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The sport of kings
Throughout the year there are several major events which light up the racing season. These are the showpieces for the sport as the best horses in the world descend upon British shores to be part of the most prestigious and historic races around.
With all this comes the celebrated and unique atmosphere, pageantry, style and excitement that the racing crowd brings to its blue riband events. Expect glamour, good cheer, fashion, ostentation and more than anything friendly and high spirited company on these special days.
Information about racing’s forthcoming major events can be found on Gototheraces.com, but here is a small selection of the ultimate and unmissable racing events.
4 day festival Tuesday-Friday in Mid March
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
Attracting huge crowds for the championship deciding races of the season across every category of jumps racing, Cheltenham has an almost mecca-like quality for racing fans.
The atmosphere is second to none and the famous Cheltenham Roar which greets the start of the first race is a spine tingling moment like no other, after all, everyone has been waiting for this moment...well...since the last Cheltenham Festival ended!
More about Cheltenham Festival.
3 day festival Thurs-Saturday first weekend in April
Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool
Three days of top quality racing and the incomparable Grand National would be reason enough in itself to pay a visit to this famous occasion, but the Aintree Festival is about so much more than this.
There is nothing quite like the sight of 80,000 fans dressed up in their finest, (or most garish!) styles, tucking into the champagne and having a whale of a time. This is people watching at its best!
Expect to rub shoulders with celebrities, hardened racegoers, groups of lads having fun and groups of girls out to impress...Liverpool ladies (especially on the famous ladies day) have their own inimitable style and definitely know how to party!
More about the Aintree Grand National Festival.
2 day festival Friday-Saturday first weekend in June
Epsom Downs Racecourse, Surrey
Derby Day provides an unforgettable experience every year. Set high on the Downs, Epsom racecourse is regarded as the ultimate test of the three-year-old Thoroughbred. This is the place where legends are made.
The occasion attracts a diverse crowd of more than 100,000 people, from royalty and famous celebrities bedecked in traditional morning suits and stunning dresses, to gypsies handing out good-luck charms, to partygoers on the famous Hill in the centre of the course.
As well as the Derby, of course, there is the Oaks – the fillies’ equivalent on the opening day of the meeting, which is also Ladies Day, a remarkable occasion itself for the range of styles and glamour on display.
More about the Epsom Derby Festival.
5 day festival Tuesday-Saturday in mid June
Ascot, Berkshire
With over £3.5 million in prize-money on offer, the standard of the horseracing is simply outstanding. For sheer quality over five days, it is unmatched anywhere in the world.
However, Royal Ascot is famous for much more than horseracing, of course. It is one of the highlights of the British social ‘season’, which includes other sporting traditions such as Henley and Wimbledon.
The meeting is attended daily by Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the British Royal family, continuing a tradition stretching back to the early 1700s, when the racecourse was conceived by Queen Anne in 1711. The royal coach procession down the course before racing begins is one of the daily highlights.
The ultimate in racing and the ultimate social event, a must for anyone and everyone to experience.
More about Royal Ascot.
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