2024 Race week 3 - 8th August

Chepstow’s season runs from January-December with over 30 fixtures on offer. Highlights of the winter months include Jumps Season Opener in October and the historic Welsh Grand National in December. Whilst throughout the spring and summer you can enjoy thrilling Flat racing combined with dynamic entertainment at their Caribbean Racenight, Beer & Cider Festival and Live After Racing fixtures featuring chart-topping artists. Whether you’re a first-time racegoer or a regular to the sport, there’s something for everyone at Chepstow Racecourse.

See the 2023 Race week 2 - Chepstow - 10th August - Highlights

Location

Set in the heart of Monmouthshire and nestled within 400 acres of parkland, Chepstow Racecourse is easily accessed by road, rail, or air (if you’re fancy). Located just over the bridge from Bristol and Bath, Chepstow is located on the A466 Chepstow to Monmouth road with ample parking for cars and conveniently just 1.5 miles from the station, with regular raceday bus shuttles.

History

Chepstow Racecourse opened its gates in the early 1920’s and has since blossomed into a bustling track that is home to the Welsh Grand National. From a picturesque park, the venue is now the home to over 30 meetings annually and has established itself as a top sporting venue in Wales.

In the 1920s’ a group of ten South Wales worthies formed a company to purchase Chepstow's picturesque Piercefield Park and in 1926, 20,000 racegoers attend the inaugural meeting at Chepstow Racecourse.

Chepstow, now renowned for Jumps racing and particularly the Welsh Grand National, staged their first jump fixture a year later, and the first Welsh Grand National did not take place until 1949, when transferred from Caerleon.

In 2012, Chepstow was acquired by Arena Racing Company and has undergone recent refurbishments and track improvements. Major events of late have included the youngest ever winning jockey of the Welsh Grand National – 16-year-old James Bowen, in 2018 and the following year the racecourse was used as a filming location for Dream Horse, about the 2009 Welsh Grand National winner Dream Alliance, produced by Warner Bros.

The Track

Chepstow’s Flat track is left-handed and undulating. An oval-shaped track, about two miles in extent, with a run-in of five furlongs. While not an out-and-out galloping course, owing to the pronounced undulations, the track puts the emphasis on stamina almost regardless of ground. All races up to a mile are run on the straight course.

Notable Fixtures

Taking place on 27th December each year, Welsh Grand National Day is the pinnacle of Chepstow’s calendar and features the prestigious Grade 1 Finale Juvenile Hurdle and the pride of Welsh racing, the Welsh Grand National, where you can experience the electric atmosphere and be witness to some of the most hotly-contested National Hunt race of the season, which attracts top performers year-on-year including future Gold Cup and Grand National winners.

Alongside some of the more traditionalist Jump race meetings are some of the most buzzy summer Flat fixtures combining high-action racing under the summer sun and lively entertainment ranging from Caribbean steel drummers and Oasis tribute bands to huge open-air performances by George Ezra and Lionel Richie!