Wolverhampton Racecourse Guide

Welcome to our official guide to Wolverhampton Racecourse. In this section we explore this busy and popular all-weather flat racecourse in detail, looking at its history, hotel picks, fixtures, travel information and even the weather!

Wolverhampton Racecourse

Overview of The Racecourse

Wolverhampton racecourse is the busiest course in Britain – hosting over 80 race days a year and other assorted events, too! The racecourse, on-site hotel, restaurants, bars and conference and exhibition centre make this one of the region’s most important events venues. Wolverhampton Racecourse (Dunstall park) is situated about a mile north of the city centre, and this proximity to local facilities, amenities and transport links makes it easily attended by many.

Wolverhampton’s claim-to-fame is that it was the first racecourse in the country to have a floodlit track.

Evening meets remain popular today and once you’ve been to one, you’ll understand why – it’s easy to feel the magic of the sport under dazzling lights through dusk! Many evening races are followed by live music performances, further cementing the course as one of the West Midlands’ favourite venues.

Wolverhampton racecourse has a Tapeta surface; an American synthetic material made of sand, fibre, rubber and wax. The only other racecourse in the UK to have this surface is Newcastle – all others are based in the US! Indeed, Wolverhampton racecourse has much more in common with American racecourses than British ones: it is one mile in circumference with left-hand turns in an extremely tight oval course.

Wolverhampton racecourse has been extensively redeveloped over the years and this work is set to continue. Future plans put to Wolverhampton City Council include seeking planning permission to extend the on-site hotel to almost quadruple its current capacity, to tarmac new car park areas and to open a casino, which would be the UK’s first racino (another very Americanised introduction!). Alongside a busy exhibition centre and spaces for weddings and private occasions, Wolverhampton Racecourse has truly become one of the most important prestigious venues in the local area for the community there.

The Racecourse History

Horseracing can be traced back in Wolverhampton as far as 1825, and on its current site (Dunstall Park) from August 1888. National Hunt racing was actually the most popular form of the sport to be held at Wolverhampton racecourse, but ceased when an all-weather surface was installed in place of its existing sand. Much of Wolverhampton Racecourse’s redevelopment has been fairly recent.

In 1993, the course had its floodlights installed and was re-opened as Britain’s first floodlit track by HRH Queen Elizabeth II the next year.

In 2001, fibresand was installed as a new track surface, but this only lasted three years before being replaced by Polytrack. This replacement proved to be controversial, and after several incidences on the track, was investigated into. Although it was ruled to be safe, the Polytrack was in 2014 replaced with Tapeta; at the time, as the first UK track to be.

Today, Wolverhampton Racecourse is owned and operated by the Arena Racing Company, who continue to develop and invest into the site and its facilities. As the largest racecourse managing group in the UK, they know a thing or two about successful venues and will no doubt continue to nurture and develop the sport. Check out our Wolverhampton Racecourse Guide review video:

The Main Races and Events Held at Wolverhampton Racecourse

Given Wolverhampton Racecourse’s jam-packed racing calendar, there’s plenty of events to choose from, but the ‘main’ ones here are simply the most attended. The All-Weather Championships has been run here for over twenty years and is designed for trainers to keep their horses active over the winter months. Six competitive categories sees a wide variety of horses hit the track, so there’s truly something for everyone to enjoy.

Wolverhampton Racecourse’s Boxing Day Racing is a fixture in many family festivities and often attracts the largest crowds in the UK on the 26th December. All usual hospitality options are available but with a seasonal twist, so this is a popular treat for those looking to do something a little different with their holiday break.

Wolverhampton Racecourse Map and Info

Wolverhampton Racecourse Map

The course is a flat, left-handed circuit of just under a mile in length. The bends are fairly sharp and tight, with a relatively short home straight of under two furlongs. This means that it tends to favour speedy horses who can hold a position close to the pace, as opposed to those who need time to find a full stride.

Wolverhampton Racecourse Address

The official address for the track is:

Wolverhampton Racecourse
Dunstall Park
Wolverhampton
West Midlands
WV6 0PE

How To Get To Wolverhampton Racecourse

By foot – Wolverhampton Racecourse is walking distance from Wolverhampton city centre but is off a dual carriageway, so it’s easiest to reach by road.

By car – there are over 1500 free car parking spaces on the site and frequent buses and coaches service the course. The official info for your sat nav is Wolverhampton Racecourse, Dunstall Park, Wolverhampton, WV6 0PE.

By trains – trains run regularly to Wolverhampton from Birmingham, Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester.

By Air – for air travel, Birmingham International Airport is some 25 miles away and the on-course helipad is available for arranged landings.

Hotels Near Wolverhampton Racecourse

There’s no need to walk the mile to Wolverhampton city centre to stay the night – Wolverhampton Racecourse has its own hotel on-site! The Holiday Inn Express Wolverhampton Racecourse offers a variety of room packages and some even include hospitality options on racedays at the course. There’s only 52 rooms on-site at the moment, but this is set to be expanded to 170 in the next few years. Should the Holiday Inn Express Wolverhampton Racecourse be fully booked, you’ll find branches of Premier Inn, Novotel, Ramada Jarvis, Travelodge, Best Western and Mercure all in the city centre.

Betting Shops Local to Wolverhampton Racecourse

Betting shops can be found in all enclosures at Wolverhampton Racecourse, and there’s Tote facilities alongside independent bookmakers who can be found by the side of the rails and track. As this isn’t a countryside racecourse, you’ll find mobile signal to be strong, so online betting is also an option should you fancy a flutter but forget your wallet. In Wolverhampton city centre, there’s not hundreds of options of betting shops, but branches of Betfred, Ladbrokes, William Hill and Paddypower can all be found locally.

What Are The Best Wolverhampton Online 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 bets quickly and safely without having to queue.

If you are looking to bet online we recommend the following great deals:

Wolverhampton Racecourse Weather

Here’s the current weather forecast for Wolverhampton Racecourse, help you plan what to wear!:

WOLVERHAMPTON WEATHER

Other Events Held at Wolverhampton

Wolverhampton Racecourse has a licence to perform civil weddings and is a really popular venue to do so at, as well as funerals, wakes, birthdays and big celebrations. The conferencing centre is booked almost year-round for business exhibitions and meetings, and the course itself is frequently used for live music and tribute acts.

Wolverhampton Races

Summary of Wolverhampton Racecourse

Wolverhampton is a popular racecourse and the busiest in the UK. That doesn’t detract from it being a special night out and it’s popular with locals and those on a fun-night out. The AW Championship are very popular and certainly worth a visit. Close to the lively town city, it’s a racecourse we hold dear, and an important track for racing in the UK. It’s definitely worth a visit.

Other Racecourses Reviewed by Our Teams

Our team as of January 2021 have reviewed these racecourse that are also definitely worth a visit:

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