The Listed Royal Windsor Stakes (7:20pm) takes place at Windsor Racecourse, this evening. This is by far the most important UK race of the day and the likes of Firmament, Jallota, Kool Kompany and Mitchum Swagger will contest this 1m encounter. Windsor is well-worth a visit and here is a quick guide to this remarkable venue…
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The Royal Windsor Racecourse, to give this historic venue it’s full name, can be found in the well-heeled county of Berkshire. Unusually, the track is a figure-of-eight design and one of only two that are like this in the United Kingdom (Fontwell being the other).
Up until the end of the 1990s, National Hunt racing used to take place here. Nowadays, it is a flat racing venue although some jumps events have been held here in recent years. During the time that nearby Ascot Racecourse was undergoing major refurbishment, some of the jumps races were moved to Windsor.
Windsor Racecourse is actually on an island, with the Thames and the Clewer Mill Stream running either side of it. The jockey, Des Cullen once ended up in the River Thames, after losing control of his horse!
Tudor History
While many British racecourses can boast a long history, racing at Windsor goes back to the time when King Henry VIII sat on England’s throne. Despite this, racing under rules did not take place at Windsor until 1866.
The racecourse sits on a site of 165 acres. While steeped in tradition, this is now a very modern facility. It is often used for business conferences, meetings, exhibitions, functions, etc.
Well-Heeled Windsor
Unlike the majority of British racecourses, Windsor remained open throughout both of the World Wars. It was supposedly to help keep morale up, although the organisers of other racecourses were not happy about the special treatment given to a venue frequented by the great and the good!
To this day, Windsor Racecourse remains a place where you can spot Royals, politicians and celebrities. There are many lavish events held here and the whole area is regarded as being considerably wealthier than most parts of the country.
Making A Day Of It
If you are planning a trip to Windsor Racecourse, you will probably want to dress a little smarter than you might choose to at other racing venues. Having said that, it is still a fun day out that will be within most people’s budgets.
Windsor is very well connected and there are a number of ways to travel to the track. It is close to both the M25 and M4 motorways, although traffic in this region can get quite bad even on days where there is no racing.
Many will choose to come by train and there are regular services to and from London. For those coming from overseas, Windsor is very close to Heathrow Airport.
Hotels in the area do tend to be rather expensive. Remember that this is a very wealthy part of the country and a lot of the people living nearby are quite rich. Most people do find a trip to Windsor very enjoyable, though. It is a beautiful racecourse and there is much to see and do in Windsor itself.
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