Are you looking for the most intriguing UK horse racing festivals in 2025? We’ve got you covered. Horse racing events have always been a part of UK culture, and thus, millions of people from many parts of the world awaited the start of a new season. For both seasoned horse racing enthusiasts and newcomers, we have prepared a comprehensive article with a list of top events to watch. Some of these races gather jockeys, horses, and fans from Europe, America, and Asia.
Let’s delve into the history, notable events, top jockeys, and accommodations for future race events in detail. There is no doubt that the following data will help you to proceed with betting on horses. Experienced bettors know that the more you know, the higher your winning chances!
Cheltenham Festival
Cheltenham Festival is the first major National Hunt horse racing tournament in the United Kingdom. It takes place annually at the Cheltenham Racecourse in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, in March. In 2025, the event’s dates are 11th – 14th March. Everybody waits for these days to delve into the incredible atmosphere of a “Cheltenham roar,” which starts at the same time the race begins. During the race, the crowd generates a crazy amount of noise to cheer the horses. It seems that almost every visitor tries to be as loud as possible from bettors that have placed significant wagers to regular viewers who wants just to have fun.
Horses to Watch
The first calendar race is the most awaited. Thus, the Cheltenham Festival is on its way to May 2025. The list of the following participants presents horses with the best current odds:
- Jasmin De Vaux
- Firefox
- Jeroboam Machin
- Redemption Day
- Bravemansgame
- Romeo Coolio
Supported Races and Notable Events
The festival originated in 1860 and was called the Grand National Hunt Meeting. Most of the races from the beginning of the 20th century took place at the Warwick Racecourse, with some periods at Cheltenham Racecourse. Nowadays, it takes place only at Cheltenham Racecourse, featuring several Grade 1 races. The most popular are the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase, and Stayers’ Hurdle. These are the most awaited events among horse racing enthusiasts who love to gamble. Numerous races have existed since its beginning, but some will be remembered forever:
- 1983 was the year of the first female jockey to finish first on the winning horse. Her name was Caroline Beasley, and she won the Foxhunter Chase racing at the Cheltenham track.
- Four years later, another notable event happened when another female jockey won the Kim Muir Challenge Cup and Mildmay of Flete Challenge Cup in two days of the festival. This case is remembered among horse racing fans for its element of surprise.
The Grand National
The second National Hunt race will occur from the 3rd to the 5th of May. Just a few days before Boodles May, Aintree Racecourse will host the Grand National. It’s an old festival that offers a 6907m race with 30 fences along the way. The Grand National is the most paid festival in Europe, with over a million prize funds, where the winner takes a half. This fest differs from others for its “ultimate test for horses and jockeys” and its larger fences. Thus, racers are both scared and intrigued before this actual durability test. That’s why bettors love it.
Horses to Watch
The horses in the list below are sorted by their results and odds on the previous year’s race. All favorites from last year are here to create a competitive race next year:
- I Am Maximus
- Minella Cocooner
- Corbetts Cross
- Monty’s Star
- Intense Raffles
- Kitty’s Light
- Minella Indo
- Delta Work
Origins
The Grand National was created in 1839. This is one of the oldest steeplechase Premier Handicap races in the world. Its special feature is that even players, who do not constantly bet on horses or follow horse events, know and watch the Grand National. It has become a prominent and cultural event for people from Great Britain. In the beginning, the festival had another name – Great Liverpool Steeplechase at Aintree- and the first-ever winner on the track was The Duke. The Duke was ridden by Captain Martin Becher. If you didn’t know, the famous fence on the track was named in honor of the first winning jockey.
Boodles May Festival
Boodles May, the third festival of the year, starts on the 7th of May and finishes on the 9th of May. The beginning of spring provides us with two excellent festivals with a vibrant social atmosphere and opportunities to place a wager on the famous horses. Boodles began its roots in the early 19th century and is known for its rich heritage, top-tier horses, and unique and prestigious environment.
2025 Festival in Chester Racecourse
Its roar, fun, and drama are what we love at the Chester Racecourse. 2025 is coming fast, offering us great odds. Therefore, it’s crucial to learn what will happen on these three fantastic days. Each day represents its own races, including Trials Day, Ladies Day, and Chester Cup Day. You can visit any day you want or buy tickets for the entire festival.
Epsom Derby
Known as the Derby or Derby Stakes, the Epsom Derby is a prestigious Group 1 flat horse race held on the first Saturday of June at Epsom Downs Racecourse. It’s an iconic race with a significant place in history. Just imagine the first race originated in 1780. Since then, almost every year, the horse race hosts the best thoroughbreds to run 2419 meters and gathers thousands of spectators from all over England. Since the Derby Stakes is one of the richest, the prizes stand out from other races in England. The prize pool starts from £1,600,000, and the winner earns almost a million pounds.
Royal Ascot
Royal Ascot is waiting for you on June 17th-21st at the Ascot Racecourse. Every June, the race welcomes around 300,000 visitors. However, it was typically designed for the members of Royal families. Queen Elizabeth II was a frequent visitor of the Royal Ascot. In addition to the race, all guests spend their luxury day out having incredible dining experiences, easily accessible refreshments, and access to elusive areas, depending on your ticket type.
Ascot Racecourse has been reconstructed many times. The first open data was stated as 1711 by Queen Anne. For over 300 years, the racecourse has been the ultimate stage for the best racehorses in the world. Ascot Racecourse hosts the Group 1 flat horse race “The Gold Cup,” where the horse should be four or more years old to qualify.
Qatar Goodwood Festival
Qatar Goodwood is the final festival of the horse racing season. It features five exciting days of races and an incredible party atmosphere. Qatar Goodwood attracts top-tier horses and jockeys and gathers hundreds of thousands of visitors yearly. Since Qatar is the highlight of the season, the scale of the event is enormous. You can attend on one of five days and enjoy the four hours of races.
Each new season kicks off in style so people can receive a Fashion Award for their costumes. Of course, viewers can attend the races online and make their predictions on various specialized betting sites. But, the atmosphere of the finals in Qatar Festival is what people want to feel when visiting the racecourse in life.
Conclusion
Horse racing festivals are a part of English culture; thus, the scale of the most prevalent horse races is extremely large. The abovementioned festivals host the biggest races and spread them over several festival days. To become familiarized with the race, in particular, we recommend you to visit the official website of the festival and learn the dates, participating horses, and, possibly, their odds.
