After the uncertainty of last year, we are excited to return to more normality in 2022 and where better to get back into racing than at some of the best days the UK has to offer.
While we have highlighted our top 5 experiences below, our Parade Ring Blog has more information on the different hotel options we have available for each event as well as guides to the different enclosures.
Cheltenham Racecourse, Gloucestershire - 15th - 18th March, 2022
Where better place to start than at Cheltenham; the holy grail of jump racing and one of the biggest sporting events in the UK. Having been held behind closed doors last year, thousands are set to return to the Cotswolds, to witness the pinnacle of the National Hunt season where many sporting heroes and legends are born.
Set over four days, there are an incredible total of 14 Grade 1 races throughout the week starting on the Tuesday with Champions Day and culminating with Gold Cup Day on the Friday. Whichever day you decide to attend, you are guaranteed to witness some top class racing action whilst soaking up the unique atmosphere. Be there to witness the famous Cheltenham Roar as top horses, jockeys and trainers from across the UK and Ireland battle it out for a much desired Cheltenham Festival winner.
We offer a range of hotel packages located within an hour of Cheltenham Racecourse with transfers included which means there is only one thing you’d need to worry about...which horses you’ll be backing for the Greatest Show on Turf.
Due to large numbers of racegoers transferring their 2021 Cheltenham bookings forward to the event in 2022, we encourage you to book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment!
Prices start from £199 per person. Click here to find out more information.
Aintree Racecourse, Lancashire - 7th - 9th April, 2022
Next we have the Nation's favourite race, The Grand National. Millions of people across the world stop to watch the greatest steeplechase in history, and you could be there to see it.
Held at the glorious Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool and run over the iconic fences, the Grand National is the Nation’s favourite race and for very good reason. The Festival is not just about the Saturday showpiece race though – three days of top-class racing take place from the Thursday, Liverpool's Day, followed by Ladies Day on the Friday before culminating in the greatest steeplechase of them all. Featuring nine Grade One races across the three days, this is one of the best jump racing festivals of the season and always seems to be blessed with some warm spring sunshine.
The Grand National itself is a display of endeavour, ability, talent and true determination as 40 runners and riders face the ultimate challenge in Jumps racing. Last year we missed Rachel Blackmore entering the record books as the first female jockey to win the race. The question is, can she do it again, and this time will you be there to witness it?
With many bookings rolled over from last year, availability is extremely limited. Don’t miss your chance to be a part of the Nation’s favourite race for another year running, book now to avoid disappointment.
Prices start from £139 per person. Click here to find out more information.
Epsom Racecourse, Surrey - 3rd - 4th June, 2022
Ask anyone in flat racing and Derby Day will be the highlight of their season. This quintessentially British event is set to return with full capacity crowds this year with Derby Day forming part of the four day Jubilee weekend to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Buckingham Palace have announced that Her Majesty will be in attendance over the extended bank holiday weekend, and so should you be!
Set over two days, Friday is known as Ladies’ Day, an opportunity to dress in your most stylish attire and enjoy some spectacular racing, including The Oaks, one of Britain’s five Classic races. The Saturday is Derby Day; expect big drama and history in the making. To this day, The Derby remains the race that everyone around the world wants to win and boasts an unrivalled roll of honour. The best colts and fillies battle it out through the ultimate test for the richest and most prestigious race in Britain.
Held at Epsom Downs Racecourse, a picturesque venue on the North Downs this is a sell out event every year, as people from all over the country flock to be a part of racing history. Its not all about the racing though, and Epsom do a great job of entertaining the crowd and put on a party for all to enjoy.
We have a selection of some of the best ways to experience the Derby with a number of hotel and ticket packages to suit your needs.
Prices start from £129 per person. Click here to find out more information.
Ascot Racecourse, Berkshire - 14th - 18th June, 2022
Royal Ascot certainly lives up to its official motto,“Like nowhere else.” Seen as a major event on the British social calendar since its founding by Queen Anne in 1711, this historical annual race meeting held each June, remains a heady mix of pomp, tradition, fashion, class distinction and, of course, racing's finest horses, jockeys and trainers.
Officially opened by the Queen, from the arrival of the Royal Procession as the clock strikes two, to the communal singing around Ascot’s Bandstand, each of the five days is an event which must be seen to be believed. Racing kicks off on the Tuesday which is spearheaded by three impeccable Group 1 contests – The Queen Anne Stakes, King’s Stand Stakes and St James’s Palace Stakes. Thursday is Ladies day, a major fashion event in its own right, and plays host to the historic Gold Cup. Friday features two Group 1 races, as Europe’s finest three-year-old fillies do battle in the Coronation Stakes and a field of hugely exciting young sprinters contest the Commonwealth Cup. It’s the perfect start to a memorable long weekend where Saturday sees the biggest battle, the £1m Group 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes, one of the world’s greatest international sprints. This ensures a fitting finale to an unforgettable week.
Britain’s most valuable race meeting attracts the best Flat horses from around the world, and where better place to celebrate summer than at this truly iconic event.
Prices start at just £169 per person. Click here to find out more information.
Goodwood Racecourse, West Sussex - 26th - 30th July 2022
The Qatar Goodwood Festival, otherwise known as Glorious Goodwood, is one of the biggest flat racing events in the UK and is often hailed as the ‘Home of Champions’. Held at the end of July in the height of British summer, this five day festival is not only a standout sporting highlight, but also a social one. This great occasion combines action with style it’s no surprise that many celebrities have been spotted in attendance at this glamorous event in the past. Situated in the picturesque countryside of West Sussex, Goodwood is often hailed as the most beautiful racecourse in the United Kingdom, with the grandstand looking out onto the rolling hills of the South Downs.
Each day includes a great reason to head along - The opening day of the Festival, Tuesday, hosts a flagship event, where 12 fearless ladies contest in the Magnolia Cup, a charity race which has now run for 6 years. This provides a glamorous and enthralling opening to the festival. This is followed by the £1 million Qatar Sussex Stakes on Wednesday, Ladies Day on Thursday and four world class Group races on Friday concluding with Steward’s Cup Cavalry Charge on Saturday.
Goodwood Festival always offers a feast of incredible races attracting the best equine stars in the world accompanied by the biggest names in the sport. Winners at the Festival in recent years include the likes of Highland Reel, Big Orange, Frankel, Minding and many more. Away from the racing Goodwood offers a spectacle of live music, fashion, glorious weather and food and drink which all provide an excellent showcase of a quintessentially British atmosphere.
Prices start from just £189 per person, click here to find out more information.