The history of horse racing in, or around, the market town of Stamford, in Lincolnshire, can be traced back to March 7, 1619, with the inaugural running of the principal race of the day, the Guilded Cup, later the Stanford Gold Cup, on Wittering Heath, south of the town. Nearly a century later, in 1717, Stamford Racecourse was relocated further north, but still on the Burghley Estate, to the west of the village of Easton-on-the-Hill, where it would remain until its final meeting on July 25, 1873.

The original course was an oval, approximately a mile and a quarter in extent but, in 1818, under the auspices of Brownlow Cecil, Second Marquess of Exeter, it was extended westward by the creation of a straight mile course. Two years later, the majority of the racecourse was railed, rather than roped, in and a new entrance was created. Indeed, the straight mile course is still visible, south of the aptly-named Racecourse Road in Easton-on-the-Hill and part of the grandstand, built in 1766, still stands, albeit that it was converted to a residential dwelling in 1994.

Stamford Racecourse continued to prosper throughout the nineteenth century, thanks in no small part to the arrival of the railway in Stamford in1846. However, the death of the Second Marquess on January 16, 1867 signalled the beginning of the end for Stamford Racecourse; his eldest son, William Alleyne Cecil, the Third Marquess, withdrew permission for his land to be used for horse racing and, by 1875, the once hallowed turf had been returned to the plough. Interestingly, the last ever winner at Stamford Racecourse was ridden by a youthful Fred Archer, a.k.a. ‘The Tin Man’, who would go on to become champion jockey for the next 13 years running.

Built on the site of the former Essex County Showground, just north of the village of Great Leighs in the City of Chelmsford district of Essex, Great Leighs Racecourse was the first new racecourse in Britain for 81 years when it fully opened to the public for the first time on May 28, 2008. However, having already missed its original opening date by 18 months, due to a series of delays, Great Leighs was beset by financial problems and staged its final fixture on January 15, 2009.

Great Leighs had been operating under a series of temporary licences but, reportedly motivated by concerns about financial viability, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) declined an application for a further licence and the racecourse went into adminstration just eight months after its first fixture.. The following year, course chairman John Holmes was declared bankrupt, owing £25 million, and had two properties repossessed by Chelmsford County Court.

In December, 2013, news emerged that the hitherto ‘mothballed’ racecourse had been taken over by Great Leighs Estates Limited, a consortium led by Fred Done, owner of bookmaker Betfred, and renamed Chelmsford City. In its new guise, Chelmsford City Racecourse was granted permission to enter the fixture allocation process for 2015 by the BHA and was duly awarded 58 fixtures, the first of which, fully open to the public, was staged on February 1, 2015.

Following initial criticism regarding ‘kickback’ – that is, dislodged track surface flying into the faces of trailing horses – the Polytrack surface was rewaxed, at a cost of £200,000, and Chelmsford City has continued to flourish ever since. In 2023, the course was allocated 45 afternoon, evening and floodlit fixtures throughout the year, with seasonal highlights including the Cardinal Stakes, the Queen Charlotte Stakes and the Weatherbys Chelmsford City Cup.

Interestingly, while Manchester Racecourse existed in various locations in the vicinity of Manchester throughout its lifetime, all of them, while in Greater Manchester, were beyond the boundaries of the City of Manchester. The first record race meeting in the locality took place at Kersal Moor in Salford, to the northwest of Manchester, in 1681, although the meeting was briefly transferred to Barlow Moor, to the southwest of the city centre, between 1697 and 1701.

In 1847, the lease on Kersal Moor expired and was not renewed and the Manchester Racecourse Committee created a new course at nearby Castle Irwell, on land rented, on a 20-year lease, from John Fitzgerald, former Member of Parliament for Seaford, East Sussex. The first meeting at Castle Irwell to place on May 26, 1847 and the course proved hugely popular for the duration of the lease. Even so, John Purcell Fitzgerald, son of the original lessor, refused to renew the lease ‘for just and Christian reasons’ when it expired, leaving the Committee to find yet another new venue.

The site they chose was at New Barns, Weaste, next to Salford Quay, where the racing first took place on New Year’s Eve, 1867 and continued until 1901. The Manchester November Handicap, which, nowadays, is run at Doncaster, minus the ‘Manchester’ tag, was inaugurated in 1876. The land at New Barns was subsequently acquired by the Manchester Ship Canal Company, prompting a return to Castle Irwell, on land which the Committee now owned outright, having purchased it from the executors of John Purcell Fitzgerald, who died in 1879.

The new, purpose-built racecourse staged its first meeting in 1902 and remained popular until after World War II, when attendances began to decline. In 1961, the old, rot-infested Club Stand was demolished as replaced by a fully cantilevered reinforced concrete version but, even so, two years later, property developers made the Committee an offer it couldn’t refuse. Manchester Racecourse staged its final meeting on November 9, 1963.

The eyes of the horse racing world will be on the United Kingdom in March as the prestigious 2025 Cheltenham Festival is staged.

The prestigious meeting is one of the busiest betting events of the year, with sportsbooks worldwide offering odds on National Hunt racing’s biggest occasion.

That point is evidenced to perfection in emerging betting jurisdictions such as the Middle East, where bookmakers have been offering odds on the meeting for several months.

Arab punters love indulging in horse racing betting and many of them fuel their passion for the Sport of Kings during the four-day extravaganza.

Those bettors will be in their element from March 11-14, as the top National Hunt horses in training strive to add their name to the Cheltenham Festival roll of honour.

If you are planning to attend or will be watching on television, read on as we provide a handy guide to enjoying the showpiece piece event at Cheltenham Racecourse.

Cheltenham Festival 2025 – Schedule

Day 1 – Tuesday, March 11 – Champion Day

• 1.20 pm – The Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle Race (Grade 1) – 2m
• 2.00 pm – The My Pension Expert Arkle Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) – 2m
• 2.40 pm – The Ultima Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) – 3m 1f
• 3.20 pm – The Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle Race (Grade 1) – 2m 4f
• 4.00 pm – The Unibet Champion Hurdle (Grade 1) – 2m
• 4.40 pm – The Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle Race (Premier Handicap) – 2m
• 5.20 pm – The National Hunt Novices’ Chase (Novices’ Steeple Chase) (Novices’ Handicap) – 3m 6f

Day 2 – Wednesday, March 12 – Style Wednesday

• 1.20 pm – The Turners Novices’ Hurdle Race (Grade 1) – 2m 5f
• 2.00 pm – The Brown Advisory Novices’ Steeple Chase (Grade 1) – 3m
• 2.40 pm – The Coral Cup Hurdle (A Handicap Hurdle Race) (Premier Handicap) – 2m 5f
• 3.20 pm – The Glenfarclas Cross Country Steeple Chase – 3m 5½f
• 4.00 pm – The BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Steeple Chase (Grade 1) – 2m
• 4.40 pm – The Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Steeple Chase Challenge Cup (Premier Handicap) – 2m
• 5.20 pm – The Weatherbys Champion Bumper (A Standard Open NH Flat Race) (Grade 1) – 2m

Day 3 – Thursday, March 13 – St Patrick’s Thursday

• 1.20 pm – The Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2) – 2m 1f
• 2.00 pm – The Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase – 2m 4f
• 2.40 pm – The Pertemps Network Final (A Handicap Hurdle Race) (Listed) (Premier Handicap) – 3m
• 3.20 pm – The Ryanair Steeple Chase (Grade 1) – 2m 4f
• 4.00 pm – The Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle (Grade 1) – 3m
• 4.40 pm – The TrustATrader Plate (A Handicap Steeple Chase) (Premier Handicap) – 2m 4f
• 5.20 pm – The Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Steeple Chase (0-145) – 3m 2f

Day 4 – Friday, March 14 – Gold Cup Day

• 1.20 pm – The JCB Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1) – 2m
• 2.00 pm – The William Hill County Handicap Hurdle Race (Premier Handicap) – 2m
• 2.40 pm – The Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Steeple Chase (Grade 2) – 2m 4f
• 3.20 pm – The Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle Race (Grade 1) – 3m
• 4.00 pm – The Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup Steeple Chase (Grade 1) – 3m 2f
• 4.40 pm – The St. James’s Place Festival Hunters Chase – 3m 2f
• 5.20 pm – Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle (0-145) – 2m 4f

Cheltenham Festival 2025 – Racecourse Guide

Tickets for each of the three spacious enclosures at the Cheltenham Festival can be purchased online via the racecourse’s official website.

Club and Tattersalls offer a spectacular view of the action on the course, while Best Mate provides a head-on view down the home straight.

Cheltenham boasts an excellent transport infrastructure, making it easy to travel to the racecourse. There are also plenty of parking options if you are planning to drive.

There are a ton of hospitality options available at the racecourse designed to suit all budgets. From fast food to world-class restaurants, Cheltenham has it all.

Away from the thrill of horse racing and betting, the four-day meeting also offers visitors the chance to watch a wide range of live music across a variety of zones.

The Guinness Village is a great place to listen to Irish-themed music, while the Tattersalls Sales Arena is the best spot to experience classic hits under cover.

If you would rather enjoy relaxing acoustic tunes, The Centaur offers a more relaxing way to wind down after a busy day at the races.

For punters who are planning to watch the Festival on television, ITV Sport and Racing TV are offering extensive coverage across television and streaming platforms.