Home / Liverpool Experiences / Sport in Liverpool / Horse Racing in Liverpool

Horse Racing in Liverpool

Thousands flock to the city every April for the greatest steeplechase in the world, the John Smiths Grand National, while 600 million more watch it on TV around the world. This is as much horse racing country as Newmarket or the South Downs: Leasowe, on the Wirral, can claim to be the origin of the Derby. The Derby family are said to have given their name to the horse race when Lord Derby organised racing on Leasowe Common, long before the race moved on to Newmarket and Epsom.

The Grand National festival is run over three days at Aintree, which hosts horse racing throughout the year. But if your trip to Liverpool doesn't coincide with racing at Aintree, you can get a taste of the exhilaration and excitement at the Grand National Experience. Visit the weighing room and Winner's Enclosure and pay your respects to the legendary Red Rum, before sampling the excitement of the big race in the Race of Champions, a specially simulated running of the race.

Haydock Park - the venue for both flat racing and National Hunt on Merseyside - is a short journey from the city, and the most-visited racecourse in the country. It hosts a number of meets across the year, and combines with Aintree every November to host the Northwest Racing Masters, a day each of racing at both Haydock and Aintree.

Chester Races is one of the oldest race courses in the country, with racing staged on the Roodee for over 450 years. It's also just half an hour from Liverpool, and features a summer programme of racing.

 Book Accommodation Online