Doncaster Racecourse

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Welcome to our official guide to Doncaster Racecourse.

We explore this superb flat and jumping racecourse in detail, looking at its history, the big races (including the oldest classic – The St. Leger), a guide to the track, hotel picks, the fixture list and Doncaster races dates, travel information and betting guides!

The 4 days of thrilling races for the 2024 Cazoo St. Leger Festival is the main event of the event with huge crowds coming to see the best horses compete at Doncaster Racecourse.

If you are looking for the latest betting tips for Doncaster, check out our full guide to Doncaster Racecourse tips.

Find out more about Doncaster Racecourse:

Doncaster Racecourse Guide

Overview of Doncaster Racecourse

One of nine racing courses in Yorkshire, Doncaster is one of the oldest and (in terms of audience capacity) largest racecourses in the UK!

Also known as the Town Moor Course, Doncaster or ‘Donny’, if you’re local, is home to two of Britain’s thirty-six annual Group 1 flat races.

Doncaster racecourse comprises a left-handed, pear-shaped track that measures approximately 1 mile and 7 ½ furlongs, mainly entirely flat (with main races including the Lincoln Handicap and St Leger) but also with facilities for National Hunt racing (main races including the Yorkshire Chase).

It hosts 36 racing meetings a year and starts and ends the flat season, as well as being one of South Yorkshire’s most popular events venues.

Having enjoyed a £ 34 million redevelopment in recent years, the course now boasts an impressive five-storey grandstand alongside a myriad of hospitality, conferencing and family facilities to really make its mark on the map.

With a stabling capacity of 147 horses and having won the title of BetView Racecourse of the Year in 2013 alongside the RCA Showcase Award for Operational Excellence the year before, Doncaster is well-considered amongst owners and trainers and is known for its customer service team who strive to meet (and exceed) the needs of all attendees.

Doncaster Racecourse History

The town of Doncaster boasts some of the oldest records of race meetings in the country, dating back to the 16th Century, with a map of nearby Town Moor showing a crude track as far back as 1595.

In 1600, the local authorities attempted to discourage and bracing from the area because of the amount of ‘undesirables’ it attracted. Still, less than a decade later they admitted failure and instead began planning for a formal racecourse to take shape.

Indeed, even today, Doncaster Racecourse hosts two of the world’s oldest races: The Doncaster Cup and The St Leger Stakes.

Whilst The Doncaster Cup was first run in 1766 over Cantley Common and is the oldest continuing regulated horse race on the planet! It forms one part of Britain’s Stayers Triple Crown for long-distance running horses along with the Goodwood Cup and the Ascot Gold Cup, held as part of Royal Ascot.

The St Leger Stakes was founded back in 1776 by Captain Anthony St Leger, with five horses competing, remaining the world’s oldest classic horse race still today and the final leg of UK triple crown (with the Guineas and Derby).

During the first world war, however, Doncaster was closed to house military personnel, so replacement races were run at Newmarket Racecourse for three years.

Doncaster continued to make history and in 1992 held the first Sunday race meeting in the UK. Over 23,000 people attended, despite there being no betting to partake in!

The racecourse continues to thrive as a multi-purpose venue and is now owned by the Arena Racing Company, which is the largest operator of racing venues in the UK.

Main Doncaster Races and Events

The most important races in the Doncaster Racecourse calendar are, as above, the Doncaster Cup and The St Leger Stakes (Group 1), as part of the St Leger Festival. Both are currently sponsored by Betfair and run in September.

The four day St Leger Festival attracts racegoers from all over the country and further afield, and is recognised as Autumn’s premier sporting occasion.

The Doncaster St Leger racing festival is so popular the best horse racing online bookies provide St Leger free bet promotions.

The leading jockey at St Leger is Bill Scott, who has won 8 times, and the leading trainer John Scott, who has won 16.

As the last of the classic races to take place in the year, it marks the end of the summer flat racing season in the UK.

Other main races throughout the year include the Lincoln Handicap, The Racing Post Trophy (know called the Futurity Trophy) and Yorkshire Chase.

Doncaster Racecourse Map

Doncaster has racing on the flat and over jumps, the course maps are below:

Doncaster Racecourse Map

Doncaster flat course is known as a fair galloping track, with both a straight mile course (which the Lincoln Handicap is run over) and a round mile.

It is essentially a two-mile circuit with a climb and descent down the back straight over what is known as Rose Hill.

The track is known to drain well which is why it’s able to hold race meetings throughout the whole year.

Doncaster Jumps Course

The jumps course is known as being fair with sweeping bends.

The fences are relatively easy although the ground can get testing.

It is a short run-in after the last jump, so a good final jump is often required.

Doncaster Racecourse Address

The official address of Doncaster racecourse is:

Doncaster Racecourse
Leger Way
Doncaster
DN2 6BB

How To Get To Doncaster Racecourse

The most popular ways to get to Doncaster racecourse are:

  • By car – Doncaster Racecourse offers free parking across all car parks on non-race days and paid-for parking on race days. It boasts excellent road links to the M1, M18 and M62 and is easy to find by car. Details for your sat nav are Doncaster DN2 6BB
  • Shuttle bus – a shuttle bus runs from the Doncaster Interchange rail station on race days and major coach companies offer seasonal services from all over the UK.
  • By Air – The Doncaster-Sheffield Robin Hood Airport is less than seven miles from the racecourse and is served by plenty of UK internal flights, so there’s plenty of scope for those facing a longer journey to arrive easily.

Hotels near Doncaster Racecourse

Although Donny is a town and not a city, it’s a fairly big one and there are plenty of accommodation options in the nearby area.

They have a stunning on-course hotel which is highly recommended by us.

Budget options include:

  • The Ramada Jarvis
  • Best Western
  • Premier Inn
  • Hilton Garden Inn (literally on the racecourse and our fav pick),
  • Rossington Hall
  • Owston Hall

Doncaster also has lots of serviced apartments, so why not extend your stay for a proper explore around the local area away from the racecourse too?

On-course Betting and Betting Shops Local to Doncaster Racecourse

As with all UK racecourses, there is to option to bet on the course, with bookies down by the rails and also other leading bookmakers on the course, including Tote betting options and independent bookmakers close to the track and parade ring.

You’ll find all of the main betting brands in the town centre, though – with a:

Doncaster Racecourse is particularly friendly to first-time race-goers and those that haven’t bet on the horses before, so if you’d like to have a flutter but don’t understand the ins and outs, read the guides on their website for more info.

If you are lucky enough to win be sure to use our bet calculator to work out what you can expect back.

Best Doncaster Races Betting Sites

At British Racecourses, we often recommend betting online and via apps. This is because you can often get the best odds, great offers when signing up and you can place a range of bet types quickly and safely without having to queue on the course.

If you are looking to bet online we recommend the great deals for new customers shown on this page, they are what we consider to be the best online racing betting sites, all also have great associated betting apps as well.

Doncaster Races

Doncaster Races 2024

Here is the horse racing calendar for Doncaster Races in 2024:

DateRacecourseWeekday
10/1/2024DoncasterWednesday
27/1/2024DoncasterSaturday
28/1/2024DoncasterSunday
8/2/2024DoncasterThursday
21/2/2024DoncasterWednesday
2/3/2024DoncasterSaturday
3/3/2024DoncasterSunday
23/3/2024DoncasterSaturday
24/3/2024DoncasterSunday
26/4/2024DoncasterFriday
27/4/2024DoncasterSaturday
2/5/2024DoncasterThursday
18/5/2024DoncasterSaturday
31/5/2024DoncasterFriday
1/6/2024DoncasterSaturday
16/6/2024DoncasterSunday
28/6/2024DoncasterFriday
29/6/2024DoncasterSaturday
5/7/2024DoncasterFriday
11/7/2024DoncasterThursday
20/7/2024DoncasterSaturday
25/7/2024DoncasterThursday
3/8/2024DoncasterSaturday
17/8/2024DoncasterSaturday
12/9/2024DoncasterThursday
13/9/2024DoncasterFriday
14/9/2024DoncasterSaturday
15/9/2024DoncasterSunday
25/10/2024DoncasterFriday
26/10/2024DoncasterSaturday
9/11/2024DoncasterSaturday
29/11/2024DoncasterFriday
30/11/2024DoncasterSaturday
13/12/2024DoncasterFriday
14/12/2024DoncasterSaturday
29/12/2024DoncasterSunday

Check out our guide for the full list of UK horse racing calendar fixtures for 2024.

Doncaster Racecard and Doncaster Tips

The racecards for Doncaster races will be released the day before the races are set to happen. You can view full racecards in advance, check out  – horse racing cards tomorrow and horse racing cards today. In these, you will get an advance look at all the runners, trainers, form and riders.

You can also of course purchase a racecard from the track which carries much of the same useful information. Many like to keep these as souvenirs, especially from major horse racing events.

Other Events at Doncaster Racecourse

With a jam-packed calendar of 36 races, there’s always something on at Doncaster!

Notable races include the Great Yorkshire Chase, the Doncaster Mile Chase, the Vertem Futurity Trophy, Skybet Chase and the November Handicap.

The course also hosts a variety of charity and themed race days – including one based around gin and prosecco, for a boozy brunch and day out!

Doncaster Racecourse is very much a full events venue and also offers lots of music gigs and themed parties year-round.

Summary of Doncaster Racecourse

Doncaster is a wonderful racecourse, steeped in both history yet forward-looking. The course is stunning, hosts top-class racing and boasts brilliant customer service – constantly drawing appreciative crowds.

The highlight of the year is the St Leger Festival but the truth is that every single meeting has its charm and is worth visiting.

Doncaster racecourse is a fair galloping track, which opens and closes the flat season, it is a jewel in Yorkshire’s crowd and is well worth a visit at any time of the year.

We love Donnie!

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