Please Note: Next Race meeting is Tuesday 2nd April 2024

Next Meeting

2nd April, 2024
HR Smith Day
  • First Race : 2:00 pm
  • Last Race : 4:30 pm

New to Racing

We love welcoming racegoers to Ludlow Racecourse, whether you are a seasoned visitor or brand new to racing.

If you are new, we thought it would be useful to pull together the essential information as well as some further guidance about what to expect, what to bring and how to make the most out of your day.

What to expect:

We would encourage you to plan your day so that you arrive at least one hour prior to the first race. This gives you time to make yourself familiar with the racecourse and get your bearings. It also gives you time to get something to eat or drink and soak up your surroundings.

The racecourse has several different areas, and your ticket information will explain exactly where you are allowed to go. There are a number of pre-bookable restaurant packages and private hospitality options too, visit our hospitality pages for more info.

Around the racecourse, there is The Paddock, The Winners Enclosure and of course The Finishing Post.

The Paddock – Ludlow and Goodwood are the only two racecourses in the country that the horses parade anti-clockwise. The reason for this is to enable the trainer who is doing the “leg-up” to move away from the horse safely, as opposed to coming out at its rear. The horses parade the ring prior to racing, and this is also where the Winner of Best Turned Out is chosen.

The Winners Enclosure – We have a smart new winners enclosure where all placed horses can be admired and congratulated in the same place. We are fully committed to all welfare issues, both equine and human.

The Finishing Post – The post marking the end of a race.

Children aged 17 and under who are accompanied by an adult are admitted free of charge every race day at Ludlow across all enclosures. (Proof will be requested).

What to bring:

Money – We dont have a cash machine on site, so making sure you bring cash and card this means you have options. Cash is available from the main office for a small fee.

Umbrella – Unfortunately we can’t promise the weather in Shropshire and so we recommend bringing an umbrella that will fit in your bag. It means you can still enjoy watching the racing outdoors but keep out of the rain too.

ID – We also recommend you bring some of ID such as drivers license as you may be asked in certain areas of the course or supervising chidlren

 

What to wear:

We like to keep things pretty relaxed here at Ludlow Races, so we are inclusive for all. Whilst you may see some racegoers in suits, hats and dresses, this isn’t compulsory, though we do ask that you just dress smart/casual.

If you are attending as part of a party and would like to attend in fancy dress, please contact us in advance for further guidance.

Always ensure you attach your badge to your outfit, either through a buttonhole or attached to a handbag strap, so it is visible to the racecourse officials at all times.

About the races:

Racecard:

The racecard is full of everything you need to know about your day at the races! It has the list of runners for the day, the owners, the trainers and the jockeys. It shows you the colours the jockeys will run in, as well information about the horses form. Full a full guide on the racecard click here – https://www.greatbritishracing.com/how-to-read-a-racecard/

Racing:

At Ludlow, we have two types of races, hurdles and chase fences. You will see these noted in your racecard along with the information we noted above. Here is an overview of the differences:

HURDLES

Distances vary from 2m, 2m 5f, to 3m. We have padded hurdles which reduce the number of small injuries to race horses as they are foam padded. The track is generally regarded as a very fair track, being 1m 5f per circuit with a home straight of approximately 3f.

CHASE

We use mobile fences, which enables us to move them to fresher ground when it gets cut up during the season. We race over distances of 2m, 2m 4f, 3m and 3m 1f. The track is only 1m 3f for a full circuit, which generally creates a fast circuit so it suits horses that are fast rather than staying types. The fences are regarded as being very fair in that they are all situated on level ground. The combination of a flat track, 1m 3f for a circuit and good, good to soft going tends to create races run at quite a fast pace.

In short, a hurdle race is where horses jump over hurdles and a chase is short for steeplechase, where horses run over fences. Hurdles tend to be smaller than the chase fences.

Racing terminology:

If you’d like some bed-time reading, then prior to your race day, why not check out the glossary of racing terms on Great British Racing. https://www.greatbritishracing.com/guide-to-racing/jargon-buster/

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