Britain is a country renowned for its love of horse racing and betting on those races. There are over 60 different horseracing venues in the UK, but the most well-known are those which feature huge annual festivals each year.
Here we give you a taster of what you can expect at Cheltenham, Aintree, and Royal Ascot every spring and summer.
The Cheltenham National Hunt Festival takes place every March and is a four-day festival. The first Cheltenham event was held in 1860 and today the event represents one of the biggest racing gambling events in the UK. As the event often ties in with St Patrick’s Day, there is a real party atmosphere during the Cheltenham Festival.
Unfortunately, there have been a number of equine fatalities and injuries over the years at Cheltenham, which has led to periodic reviews of the courses and the jumps there. Probably the best known racing event in the UK, the Grand National Steeplechase – often simply referred to as the Grand National – takes place in Aintree near Liverpool every April. The 4.5 mile race has been run since 1839. Every year, 40 horses start the race, but due to the difficulty of the course and the nature of the jumps, many do not complete the race; in fact, usually only a quarter of the horses in the field finish it.
Red Rum won three Grand National titles during the 1970s and holds the record for the horse that has won the most times at this event. He is actually buried by the winning post. Of course, there are plenty of other races going on at Aintree during this festival.
Royal Ascot takes place every June and the event lasts five days. It is well known among punters at Betfair not only for the races that take place there, but also for events such as Ladies’ Day and for the fact that it is always well-attended by members of the Royal Family, so it’s a great place to head if you like spotting Royals as well as looking out for winners on the racetrack.
Going to the races can be a great day out, but remember that these major events are televised and you may get a better view of the actual races from the couch at home!
