CRITERIA

Food is a huge part of any good race day, with different meetings and enclosure providing a variety of food options. We analyse the variety of food options, the quality of the food we taste and its value for money.

A constant at most racecourses, and our favourite, we’ll be sampling the Guinness trackside and comparing the quality of the pour, the price and most importantly, the taste.

As racing fans it’s hugely important to get a great view of the track to see each of the different races on offer. We’ll be analysing how well you can see the horses throughout the entire circuit, how close you can get to the horses at the rail and how much you can see of the horses up the home straight and across the winning post.

A wonderful opportunity to get up close to the horses, trainers and jockeys themselves, the parade ring is a key aspect of any racecourse and raceday. We look at the layout and size, it’s positioning in the racecourse itself, the distance and time it takes to get to the stands, the viewing platform whilst the horses parade and finally whether the ticket and enclosure provides accessibility to the parade ring.

Every meeting and raceday attracts different levels of jockeys and horses, ranging from Class 6s up to Group level racing. We compare the quality of horses and jockeys riding on the day and the types of racing on the cards such as maidens, handicaps and group races.

Our final category, atmosphere, can be misunderstood for being good if racecourses are busy and full of people, but can sometimes be disappointing. In comparison, smaller racecourses and crowds can also have a brilliant atmosphere despite fewer numbers. As reviewers, we focus on the noise and loudness of the crowd during races, the vibe and excitement around the betting ring and the general friendliness of staff and punters at the racecourse.