🏇 Top UK Racecourses for a Spectacular Day at the Races - 2025 Guide

I've spent over 20 years inside the betting industry. I'll guide you to avoid the hype, ignore the noise, and steer clear of the common pitfalls that catch out everyday punters.

Horse racing is one of the most popular sports in the UK, with over 4.8 million people attending these events as recently as 2022.

Discover the Best UK Racecourses for 2025: Your Ultimate Guide to a Glamorous Day at the Races!

🏇🎩 Planning a day at the races in 2025? Dive into our ultimate UK racecourse guide! From Ascot's charm to Cheltenham's allure, find the perfect spot for unforgettable moments. Prices, reviews & more covered. 🥇👗

Attending the races can make a great day out with friends and family, filled with excitement. But with almost 1,500 race days across up to 60 different racecourses, choosing which event to attend can be challenging.

We’ve analysed various factors, including review scores, social media presence, and ticket prices, to help determine which UK racecourses you should add to your must-visit list in 2025.

Ascot is the best racecourse in the UK, with a score of 7.97 out of 10

We’ve looked at social media, reviews, race days, and prices to reveal the best racecourses for you and your friends to visit in the UK.

Rank	Racecourse	UK Search Term	Google Searches (January - December 2024)	Google Review Score	Tripadvisor Review Score	Instagram Account	Instagram Followers	Instagram Hashtag (Races)	Instagram "Races" Hashtags	X Account	X Followers	Number of Racedays	Buzzsumo % "Love" Reactions	Ladies Day (or Signature Event if no Ladies Day)	Adult Single Ticket Price (From / Cheapest area)	Nearest train station to racecourse	Minutes from Nearest Train Station to Racecourse	Races score
1	Ascot	Ascot	1,130,000	4.6	4.5	@ascotracecourse	168,000	#Ascotraces	56,400	@Ascot	135,900	26	65%	Ladies Day	£34	Ascot	10	7.97
2	Beverley	Beverley races	189,300	4.5	4.5	@beverley_racecourse	4,897	#Beverleyraces	6,234	@Beverley_Races	20,700	19	97%	Ladies Day	£10	Beverley	34	6.83
3	Musselburgh	Musselburgh races	186,100	4.5	4.5	@musselburghracecourse	13,300	#Musselburghraces	6,362	@MusselburghRace	32,900	25	N/A	Ladies Day	£57	Musselburgh	31	6.47
4	York	York races	505,700	4.5	4	@yorkraces	26,100	#Yorkraces	70,000	@yorkracecourse	65,200	18	24%	Juddmonte International	£15	York	37	6.44
5	Cheltenham	Cheltenham races	1,244,000	4.5	4.5	@cheltenhamraces	127,000	#Cheltenhamraces	99,700	@CheltenhamRaces	167,000	16	39%	Style Wednesday	£57	Cheltenham Spa	48	6.42
6	Newbury	Newbury races	121,100	4.4	4	@newburyracecourse	32,600	#Newburyraces	15,800	@NewburyRacing	56,700	31	75%	Ladies Day	£24	Newbury	27	6.35
7	Newmarket	Newmarket races	494,000	4.5	4	@newmarket_racecourses	35,900	#Newmarketraces	34,700	@NewmarketRace	49,000	36	49%	Ladies Day	£25	Newmarket	99	6.30
8	Chester	Chester races	499,500	4.4	4	@chesterraces	26,300	#Chesterraces	72,500	@ChesterRaces	58,700	15	22%	Ladies Day	£10	Chester	26	6.27
9	Southwell	Southwell races	204,000	4.4	4	@southwellracecourse	5,832	#Southwellraces	3,735	@Southwell_Races	24,900	79	78%	Ladies Day	£33	Rolleston	1	6.07
10	Goodwood	Goodwood races	351,400	4.5	4	@goodwood_races	41,600	#Goodwoodraces	18,200	@Goodwood_Races	47,700	19	49%	Ladies Day	£21	Chichester	120	5.88
11	Kempton Park	Kempton races	76,700	4.3	4	@kemptonparkrace	7,425	#Kemptonraces	1,884	@kemptonparkrace	47,500	61	100%	King George VI Chase Day	£16	Kempton Park	7	5.86
12	Ripon	Ripon races	170,700	4.6	4.5	@riponraces	3,389	#Riponraces	3,731	@RiponRaces	23,100	16	96%	Ladies Day	£7	Thirsk	244	5.85
13	Doncaster	Doncaster races	519,900	4.4	4	@doncasterraces	16,200	#Doncasterraces	20,500	@DoncasterRaces	54,700	37	9%	Ladies Day	£36	Doncaster	34	5.84
14	Thirsk	Thirsk races	156,300	4.5	4.5	@thirskraces	4,451	#Thirskraces	3,154	@ThirskRaces	16,500	15	98%	Ladies Day	£18	Thirsk	19	5.77
15	Epsom Downs	epsom racecourse	389,700	4.5	4	@epsomdownsracecourse	19,100	#Epsomsraces	5,257	@EpsomRacecourse	33,700	11	100%	Ladies Day	£28	Epsom	42	5.69
16	Haydock Park	Haydock races	557,900	4.3	4	@haydockparkracecourse	9,808	#Haydockraces	11,100	@haydockraces	49,700	30	69%	Ladies Day	£28	Newton-le-Willows	64	5.65
17	Aintree	Aintree races	480,100	4.5	4	@aintreeracecourse	40,900	#Aintreeraces	31,600	@AintreeRaces	43,800	8	32%	Ladies Day	£55	Aintree	5	5.61
18	Chepstow	Chepstow races	373,200	4.3	3.5	@chepstowracecourse	14,800	#Chepstowraces	5,074	@Chepstow_Racing	33,600	30	57%	Ladies Night	£24	Chepstow	35	5.51
18	Ayr	Ayr races	178,700	4.2	4	@ayrracecourse	6,953	#Ayrraces	8,102	@ayrracecourse	21,500	30	77%	Ladies Day	£28	Ayr	20	5.51
20	Lingfield Park	Lingfield races	204,300	4.3	3.5	@lingfieldpark	7,310	#Lingfieldraces	4,775	@LingfieldPark	30,700	66	2%	Ladies Evening	£21	Lingfield	17	5.33
21	Uttoxeter	Uttoxeter races	221,200	4.3	4	@uttoxeterraces	7,320	#Uttoxeterraces	3,621	@UttoxeterRaces	20,600	24	0%	Ladies Day	£12	Uttoxeter	20	5.21
22	Plumpton	Plumpton races	102,500	4.6	4.5	@plumptonracecourse	4,765	#Plumptonraces	1,043	@plumptonraces	18,200	17	0%	Easter Festival	£15	Plumpton	13	5.10
23	Catterick Bridge	Catterick races	93,000	4.4	4.5	@catterickracecourse	3,810	#Catterickeraces	1,445	@CatterickRaces	18,400	26	100%	Ladies Day	£8	Darlington	290	5.01
24	Market Rasen	Market Rasen races	428,200	4.4	4	@market_rasen_racecourse	5,254	#MarketRasenraces	2,702	@MarketRasenRace	20,400	20	1%	Ladies Day	£15	Market Rasen	30	4.99
25	Sandown Park	Sandown Park races	56,000	4.4	4	@sandownparkracecourse	12,000	#SandownParkraces	112	@Sandownpark	48,100	23	67%	Ladies Day	£22	Esher	15	4.92
26	Royal Windsor	Royal Windsor races	770	4.2	4	@royalwindsorracecourse	12,100	#Windsorraces	5,906	@WindsorRaces	23,400	26	100%	Ladies Day	£30	Windsor and Eton Central	27	4.91
27	Warwick	Warwick races	190,300	4.4	3.5	@warwickraces	5,721	#Warwickraces	3,405	@WarwickRaces	21,300	19	19%	Kingmaker Chase Day	£29	Warwick	26	4.60
28	Perth	Perth races	121,300	4.5	4.5	@perthracecourse	5,411	#Perthraces	9,004	@PerthRacecourse	14,600	13	79%	Ladies Day	£40	Perth	87	4.59
29	Salisbury	Salisbury races	118,400	4.5	4.5	@salisburyracecourse	4,232	#Salisburyraces	2,922	@salisburyraces	12,100	15	64%	Ladies Evening	£14	Salisbury	94	4.58
30	Wincanton	Wincanton races	160,700	4.5	4	@wincantonraces	4,951	#Wincantonraces	1,697	@wincantonraces	20,300	16	87%	BetMGM Kingwell Hurdle Day	£20	Templecombe	132	4.55
31	Wetherby	Wetherby races	179,700	4.3	4	@wetherbyraces	4,350	#Wetherbyraces	2,348	@WetherbyRaces	19,200	18	100%	Ladies Evening	£7	Harrogate	208	4.50
32	Hexham	Hexham races	93,100	4.5	4.5	@hexhamraces	3,085	#Hexhamraces	1,529	@HexhamRaces	15,000	15	97%	Ladies Day	£12	Hexham	63	4.49
33	Stratford-upon-Avon	Stratford races	126,600	4.4	4	@stratfordracecourse	3,588	#Stratfordraces	1,531	@stratfordraces	12,700	16	100%	Ladies Day	£11	Stratford-upon-Avon	28	4.40
34	Wolverhampton	Wolverhampton races	53,900	4.3	4	@wolvesraces	5,282	#Wolverhamptonraces	1,428	@WolvesRaces	26,600	83	54%	Ladies Evening	£20	Wolverhampton	40	4.34
35	Worcester	Worcester races	138,100	4.1	4	@worcesterraces	4,468	#Worcesterraces	2,306	@WorcesterRaces	15,600	18	84%	Ladies Day	£20	Worcester Foregate Street	17	4.32
36	Pontefract	Pontefract races	136,300	4.4	4	@ponteraces	3,010	#Pontefractraces	2,437	@ponteraces	18,900	16	33%	Ladies Day	£17	Pontefract Tanshelf	13	4.23
37	Kelso	Kelso races	101,600	4.5	4.5	@kelsoracecourse	5,184	#Kelsoraces	3,169	@KelsoRacecourse	17,400	15	74%	Ladies Day	£30	Tweedbank	307	4.14
38	Leicester	Leicester races	146,700	4.3	4	@leicesterraces	6,400	#Leicesterraces	2,377	@LeicesterRaces	19,600	29	48%	Ladies Day	£45	Leicester	55	4.00
38	Newton Abbot	Newton Abbot races	115,800	4.3	4	@newtonabbotraces	3,755	#NewtonAbbotraces	2,644	@NewtonAbbotRace	19,000	18	29%	Ladies Day	£13	Newton Abbot	26	4.00
40	Bangor-on-Dee	Bangor races	55,300	4.6	4.5	@bangorraces	3,375	#Bangorraces	1,403	@BangorRaces	14,800	14	50%	Ladies Day	£11	Wrexham General	137	3.97
40	Carlisle	Carlisle races	77,400	4.3	4	@carlisleracecourse	5,439	#Carlisleraces	2,540	@CarlisleRaces	18,900	23	86%	Ladies Night	£29	Carlisle	55	3.97
42	Redcar	Redcar races	109,300	4.3	4	@redcarracecourse	2,881	#Redcarraces	2,744	@Redcarracing	9,513	18	62%	Ladies Day	£7	Redcar Central	19	3.95
43	Cartmel	Cartmel races	167,700	4.6	4	@cartmelracecourse	4,011	#Cartmelraces	5,315	@Cartmelrace	6,607	9	31%	Cartmel Cup Day	£23	Cark and Cartmel	46	3.88
44	Huntingdon	Huntingdon races	130,900	4.4	4	@huntingdon_race	3,746	#Huntingdonraces	582	@Huntingdon_Race	14,500	18	100%	Peterborough Chase Raceday	£20	Huntingdon	53	3.81
45	Hamilton Park	Hamilton races	85,800	4.5	4	@hamiltonparkrc	4,644	#Hamiltonraces	3,701	@HamiltonParkRC	15,400	18	17%	Ladies Night	£33	Hamilton West	27	3.77
45	Exeter	Exeter races	145,900	4.3	4	@exeterraces	4,635	#Exeterraces	979	@ExeterRaces	22,400	17	88%	Ladies Night	£20	Exeter St Davids	175	3.77
47	Newcastle	Newcastle races	103,900	4.3	3.5	@newcastleraces	8,967	#Newcastleraces	9,366	@NewcastleRaces	2,526	85	44%	Ladies Day	£36	Newcastle	127	3.62
48	Taunton	Taunton races	53,000	4.5	N/A	@tauntonracecourse	616	#Tauntonraces	597	@TauntonRacing	17,800	14	97%	Ladies Day	£17	Taunton	62	3.57
49	Brighton	brighton racecourse	127,800	4.2	4	@brightonracecourse	3,901	#Brightonraces	1,006	@BrightonRace	16,100	22	47%	Ladies Day	£18	Brighton	40	3.55
50	Bath	Bath races	42,400	4.3	3.5	@bathracecourse	6,503	#Bathraces	4,366	@BathRacecourse	17,900	19	54%	Ladies Day	£27	Bath Spa	102	3.32
51	Ludlow	Ludlow races	70,900	4.4	4.5	@ludlowraceclubltd	2,792	#Ludlowraces	1,492	@LudlowRaceClub	8,019	15	N/A	Ladies Day	£20	Ludlow	56	3.06
52	Great Yarmouth	Yarmouth races	108,900	4.4	4	@gtyracecourse	3,171	#Yarmouthraces	573	@GTYarmouthRaces	9,194	24	29%	Ladies Evening	£24	Great Yarmouth	35	3.02
53	Nottingham	Nottingham races	29,260	4.3	4	@nottingham_racecourse	4,125	#Nottinghamraces	1,177	@NottsRacecourse	17,800	21	37%	Ladies Day	£24	Nottingham	38	2.99
54	Chelmsford City	Chelmsford races	123,800	4.3	4	@chelmsfordcityracecourse	16,700	#Chelmsfordraces	643	@ChelmsfordCRC	11,000	38	11%	Ladies Day	£40	Chelmsford	178	2.93
55	Fontwell Park	Fontwell races	53,100	4.3	3.5	@fontwellpark	4,511	#Fontwellraces	1,453	@FontwellPark	16,700	20	N/A	Ladies Evening	£25	Barnham	48	2.90
56	Hereford	Hereford races	74,900	4.3	4	@herefordraces	3,471	#Herefordraces	1,050	@HerefordRaces	14,100	15	69%	Ladies Evening	£19	Hereford	40	2.81
57	Sedgefield	Sedgefield races	48,500	4.3	4.5	@sedgefieldracecourse	2,729	#Sedgefieldraces	412	@SedgefieldRace	11,400	17	N/A	Ladies Evening	£5	Darlington	238	2.75
58	Down Royal	down royal racecourse	42,700	4.4	4	@downroyalracecourse	5,437	#DownRoyalraces	1,070	@Downroyal	11,700	14	57%	Ladies Day	£25	Lisburn	96	2.66
59	Ffos Las	ffos las racecourse	37,800	4.3	3.5	@ffoslasraces	3,736	#FfosLasraces	283	@FfosLasRC	16,000	27	33%	Spring Ladies Day	£19	Kidwelly	101	2.53
60	Fakenham	Fakenham races	48,580	4.4	4.5	@fakenhamracecourse	3,537	#Fakenhamraces	1,249	@FakenhamRC	7,176	11	7%	Ladies Day	£18	King's Lynn	472	2.46

Ascot - 7.97 out of 10 racecourse score

Topping the list of the best UK racecourses to visit is Ascot, scoring 7.97 out of 10. Located in Berkshire, the racecourse welcomes over 300,000 visitors during its Royal Ascot festival, which takes place over five days in June2. On the Thursday of the festival, Ascot Racecourse holds its Ladies Day event (also known as Gold Cup Day), with tickets starting from £34.

The racecourse is one of the most popular in the UK, not just with the Royal Family. Ascot Racecourse has around 303,900 followers across Instagram and X and generated over 1.13 million Google searches last year. It also receives a rating of 4.6 on Google and 4.5 on Tripadvisor, with visitors commending the venue for its vast array of bars and restaurants and its distance to the nearest train station, just a 10-minute walk away.

Beverley - 6.83 out of 10 racecourse score

Beverley Racecourse places second with a racecourse score of 6.83 out of 10. The venue has an impressive review score of 4.5 out of 5 on Google and Tripadvisor, with attendees praising its friendly and helpful staff, efficient service, and clean facilities. Beverley Racecourse has almost 25,600 followers across its official Instagram and X accounts.

The venue’s Ladies Day is held in August, with ticket prices starting from just £10. Those visiting Beverley Racecourse and travelling by train can expect a 34-minute walk to and from the venue. There are almost 20 events to be held at the racecourse in 2025, providing plenty of opportunities to visit with your family and friends.

Musselburgh - 6.47 out of 10 racecourse score

Next is Musselburgh Racecourse, scoring 6.47 out of 10. Located in the East Lothian area, Musselburgh is the second-biggest racecourse in Scotland. Its Ladies Day event, held in August, is an annual sell-out, with ticket prices starting from £57. The venue has 25 race days planned for this year.

Musselburgh Racecourse has a 4.5-star rating on Google and Tripadvisor, with previous attendees commending the “first class” service, hospitality packages, and “terrific atmosphere.” The venue has around 46,200 followers across Instagram and X and gained over 186,100 Google searches over the last year.

Newcastle Racecourse has the most race days planned for 2025, with 85 scheduled events

most racedays

Rank	Racecourse	Count
1	Newcastle	85
2	Wolverhampton	83
3	Southwell	79
4	Lingfield	66
5	Kempton	61
6	Chelmsford	38
7	Doncaster	37
8	Newmarket	36
9	Newbury	31
10	Haydock	30
10	Chepstow	30
10	Ayr	30
13	Leicester	29
14	Ffos	27
15	Windsor	26
15	Catterick	26
15	Ascot	26
18	Musselburgh	25
19	Yarmouth	24
19	Uttoxeter	24
21	Sandown	23
21	Carlisle	23
23	Brighton	22
24	Nottingham	21
25	Rasen	20
25	Market	20
25	Fontwell	20
28	Warwick	19
28	Goodwood	19
28	Beverley	19
28	Bath	19
32	York	18
32	Worcester	18
32	Wetherby	18
32	Redcar	18
32	Newton	18
32	Huntingdon	18
32	Hamilton	18
39	Sedgefield	17
39	Plumpton	17
39	Exeter	17
42	Wincanton	16
42	Stratford	16
42	Ripon	16
42	Pontefract	16
42	Cheltenham	16
47	Thirsk	15
47	Salisbury	15
47	Ludlow	15
47	Kelso	15
47	Hexham	15
47	Hereford	15
47	Chester	15
54	Taunton	14
54	Bangor	14
56	Perth	13
57	Fakenham	11
57	Epsom	11
59	Cartmel	9
60	Aintree	8

Newcastle - 85 race days

Newcastle Racecourse has a variety of events planned throughout 2025, meaning there are plenty of opportunities to visit the venue with family and friends. The racecourse’s Ladies Day event is scheduled for 26 July and features a Bongo’s Bingo party. There are also multiple student events taking place throughout the year for those attending local universities.

Sedgefield Racecourse offers the most affordable ticket price at just £5 for a single adult ticket

most affordable

A day at the races can be expensive, especially with food, drink and travel costs included, so it helps to save money where you can. We’ve revealed the racecourses with the cheapest price for an adult single ticket.

Rank	Racecourse	UK Search Term	Adult Single Ticket Price (From / Cheapest area)
1	Sedgefield	Sedgefield races	£5
2	Wetherby	Wetherby races	£7
3	Ripon	Ripon races	£7
4	Redcar	Redcar races	£7
5	Catterick Bridge	Catterick races	£8
6	Beverley	Beverley races	£10
7	Chester	Chester races	£10
8	Bangor-on-Dee	Bangor races	£11
9	Stratford-upon-Avon	Stratford races	£11
10	Uttoxeter	Uttoxeter races	£12
11	Hexham	Hexham races	£12
12	Newton Abbot	Newton Abbot races	£13
13	Salisbury	Salisbury races	£14
14	York	York races	£15
15	Plumpton	Plumpton races	£15
16	Market Rasen	Market Rasen races	£15
17	Kempton Park	Kempton races	£16
18	Pontefract	Pontefract races	£17
19	Taunton	Taunton races	£17
20	Fakenham	Fakenham races	£18
21	Thirsk	Thirsk races	£18
22	Brighton	brighton racecourse	£18
23	Hereford	Hereford races	£19
24	Ffos Las	ffos las racecourse	£19
25	Worcester	Worcester races	£20
26	Wincanton	Wincanton races	£20
27	Huntingdon	Huntingdon races	£20
28	Exeter	Exeter races	£20
29	Wolverhampton	Wolverhampton races	£20
30	Ludlow	Ludlow races	£20
31	Goodwood	Goodwood races	£21
32	Lingfield Park	Lingfield races	£21
33	Sandown Park	Sandown Park races	£22
34	Cartmel	Cartmel races	£23
35	Newbury	Newbury races	£24
36	Chepstow	Chepstow races	£24
37	Great Yarmouth	Yarmouth races	£24
38	Nottingham	Nottingham races	£24
39	Newmarket	Newmarket races	£25
40	Fontwell Park	Fontwell races	£25
41	Down Royal	down royal racecourse	£25
42	Bath	Bath races	£27
43	Epsom Downs	epsom racecourse	£28
44	Haydock Park	Haydock races	£28
45	Ayr	Ayr races	£28
46	Carlisle	Carlisle races	£29
47	Warwick	Warwick races	£29
48	Royal Windsor	Royal Windsor races	£30
49	Kelso	Kelso races	£30
50	Hamilton Park	Hamilton races	£33
51	Southwell	Southwell races	£33
52	Ascot	Ascot	£34
53	Newcastle	Newcastle races	£36
54	Doncaster	Doncaster races	£36
55	Perth	Perth races	£40
56	Chelmsford City	Chelmsford races	£40
57	Leicester	Leicester races	£45
58	Aintree	Aintree races	£55
59	Musselburgh	Musselburgh races	£57
60	Cheltenham	Cheltenham races	£57

Sedgefield - £5 cheapest ticket price

For those wanting an affordable but fun day out at the races, Sedgefield Racecourse is the place to visit. The venue, located in Stockton-on-Tees, will host its Ladies Evening event on the 11th of April, and ticket prices start from just £5. This ticket grants attendees access to all public bars, restaurants, betting outlets, and views of the pre-parade and parade ring.

Cheltenham Racecourse is also the most-searched racing venue on Google, with over 1.2 million searches

most google searches

A great way of seeing how popular a racecourse is is by looking at how often it is searched. We’ve delved into Google search data to find the racecourses with the most searches in 2023.

Rank	Racecourse	UK Search Term	Google Searches (January - December 2024)
1	Cheltenham	Cheltenham races	1,244,000
2	Ascot	Ascot	1,130,000
3	Haydock Park	Haydock races	557,900
4	Doncaster	Doncaster races	519,900
5	York	York races	505,700
6	Chester	Chester races	499,500
7	Newmarket	Newmarket races	494,000
8	Aintree	Aintree races	480,100
9	Market Rasen	Market Rasen races	428,200
10	Epsom Downs	epsom racecourse	389,700
11	Chepstow	Chepstow races	373,200
12	Goodwood	Goodwood races	351,400
13	Uttoxeter	Uttoxeter races	221,200
14	Lingfield Park	Lingfield races	204,300
15	Southwell	Southwell races	204,000
16	Warwick	Warwick races	190,300
17	Beverley	Beverley races	189,300
18	Musselburgh	Musselburgh races	186,100
19	Wetherby	Wetherby races	179,700
20	Ayr	Ayr races	178,700
21	Ripon	Ripon races	170,700
22	Cartmel	Cartmel races	167,700
23	Wincanton	Wincanton races	160,700
24	Thirsk	Thirsk races	156,300
25	Leicester	Leicester races	146,700
26	Exeter	Exeter races	145,900
27	Worcester	Worcester races	138,100
28	Pontefract	Pontefract races	136,300
29	Huntingdon	Huntingdon races	130,900
30	Brighton	brighton racecourse	127,800
31	Stratford-upon-Avon	Stratford races	126,600
32	Chelmsford City	Chelmsford races	123,800
33	Perth	Perth races	121,300
34	Newbury	Newbury races	121,100
35	Salisbury	Salisbury races	118,400
36	Newton Abbot	Newton Abbot races	115,800
37	Redcar	Redcar races	109,300
38	Great Yarmouth	Yarmouth races	108,900
39	Newcastle	Newcastle races	103,900
40	Plumpton	Plumpton races	102,500
41	Kelso	Kelso races	101,600
42	Hexham	Hexham races	93,100
43	Catterick Bridge	Catterick races	93,000
44	Hamilton Park	Hamilton races	85,800
45	Carlisle	Carlisle races	77,400
46	Kempton Park	Kempton races	76,700
47	Hereford	Hereford races	74,900
48	Ludlow	Ludlow races	70,900
49	Sandown Park	Sandown Park races	56,000
50	Bangor-on-Dee	Bangor races	55,300
51	Wolverhampton	Wolverhampton races	53,900
52	Fontwell Park	Fontwell races	53,100
53	Taunton	Taunton races	53,000
54	Fakenham	Fakenham races	48,580
55	Sedgefield	Sedgefield races	48,500
56	Down Royal	down royal racecourse	42,700
57	Bath	Bath races	42,400
58	Ffos Las	ffos las racecourse	37,800
59	Nottingham	Nottingham races	29,260
60	Royal Windsor	Royal Windsor races	770

Cheltenham - 1,244,000 Google searches

Cheltenham Racecourse also takes the top spot as the most-searched UK racecourse. Over 1.2 million Google searches were made for the venue last year, showing how well-loved it is. Its most popular event is the Cheltenham Festival, which will occur between the 11th and 14th of March this year. The festival includes Champion Day, Style Wednesday, St Patrick’s Thursday, and Gold Cup Day.

Cheltenham is the most Instagrammable racecourse, with almost 100,000 posts

Rank	Racecourse	UK Search Term	Instagram "Races" Hashtags
1	Cheltenham	Cheltenham races	99,700
2	Chester	Chester races	72,500
3	York	York races	70,000
4	Ascot	Ascot	56,400
5	Newmarket	Newmarket races	34,700
6	Aintree	Aintree races	31,600
7	Doncaster	Doncaster races	20,500
8	Goodwood	Goodwood races	18,200
9	Newbury	Newbury races	15,800
10	Haydock Park	Haydock races	11,100
11	Newcastle	Newcastle races	9,366
12	Perth	Perth races	9,004
13	Ayr	Ayr races	8,102
14	Musselburgh	Musselburgh races	6,362
15	Beverley	Beverley races	6,234
16	Royal Windsor	Royal Windsor races	5,906
17	Cartmel	Cartmel races	5,315
18	Epsom Downs	epsom racecourse	5,257
19	Chepstow	Chepstow races	5,074
20	Lingfield Park	Lingfield races	4,775
21	Bath	Bath races	4,366
22	Southwell	Southwell races	3,735
23	Ripon	Ripon races	3,731
24	Hamilton Park	Hamilton races	3,701
25	Uttoxeter	Uttoxeter races	3,621
26	Warwick	Warwick races	3,405
27	Kelso	Kelso races	3,169
28	Thirsk	Thirsk races	3,154
29	Salisbury	Salisbury races	2,922
30	Redcar	Redcar races	2,744
31	Market Rasen	Market Rasen races	2,702
32	Newton Abbot	Newton Abbot races	2,644
33	Carlisle	Carlisle races	2,540
34	Pontefract	Pontefract races	2,437
35	Leicester	Leicester races	2,377
36	Wetherby	Wetherby races	2,348
37	Worcester	Worcester races	2,306
38	Kempton Park	Kempton races	1,884
39	Wincanton	Wincanton races	1,697
40	Stratford-upon-Avon	Stratford races	1,531
41	Hexham	Hexham races	1,529
42	Ludlow	Ludlow races	1,492
43	Fontwell Park	Fontwell races	1,453
44	Catterick Bridge	Catterick races	1,445
45	Wolverhampton	Wolverhampton races	1,428
46	Bangor-on-Dee	Bangor races	1,403
47	Fakenham	Fakenham races	1,249
48	Nottingham	Nottingham races	1,177
49	Down Royal	down royal racecourse	1,070
50	Hereford	Hereford races	1,050
51	Plumpton	Plumpton races	1,043
52	Brighton	brighton racecourse	1,006
53	Exeter	Exeter races	979
54	Chelmsford City	Chelmsford races	643
55	Taunton	Taunton races	597
56	Huntingdon	Huntingdon races	582
57	Great Yarmouth	Yarmouth races	573
58	Sedgefield	Sedgefield races	412
59	Ffos Las	ffos las racecourse	283
60	Sandown Park	Sandown Park races	112

Cheltenham - 99,700 Instagram posts

One of the biggest parts of race day events is fashion, providing attendees the perfect opportunity to snap photos in their finest outfits. Cheltenham Racecourse is the most Instagrammable racing venue, with over 99,700 posts under the hashtag #cheltenhamraces.

The venue runs a “dressed to feel your best” policy, meaning attendees can wear whatever they feel the most confident in, whether this is a sophisticated sweatshirt, pair of jeans and smart trainers, or a sharp suit or glamorous dress and heels.

instagrammable racing venue

Methodology

We used Instagram to find the number of hashtags for each racecourse (e.g. #ascotraces) and the number of followers for each racecourse’s official account.

We used X to find the number of followers for each racecourse’s official account.

We used Buzzsumo to gather the article sentiment for each racecourse, taking the percentage of love reactions.

We used Google Keyword Planner to gather the number of searches made for each racecourse between January and December 2024.

We collected each racecourse’s average review score from Google and Tripadvisor.

We recorded the number of race days throughout 2025 at each racecourse from the British Horseracing Authority. The number of race days held at Down Royal Racecourse was sourced from Horse Racing Ireland.

We used each racecourse’s individual website to discover the cheapest ticket available on their Ladies Day/Evening event. If an event of this type wasn’t listed, we used the cheapest ticket price for the racecourse's biggest event.

We used Google Maps to record the number of minutes it would take to walk from the nearest train station to each racecourse.

Finally, we gave each factor a normalised score out of 10 before taking an average across all factors to form our overall score. Each racecourse has a lower score than our 2024 guide due to different factors being analysed.

All data is correct as of 5 February 2025.

1. https://www.hblb.org.uk/documents/Racecourse_Operations/Report_%20Attendance%20Comparison%20-%202021%20-%202022%20(22.02.23).pdf

2. https://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2023-06-20/royal-ascot-how-much-food-and-drink-does-it-take-to-feed-300000-racegoers

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