By Jack Latham
A radio package with insight into the course from racing journalist Racing Lee, who presents content on the Youtube channel, Only Fools Love Horses.
History
Chester racecourse, often regarded as the world’s oldest still in operation, is set to open its doors once more for the start of the flat season.
The first race meeting of 2025 will commence on May 7, with seven races scheduled to take place, the main one being the Chester Vase at 15:05.
Chester racecourse was first established in 1539 and was once used as a harbour for the Romans during their settlement of the city in the early Middle Ages.
The racecourse spans an impressive 65-acre radius and has seen many great horses race there over the years, including Shergar and Sea Pigeon. It also attracts many top jockeys, with Frankie Dettori having raced in the past and Ryan Moore set to feature this year.
The Track
It is a unique track which can sometimes be a difficult puzzle to solve.
Horse racing journalist Joel Pattison, who has previously worked with the Racing App and currently writes about racing for Receptional, details more about the track itself and its unique qualities:
“Chester is one of the most distinctive tracks in the country.
“It’s a very tight, left-handed track that’s almost on a bend, and the home straight is only two furlongs.”
Chester Cup
May marks the first of 16 race meetings in Chester, spanning across the months of May, June, July, August and September. The biggest of which comes on Friday, May 9, with the Chester Cup Day, a race which is run over two miles and two furlongs.
The purse for the Chester Cup stands at an impressive £170,080 with the winning team claiming a healthy £86,632. A sum that draws in top jockeys from around the country, eager to take home the victory in Chester’s biggest race.
The home straight where the jockeys will be sensing victory. At only two furlongs, the finishes are often frenetic at Chester, with a host of horses often in with a chance of winning come the final push. (Photo credits: Jack Latham)
Prize money
Pattison explains what it means to win at Chester and how prize money is distributed amongst the jockeys.
“Flat jockeys generally get around 7-8% of the winning prize money…. So, for the Chester Cup, for example, the winning rider will take home roughly £6000.
“When you consider that jockeys only get paid £162.79 per ride, prize money is crucial.”
Local Area
Although a smaller course compared to others in the country, Chester offers a great appeal due to its ideal location. The course sits close to the banks of the River Dee and is only a short walk from the town centre, meaning visitors aren’t far away from the restaurants, cafes and bars that Chester has to offer.
This isn’t the only reason that people visit the course, as the Chester walls offer a great view of the track without actually being inside. Stretching up above the course, the walls are a great place to watch the action unfold.
A view of the course from the iconic Chester walls, where many visitors will be eagerly watching the action unfold beneath them.
(Photo credits: Creative Commons)
Although many people choose to watch from the walls, even more choose to go into the course, something that Pattison can understand:
“The history of Chester racecourse is a significant factor for attendance, as well as the quality of the racing at the May festival.
“However, it’s also a social event…. Ladies’ Day, in particular, is well known for its big fashion, big attendance, and vibrant atmosphere.”
Local Economy
Aside from the spectacle of the racing, the event also brings great custom to the city of Chester with people travelling from all across the country. This offers local restaurants and other places of interest the chance to capitalise.
It is estimated that around 330,000 people visit the Chester race meetings across the season, providing benefits to the city as a whole, including £54.1 million being generated in expenditure in the local economy.
Race meetings can be extremely beneficial to cities like Chester, as Pattison knows well:
“The Boodles May Festival is huge for a city like Chester.
“Over 20,000 people attend over the three days, and with the course being bang in the centre of town, you simply can’t underestimate its impact on tourism and local businesses.”
Furthermore, Chester racecourse provides lots of job opportunities during the flat racing season and is responsible for 24% of employment in the local recreational sector.
Preparation
Aside from the racecourse, there are a host of people that work together to make sure the horses are well looked after and ready to race.
Pattison knows the work that goes into setting up these meetings and the preparation that the stable staff have to do:
“It can take months to prepare a horse for a meeting like Chester.
“The May festival holds classic trials for the Oaks and the Derby, so a lot of thoroughbreds will be prepped for those before going to Epsom a few weeks later.
“Those horses are often making their seasonal reappearances, so they’ll be trained specifically for those races.”
Coverage
The Chester races are now able to attract an even bigger audience with live coverage being shown on both ITV and Sky Sports, something that helps persuade bigger trainers to send their best horses to Chester.
So, for the thousands of people attending the Boodles May Festival this year, they can expect a show of the highest order.
A video package showcasing Chester racecourse and parts of the surrounding area.
