I go to Scotland a lot for holidays and always fit a course in on the trip, not done Kelso yet... Ayr Perth Mussleburgh Newton Abbott Less regular... Cheltenham Chester Cartmel York Leicester Doncaster Not too bad i suppose, still a fair few that i would like to go to though...
Excellent thread and so pleased to see several mentions re God's own racecourse, Newton Abbot. However, am slightly distressed that these aren't accompanied by wonderful eulogies re the great venue. To me its the greatest of the lot of them. My full list is - Ascot, Bath, Brighton, Cheltenham, Chepstow, Exeter, Goodwood, Huntingdon, Newbury, Newton Abbot, Salisbury, Stratford, Taunton, Towcester, Windsor and Worcester. Still shocking (and my head is hung in shame) that I haven't been to Ffos Las but certainly hope to remedy that malady within the next few months. The worse by some way that I have been to is Goodwood. As I've said many times before zero atmosphere and overall very poor in my humble opinion.
may be paltry but 3 I haven't been to that I should have visited. Must admit my favourite course used to be Newbury. There's not a fairer course, the racing is good but it's not what it used to be. I loved the April meeting and during the '70s went to the spacious Silver Ring regularly. Continued in the '80s but suddenly they combined the Silver Ring and the Grandstand. A lose lose situation for the punters. Us Silver Ringers were paying 3-4 times more and getting not a lot more while the Grandstanders who had paid good money for their tickets suddenly had a load of extra people dropped on them including coachloads of drunken ^^^^^^^^ mainly from Wales. They did the same at York a few years later, but probably handled it a bit better.
York Haydock Doncaster Cartmel Nottingham Stratford Warwick Cheltenham Worcester Towcester Southwell Market Rasen Newmarket Chester Wincanton Leicester Catterick Hereford York’s super but you can’t drink and bet on the rails- too much hiking. Cartmel’s run in goes on for ever. Catterick’s an absolute dump and freezing in winter. Wincanton’s a bloody long way! Cheltenham on a sunny day is beautiful. Haydock is homely and cosy- and hard to find winners.
