Top meets & famous courses

Horse Racing in the Grand National

Britain is home to some of the best horseracing events and courses in the world, the favourites with most horseracing fans being the Grand National, Royal Ascot, and Newmarket.

The Grand National (www.grandnational.org.uk/) is one of the best known horseracing events in the world, and is an annual event held at the famous Aintree Racecourse (www.aintree.co.uk/) in Liverpool every April.

Royal Ascot dates back to 1711, and is a unique event in the summer sporting calendar, steeped in tradition. The Queen usually attends every day of Royal Ascot and there is a Royal Procession before the racing each day.

Newmarket races

Newmarket is the historical home of British horseracing, and hosts the Stan James Guineas Festival, Natwest Rowley Mile (www.newmarketracecourses.co.uk/spring/rowleymile.html) race, and is home to the National Stud.

The Cheltenham Festival (www.cheltenhamfestival.net/) is another great racing event in Britain. This annual racing festival takes place in March and is made up of 24 races, the most important of which is the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The Derby, Epsom, Surrey

Accessing tickets

Getting tickets for meets in Britain is relatively easy. Most racecourses have websites where you can buy tickets for the meet or event you want to visit, and sometimes you'll get a discount for buying online. You can also buy tickets at the gates of most racecourses.

Ticket prices for meets and events vary. Expect to pay from £35 - £70 for a ticket at the Grand National, from £54 at Royal Ascot, and from £20 at Newmarket. You can buy horseracing tickets through the British Horseracing Board (www.britishhorseracing.com/goracing/tickets/booking_online.asp)'s website, or visit the website of the race you want to go to.

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