Best Horse Racing Events to Attend During the Christmas Period
Christmas always has a lot to offer. Every industry seems to conjure up something spectacular to celebrate over the festive period. From giveaways to discounts, bonuses, and sweepstakes, the season is filled with joy.
In the horse racing field of sports, Christmas is also a delightful time. It’s a period to witness some of the best races too. If you’re wondering what the best way to spend this joyous season is, why not try out some Christmas horse racing events? Let’s explore some of these exciting fixtures to check out over this period.
The Best Horse Racing Events for a Lolly-Jolly Christmas
When picking a horse racing event, you consider certain factors, like the history of the occasion, among others. We’ve done the research, and so you can find out about the best Christmas horse racing events across the world.
Leopardstown Christmas Festival
The Leopardstown Christmas Festival takes place every year from December 26th to 29th. It has been a popular event in Ireland for years now. This is a great day out for racing fans and a great place to socialise with some of the local Irish people.
The racing programme is impressive, offering four days of the absolute best jump racing. Racegoers have the opportunity to enjoy a variety of entertainment, including live music performances in the festival marquee each day.
During the four-day event, there are several exciting things to look forward to. These include seven Grade 1 races, fashion shows, and the highly anticipated family day on December 29th.
Quebec Stakes Event
Why not kick off the festive season by taking a trip to the beautiful Surrey countryside? Yes, it’s in the UK, not Canada. The Quebec Stakes is a horse race that takes place over a distance of one mile and two furlongs. It is open to horses that are 3 years or older.
There have been some impressive horses who have won highly competitive races in the past, like Wissahickon, Dubai Warrior, and Sangarius. This race is usually competitive, with a prize worth over £40,000! There’s also a fast-track qualifier for All Weather Finals Day in Newcastle on April 15. Additionally, there are two Class 2 races on the card that have a total prize money of £40,000.
Coral Welsh Grand National
This is the best part of the holiday season in the country of Wales! It’s a prestigious event that Wales takes great pride in, with a price of over €150,000. The list of winners of this race is filled with some truly remarkable names. It even includes a few horses that later won the famous Aintree Grand National, like Silver Birch, Bindaree, and Earth Summit.
The 2019 and 2020 races were particularly memorable because trainers from Wales emerged as the winners in both years, which had never been seen before. The last time a Welsh-trained horse won the race was years ago, back in 1965. In 2019, Potters Corner finally managed to break the hoodoo. The horse’s name was Norther, and it was trained by D. Jenkins.
Lingfield New Year’s Eve Event
End the old year on a high note and start the new one right by heading over to Lingfield on Christmas Eve. You can spend a delightful afternoon watching some amazing all-weather horse racing.
If an adult is with them, children aged 17 and younger are welcome to the races for free. However, there may be some exceptions for festival fixtures and live after-race events. Also, you don’t need to get a ticket in advance for children. They can get a free ticket on the day of the event. All these and many other perks are available at this New Year’s event.
Silver Vase Mares’ Steeple Chase
Silver Vase Mares’ Steeple Chase was introduced in 2014. It is the first in the series that aims to promote National Hunt Mares.
One of the star winners of this event is Lady Buttons. She had an official rating of 150, which is almost unheard of. Annie Mc, trained by Jonjo O’Neil, also won the 2020 running of the race.
Over the years, this event has managed to consistently draw in top-notch horses. In fact, it has become a significant stepping stone for the Grade 2 Mares Chase at Cheltenham.
