• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

BettingSites.co

Betting Sites - Best UK Online Bookmakers & Sports Betting Websites

  • Home
  • Top 10
  • New Sites
  • Free Bets
  • Bookmakers
  • Sports
    • American Football
    • Athletics
    • Baseball
    • Basketball
    • Boxing
    • Cricket
    • Darts
    • Football
    • Formula 1
    • Golf
    • Greyhound Racing
    • Horse Racing
    • Ice Hockey
    • Rugby
    • Snooker
    • Tennis
    • UFC/MMA
  • Tips
  • Banking
  • Articles

Chester Racecourse

Chester Racecourse
Credit: Matt Preston, flickr

Chester is widely accepted to be the oldest racecourse still in operation, originally opened in 1539, and even has recognition from Guinness to that effect. Protected by the city walls and surrounded by the River Dee, the racecourse itself attracts good support all year round as it is a picturesque and much-loved course and Chester is an affluent area.

The main occasion of the year is the May meeting which hosts key Derby trials like the Dee Stakes, the Huxley Stakes and the Chester Vase, as well as the Chester Cup run over 2 ¼ miles on the opening day of the meeting. That said, although those are the key contests, racing at Chester is always competitive and field sizes strong.

Chester racecourse is a short stroll through the historic town centre from the railway station where you can take in the beauty of this idyllic location. It also has easy access via road however you will miss so much beauty taking this option. The racecourse position also appeals as it is close to the nearby hotels, bars and restaurants giving racegoers much to enjoy after the racing has finished.

Racecourse Facts

Location
Cheshire
Country
England
Race Type
Flat
Track Surface
Turf

Upcoming Fixtures

Date Day Course Type Track
10/05/2023 Wednesday Chester Flat Turf
11/05/2023 Thursday Chester Flat Turf
12/05/2023 Friday Chester Flat Turf
See the full fixtures here

Chester Flat Course

Chester Flat Course

Chester is a circular left-handed course which is just over a mile round and is more or less flat throughout. The bends here and the track in general is sharp, therefore horses that have a long stride seem to not handle this course as you are almost always on the turn. The tight characteristics of this racecourse also mean it is easy for a horse to get into trouble. Getting into trouble may be easy, but getting out of it here is extremely difficult as generally in most races there is no time to recover your position.

The draw bias at Chester is well-known and arguably the biggest in racing, especially in the large fields that are far from uncommon here. Due to the tight turns and relatively little time spent running straight, a low draw is key. In a race over five furlongs, runners are immediately into a turn and the straight is only 239 yards, therefore enormously favouring prominent racers who, if they have a stalls position of 1,2 or 3, simply must go close to winning.

The middle distance races with a large field also give an advantage to those with a single figure draw. Those coming into the straight from a wide berth must forfeit several lengths to those prominent on the fence and although not impossible, it is certainly very difficult to claw things back from out wide.

About the Course

Chester Racecourse Track and Stands
Credit: JohnDavid / bigstock

Chester is the smallest racecourse in the country and used solely for flat racing and it usually has 15 scheduled meetings a year from May through to September. Of these fixtures, eight take place on a Saturday and another two on Friday evening meaning attendances are high.

Chester racecourse is also known as “The Roodee”, meaning, “The Island of the Cross” and many racegoers still refer to the course as The Roodee. In 2012 Chester became the first course not to offer conventional Tote betting. Instead it operates its own similar version called Chester Bet.

The weather in Chester is variable and changes from month to month, like lots of places in England, and the condition of the ground can change dramatically from meeting to meeting. The course has poor drainage and tends to hold water and given how wet the North West tends to be, ground conditions even in the height of summer do not get too firm. As the course holds moisture and is also on the banks of a river, the general underfoot conditions here are perfect most of the time and hard ground is never really an issue. That said, when the rain does fall, the ground can go on the soft side much quicker than some other places.

Statistics are a big part of horse racing and Chester has plenty of them. Top trainer Aidan O’Brien often uses the course to prepare his Epsom Derby contenders. In 2013 Ruler of The World took the Chester Vase before winning the Epsom Derby and in 2017 Wings of Eagles was beaten in the race before claiming victory in the Epsom Classic.

Trainer Tom Dascombe has a healthy strike rate at his local track and Richard Fahey also sends more horses here than most, with a lot of them being owned by a Chester regular, Dr Marwan Koukash. The biggest statistic of them all though concerns jockey Franny Norton. Born in nearby Liverpool, at the time of writing Norton has had more rides here than any other jockey over the last five seasons and boasts a healthy strike rate, confirming the belief that he rides the track as well as anybody.

Full Fixtures

Date Day Course Type Track
10/05/2023 Wednesday Chester Flat Turf
11/05/2023 Thursday Chester Flat Turf
12/05/2023 Friday Chester Flat Turf
27/05/2023 Saturday Chester Flat Turf
17/06/2023 Saturday Chester Flat Turf
30/06/2023 Friday Chester Flat Turf
01/07/2023 Saturday Chester Flat Turf
14/07/2023 Friday Chester Flat Turf
15/07/2023 Saturday Chester Flat Turf
06/08/2023 Sunday Chester Flat Turf
02/09/2023 Saturday Chester Flat Turf
15/09/2023 Friday Chester Flat Turf
16/09/2023 Saturday Chester Flat Turf
30/09/2023 Saturday Chester Flat Turf
14/10/2023 Saturday Chester Flat Turf

Major Races at Chester

Last Run Race Grade Last Winner
6th May 2022 Chester Cup Class 2 Cleveland (6/1)
5th May 2022 Ormonde Stakes Group 3 Hamish (9/2)
4th May 2022 Chester Vase Group 3 Changingoftheguard (10/3)

Primary Sidebar

Sports Betting Guides

  • American Football
    • Super Bowl
  • Athletics
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Boxing
  • Cricket
  • Darts
    • BDO World Darts Championship
    • PDC World Darts Championship
    • PDC World Matchplay
  • Football
    • Football Articles
    • Premier League
    • Premier League Big Six
    • Championship
    • Football Cups
    • FA Cup
    • Champions League
    • World Cup
    • European Championships
    • Football Awards
    • English Football Teams & Leagues
    • Scottish Football Teams & Leagues
    • Irish Football Teams & Leagues
    • Welsh Football Teams & Leagues
  • Formula 1
    • Circuits
    • F1 Constructors Championship
    • F1 Drivers Championship
  • Golf
    • Golf Tournaments
    • The Open Championship
    • US Open Golf
    • The Masters
    • Ryder Cup
    • US PGA Championship
  • Greyhound Racing
    • Greyhound Racing Tracks
  • Horse Racing
    • Horse Racing Articles
    • Horse Races
    • Major Meetings
    • Horse Racing Fixtures
    • Racecourses
      • England
      • Ireland
      • Scotland
      • Wales
    • Horse Racing Series
    • Prize Money
    • Race Classes
      • Grade 1
      • Grade 2
      • Grade 3
      • Group 1
      • Group 2
      • Group 3
      • Handicaps
      • The Classics
  • Ice Hockey
  • MotoGP
  • Motorsport
    • MotoGP Circuits
  • Rugby
    • Super League
    • Six Nations
    • Rugby World Cup
  • Snooker
    • Masters Snooker
    • World Snooker Championship
    • UK Championship Snooker
  • Tennis
    • Wimbledon
    • US Open
    • French Open
    • Australian Open
  • UFC/MMA

Racecourses

  • Aintree
  • Ascot
  • Ayr
  • Ballinrobe
  • Bangor-on-Dee
  • Bath
  • Bellewstown
  • Belmont Park
  • Beverley
  • Brighton
  • Carlisle
  • Cartmel
  • Catterick
  • Chelmsford City
  • Cheltenham
  • Chepstow
  • Chester
  • Churchill Downs
  • Clonmel
  • Cork
  • Curragh
  • Doncaster
  • Down Royal
  • Downpatrick
  • Dundalk
  • Epsom
  • Exeter
  • Fairyhouse
  • Fakenham
  • Ffos Las
  • Flemington
  • Fontwell Park
  • Galway
  • Goodwood
  • Gowran Park
  • Great Yarmouth
  • Gulfstream Park
  • Hamilton Park
  • Haydock
  • Hereford
  • Hexham
  • Huntingdon
  • Keeneland
  • Kelso
  • Kempton
  • Kilbeggan
  • Killarney
  • King Abdulaziz
  • Laytown
  • Leicester
  • Leopardstown
  • Limerick
  • Lingfield
  • Listowel
  • Longchamp
  • Ludlow
  • Market Rasen
  • Meydan
  • Musselburgh
  • Naas
  • Navan
  • Newbury
  • Newcastle
  • Newmarket
  • Newton Abbot
  • Nottingham
  • Perth
  • Plumpton
  • Pontefract
  • Punchestown
  • Redcar
  • Ripon
  • Roscommon
  • Salisbury
  • Sandown
  • Santa Anita
  • Sedgefield
  • Sligo
  • Southwell
  • Stratford-on-Avon
  • Taunton
  • Thirsk
  • Thurles
  • Tipperary
  • Towcester
  • Tralee
  • Uttoxeter
  • Warwick
  • Waterford and Tramore
  • Wetherby
  • Wexford
  • Wincanton
  • Windsor
  • Wolverhampton
  • Worcester
  • York

Horse Racing Articles

  • What Is the Difference Between UK & Irish Racing?
  • How Many Grand Nationals Are There in the UK & Ireland?
  • What Are the Shortest Horse Races in the UK, Ireland & the World?
  • What Are the Longest Horse Races in the UK, Ireland & the World?
  • Two Year Old Racing: Famous Races, Race Types & Controversy
  • Horse Racing in Ireland: A Guide to Irish Horse Race Classifications
  • Has Any Horse Won All Five Classics?
  • Frankie Dettori's Magnificent Seven
  • Have Any Horses Won The Grand National More Than Once?
  • What's the Different Between Chases & Hurdles in Horse Racing?
  • Worlds Biggest Horse Races
  • Tic-Tac: The Bookies Secret Hand Signals Explained
  • Horse Racing Rule 4 Deductions Explained
  • Best Odds Guaranteed Explained
  • Picking Winners: How To Study Horse Racing Form
  • What is Totepool Betting?
  • The History of Horse Racing

Events By Country

  • Countries
  • UAE (Dubai & Abu Dhabi)
  • South Africa
  • India
  • New Zealand
  • France
  • Australia
  • Canada
  • USA
  • Ireland
  • UK
  • Saudi Arabia

Banking

  • Apple Pay
  • Bitcoin
  • Entropay
  • Neteller
  • PayPal
  • Paysafecard
  • Skrill

Popular Articles

  • Picking Winners: How To Study Horse Racing Form
  • Betting & Tax In The UK – Do I Have To Pay Tax On My Gambling Winnings?
  • Both Teams to Score & Goals Galore Explained
  • Multiples Betting Explained
  • Dead Heat Rules – What Happens In The Event Of A Tie?

Latest Articles

  • Horse Racing Fixtures
  • Scottish Racecourses
  • Welsh Racecourses
  • English Racecourses
  • Premier League Golden Boot
  • European Golden Shoe
  • Motorsport
  • Youghal Greyhound Stadium
  • Kilcohan Park Greyhound Stadium (Waterford)
  • Kingdom Greyhound Stadium (Tralee)

Recently Updated

  • Cheltenham Festival
  • Six Nations Championship: Past Winners, Stats & History
  • Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
  • Midlands Grand National
  • Festival Hunters' Chase
  • Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle
  • Cheltenham Gold Cup
  • Triumph Hurdle
  • Stayers’ Hurdle
  • Ryanair Chase
  • Pertemps Final Handicap Hurdle
  • Turners Novices’ Chase
  • Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase
  • Champion Bumper
  • British & Irish Champion Trainers (Flat & Jumps)
  • Queen Mother Champion Chase
  • Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase
  • Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle
  • Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle
  • Champion Hurdle
Copyright © 2023 BettingSites.co | 18+ BeGambleAware - Gamstop

Disclaimer: Please note that the legality of betting online varies between countries and it is your responsibility to verify that your actions are legal in the country you reside. All offers subject to terms and conditions. Please gamble responsibly - if you feel you may have a problem and need advice please visit Gamble Aware (UK) or Gamblers Anonymous.