Racecourses

With 60 racecourses situated in the UK and a further 27 in Ireland there is certainly no shortage of opportunities for a day at the races to be enjoyed, particularly as the courses are positioned far and wide.

Many hold a host of big meetings and races throughout the calendar year and with particular racecourses regularly hosting Flat racing and others coming more to the fore during the National Hunt season, this may have a bearing on which course a person may decide to attend at a given time.

In terms of the Flat season, it is Ascot betting that takes centre stage, Not only is Royal Ascot held every June for four days, but the new Champions Day is effectively a curtain raiser for the Flat season and brings together many of the stars of the season to one racecourse.

Epsom betting is also popular as the course hosts arguably the biggest race of the Flat season – The Derby.

However, it is during the National Hunt season where the bigger races are contested from a betting point of view.

The standout race is the Grand National in April and is undoubtedly the reason that so much Aintree betting is carried out.

40 runners line up in the Grand National each year and the race is steeped in tradition, causing the average housewife and supermarket checkout assistant to place a bet.

Not far behind in the popularity stakes is the Cheltenham Gold Cup, which is the focal point of the four-day Cheltenham Festival each March.

Other races that are pivotal in the Cheltenham betting include the Champion Hurdle and the Queen Mother Champion Chase.