Horse racing festivals are major moments in the sport’s calendar and are meetings that fans look forward to the most on the racing calendar.
This guide will highlight the major horse racing events in the UK that are held annually, and showcase what makes each of them unique.
Why Racing Festivals Matter
Festivals attract high-quality fields as they often include marquee contests that have lucrative prize money. With multi-day race cards, there are opportunities in several divisions.
Each horse racing festival on the calendar has its own atmosphere, history, and traditions, making each one unique.
Cheltenham Festival
The Cheltenham Festival is the flagship event on the National Hunt calendar. It is held over four days in March, with Championship races on each day of the meeting at Prestbury Park.
The feature races are the Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase, and the Cheltenham Gold Cup. The Gold Cup is explained as the Blue Riband event of the Festival, as it is one of the most prestigious races in the sport.
There are deep fields across the four days, and as you will see in any Cheltenham Festival guide, one of the main narratives at the meeting is the battle between British and Irish horses.
Aintree Grand National Festival
The Grand National Festival at Aintree takes place over three days in April, and it includes the world’s most famous steeplechase, the Grand National. The marathon race is watched by millions around the world and is an essential part of British culture. All three days attract a large crowd to the Liverpool venue, and those in attendance create an electric atmosphere.
Aintree’s bigger fences are unique, and the marathon contest has a distinctive challenge that no other race on the National Hunt calendar can rival.
Royal Ascot
Royal Ascot is best explained as being one of the premier Flat meetings in the world. In fact, it’s the biggest week of flat racing of the year. It boasts a rich heritage and tradition, with the most notable being the strict dress code.
Held annually in June, any Ascot Festival guide will highlight the King’s Stand Stakes, Prince of Wales’s Stakes, and the Gold Cup as the major races across the week. However, there are a host of other Group One races that attract the best horses from around the world. At Ascot, the sport of kings is just that. A mix of aristocracy and sporting giants gather for five days of top-class racing in Berkshire.
Glorious Goodwood (Qatar Goodwood Festival)
Held in late July during the middle of the Flat season, Glorious Goodwood is one of the highlights of the summer. Goodwood is one of the most scenic racecourses in the UK, and its five-day meeting consistently produces competitive Flat races.
It’s the first race of the flat season pitting the classic generation against their elders, and invariably sees Royal Ascot winners of both the St James’s Palace and The Queen Anne Stakes compete against each other for the first time.
The Sussex Stakes and Goodwood Cup are the standout races during Glorious Goodwood. As any Goodwood Festival guide will note, the Sussex Stakes can be explained as being one of the key races in the mile division, while the Goodwood Cup attracts the leading stayers on the Flat.
Glorious Goodwood has a relaxed atmosphere, but it remains prestigious, with the leading jockeys, trainers, and owners all wanting to have success at the meeting.
York Ebor Festival
York’s Ebor Festival takes place over four days in August on the Knavesmire at one of the UK’s premier racecourses. An Ebor Festival guide will highlight the Juddmonte International and Ebor Handicap as two of the standout races during the week. The Juddmonte International can be explained as being one of the most prestigious 1m2f races run anywhere in Europe, while the Ebor Handicap over 1m6f is the richest handicap in Europe.
Its blend of elite racing and huge crowds makes this meeting a favourite for many. It is one of the most important horse racing festivals staged in the north of England.
St Leger Festival
The St Leger Festival is held annually in early September at Doncaster Racecourse. The meeting stages the St Leger, the final British Classic of the season. The St Leger is the oldest of the five British Classics, and it brings up the final leg of the Triple Crown.
The Doncaster racing festival takes place over three days, and it features several supporting races that set up end-of-season narratives in Flat racing.
Major International Festivals to Know
International horse racing festivals showcase world-class horses and attract worldwide attention, with more British trainers now featuring at these events. Here is a look at some of the notable international horse racing major events.
Melbourne Cup Carnival
The Melbourne Cup Carnival features the Melbourne Cup, the richest 2m handicap in the world. Staged on the opening Tuesday in November, it is described as “the race that stops a nation”. This race now attracts the leading 2m horses in the world.
Breeders’ Cup
The Breeders’ Cup is considered the world championship meeting in horse racing. As any Breeders’ Cup guide will show, the meeting takes place over two days in North America. One of the main narratives at the meeting is the clash between European and North American horses.
The feature race at the Breeders’ Cup is the Breeders’ Cup Classic. It is a dirt race over 1m2f, and it is considered the most prestigious dirt contest in the sport.
Dubai World Cup Night
The Dubai World Cup Night is one of the richest race meetings in the world. It takes place at Meydan Racecourse in the UAE, attracting the best horses from across the globe. The highlight is the Dubai World Cup, run on dirt over 1m2f.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Racing Festival is the Biggest of the Year?
The Cheltenham Festival is widely considered the leading UK horse racing festival of the year.
How Many Racing Festivals Are There in the UK?
There are nine major horse racing events in the UK.
Do Jump and Flat Festivals Run at Different Times of Year?
Yes. The Jump festivals take place between October and April during the National Hunt season, while the Flat festivals feature between May and September during the peak stages of the Flat season.
What Makes a Race a “Feature Race” at a Festival?
A feature race tends to be the most prestigious race of the week at the biggest horse racing festivals in the UK. Feature races attract the best horses from around the world.
