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Sport 08 March 2026

All the Big races!

Horse Racing Calendar 2026

A snapshot of a horse race in progress at one of the events on the Uk's horse racing calendar.

2026 UK & IRISH HORSE RACING CALENDAR

IRISH HORSE RACING CALENDAR

Ireland punches far above its weight in the world of horse betting and racing, producing a disproportionate share of the sport's finest horses, trainers and jockeys year after year. The Irish racing calendar is built around a series of festivals, from the spring jumping showpiece at Punchestown to the sun-soaked spectacle of the Galway Races.

The Curragh, Leopardstown, Fairyhouse and Punchestown are venues steeped in history and generate a fierce level of national pride, and the standard of racing across both codes is consistently outstanding.

IRISH GRAND NATIONAL, FAIRYHOUSE | EASTER SUNDAY 2026

The Irish Grand National is Ireland's most famous steeplechase, a three-mile five-furlong handicap chase run at Fairyhouse on Easter Sunday that has been capturing the imagination of the Irish public since 1870. It is the most valuable race of the entire Irish National Hunt season and attracts a huge crowd to the County Meath course for what is a true festival day of sport and celebration.

PUNCHESTOWN FESTIVAL | 28 APRIL–2 MAY 2026

Punchestown is the home of Irish jump racing, and the five-day festival that takes place there each spring is the finest celebration of National Hunt sport anywhere in the world. The festival draws over 100,000 spectators across its five days and distributes in the region of €3 million in prize money across championship races at every level. The Punchestown Gold Cup, the Champion Hurdle, the Champion Chase and the Champion Novice Hurdle all feature on a programme that showcases the very best of the Irish and British jumping worlds.

IRISH DERBY FESTIVAL | LATE JUNE 2026

The Irish Derby is one of the great Classic races in world racing and the centrepiece of a summer festival at the Curragh that is both a major sporting occasion and one of the social events of the Irish year. Three-year-olds who have proved themselves over a mile in the Guineas converge on the Curragh to tackle a mile and a half in the ultimate test of Classic class. The Curragh has undergone significant renovations in recent years and now offers world-class facilities to match the quality of racing.

GALWAY SUMMER FESTIVAL | 27 JULY–2 AUGUST 2026

The Galway Races are unlike anything else in the racing calendar. A full seven days of racing in the heart of the west of Ireland, the festival combines top-class competition with an atmosphere that is uniquely and irrefutably Galwegian. More than 100,000 people pass through the Ballybrit gates across the week, and the city itself is transformed into one long celebration. The Galway Plate, a Grade A handicap steeplechase, and the Galway Hurdle, frequently described as the most competitive handicap hurdle of the season, are the headline races, drawing huge crowds and fierce competition from stables across Ireland and Britain.

LISTOWEL HARVEST FESTIVAL | SEPTEMBER 2026

The Listowel Harvest Festival is one of Ireland's most distinctive race meetings, a seven-day extravaganza of flat and National Hunt racing in the heart of County Kerry that has been running since 1858. The Kerry National Handicap Chase is the showpiece race, a prestigious Grade B chase that draws the best staying chasers and carries significant prize money. Beyond the sport itself, Listowel is famous for its welcoming atmosphere, outstanding hospitality and the sense that this is horse racing as it was always meant to be, a genuine community celebration at the heart of Irish rural life.

IRISH CHAMPIONS WEEKEND | 12–13 SEPTEMBER 2026

Irish Champions Weekend is the richest race weekend in Irish flat racing, a two-day spectacular that splits its programme across Leopardstown on Saturday and the Curragh on Sunday. No fewer than six Group 1 races are contested across the weekend, led by the Irish Champion Stakes, ranked among the very best races in the world, and the Coolmore Matron Stakes at Leopardstown. Sunday at the Curragh brings the final Irish Classic of the season in the Irish St Leger, alongside the Flying Five Stakes and two outstanding juvenile Group 1 contests. Irish Champions Weekend is the true showcase of the Irish flat season.

LEOPARDSTOWN CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL | 26–29 DECEMBER 2026

Leopardstown's Christmas Festival is one of the great institutions of Irish horse racing, a four-day celebration of National Hunt racing that occupies the days between St Stephen's Day and New Year and has become a huge part of the Irish sporting and festive calendar. The Grade 1 Novice Chase on St Stephen's Day is the traditional opener, and the meeting builds through a programme rich in Grade 1 and Grade 2 jumping. The racing quality is exceptional, and the Leopardstown Christmas Festival is widely considered the best preview of what to expect at the Cheltenham Festival the following March. For Irish racing fans, there is simply nowhere better to be between Christmas and New Year.

UK HORSE RACING CALENDAR

The United Kingdom is home to some of the most celebrated and diverse horse racing in the world, with a calendar that spans the full spectrum of the sport. British racing offers a relentless programme of world-class competition across iconic venues for those interested in betting on horse racing.

Cheltenham, Ascot, Epsom, Newmarket, York and Goodwood are names that have become genuine global brands, each hosting festivals and meetings that have been shaped by centuries of tradition and hold pride of place as some of the UK's favourite sports betting events.

CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL | 10–13 MARCH 2026

Few events in the sporting calendar create anticipation to the level of the Cheltenham Festival. Four days of elite National Hunt racing at the home of jump racing, the Festival brings together the finest horses, jockeys and trainers from Britain and Ireland to compete across 28 championship races.

The week progresses from Champion Day on Tuesday through to the highlight of Gold Cup Day on Friday, with the Cheltenham Gold Cup being one of the most sought-after prizes in jumps racing. The Champion Hurdle, the Queen Mother Champion Chase and the Ryanair Chase all add to a programme that does not have a peer anywhere in the world.

GRAND NATIONAL FESTIVAL | 9–11 APRIL 2026

The Grand National is the most famous horse race on earth, a combining  spectacle, tradition and excitement, attracting a vast audience annually. The three-day festival at Aintree builds towards the big race on Saturday, with the Thursday and Friday cards offering top-class jump racing in their own right, including the Melling Chase and the Topham Chase over the National fences.

The Grand National itself, run over four miles and two and a half furlongs with its iconic fences including Becher's Brook and The Chair, demands every ounce of stamina, jumping ability and fortune from its runners.

SCOTTISH GRAND NATIONAL FESTIVAL | 17–18 APRIL 2026

Scotland's own version of the great marathon chase takes place at Ayr each April, offering a fitting bookend to the spring jump season. The Scottish Grand National is run over four miles and one furlong and consistently attracts a high-quality field of staying chasers.

The two-day meeting also features the Scottish Champion Hurdle, making it one of the most important fixtures in the National Hunt calendar north of the border. Ayr's atmosphere on National Day is passionate and uniquely Scottish.

GUINEAS FESTIVAL, NEWMARKET | 2–3 MAY 2026

The flat season's first Classics arrive at Newmarket in early May, with the 2,000 Guineas for colts and the 1,000 Guineas for fillies marking the official beginning of the Classics campaign. Newmarket's Rowley Mile course provides the perfect test for the country's best three-year-olds, and the Guineas winners will inevitably shape the broader narrative of the entire flat season. The two-day meeting brings anticipation as form lines are established, reputations are made, and the first major prize money of the campaign is earned.

EPSOM DERBY FESTIVAL | 5–6 JUNE 2026

The Derby at Epsom is a premier Classic in world racing, often regarded as a significant test for thoroughbreds.  The unique rhythm of Epsom Downs, with its camber, descent and uphill finish, demands a horse of rare balance and athleticism.

The Oaks, run the day before for fillies, is an equally prestigious Classic and together the two races form the jewel of the early summer. Derby Day at Epsom is one of Britain's great sporting occasions, drawing a crowd that spans every background and combining world-class sport with a festive atmosphere on Epsom Downs.

ROYAL ASCOT | 16–20 JUNE 2026

Royal Ascot is the a highly glamorous week in British racing, five days of the highest-quality flat racing in the world, set against the backdrop of Ascot's magnificent grandstand and centuries of royal tradition. The meeting features eight Group 1 races, including the Gold Cup, the Queen Anne Stakes, the St James's Palace Stakes, the Prince of Wales's Stakes, the Coronation Stakes and the Golden Jubilee Stakes.

The Royal Procession, the fashion, the pageantry and the sheer quality of racing make Royal Ascot a genuinely unique occasion that resonates far beyond the world of horse racing.

JULY FESTIVAL, NEWMARKET | 9–11 JULY 2026

Newmarket's July Festival is the highlight of the summer flat season, three days of Group racing on the sun-baked July Course. The Darley July Cup is the centrepiece, a Group 1 sprint that attracts the fastest horses in Europe, while the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes for fillies and the Princess of Wales's Stakes for older middle-distance horses complete an outstanding programme.

The July Course is one of the most atmospheric venues in British racing, with its famous thatched grandstand creating a very different feel from the formal events of the spring.

KING GEORGE WEEKEND, ASCOT | 24–25 JULY 2026

The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is Europe's great mid-season championship, a Group 1 showdown over a mile and a half that brings together the best three-year-olds and older horses in a genuine clash of generations. Winners of the race read like a roll call of the greatest horses of the modern era, and each renewal adds another chapter to its remarkable history.

The King George Weekend at Ascot is a brilliant summer fixture that perfectly bridges the Classic season and the autumn races.

GOODWOOD FESTIVAL | 28 JULY–1 AUGUST 2026

"Glorious Goodwood" is the most evocative name in British flat racing, a five-day festival set on the most beautiful racecourse in the country. The sweeping downland course at Goodwood presents a unique challenge, and the festival's track has been the scene of countless memorable performances.

The Qatar Sussex Stakes for milers, the Goodwood Cup for stayers and the King George Qatar Stakes all feature on a programme rich in Group 1 and Group 2 racing. The combination of world-class action, beautiful scenery and the summer setting makes this one of the most beloved weeks on the entire calendar.

ST LEGER FESTIVAL, DONCASTER | SEPTEMBER 2026

The St Leger is the oldest and longest of the five British Classics, a race with roots stretching back to 1776. Run at Doncaster's Town Moor course over one mile six furlongs and 132 yards, the St Leger tests the stamina of the Classic generation like no other race.

It is the final piece of the Classics jigsaw and forms the anchor of a week-long festival at Doncaster that also features strong handicap and Group racing. A St Leger winner earns a permanent place in the annals of racing history.

QIPCO BRITISH CHAMPIONS DAY | 21 OCTOBER 2026

British Champions Day is the richest race day in the United Kingdom and the grand finale of the flat season. Ascot hosts five Group 1 races in a single afternoon, including the Champions Stakes, the British Champions Flat race for the best middle-distance horses, the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes for the milers, the British Champions Sprint and the British Champions Long Distance Cup.

The day celebrates the champions of the season and brings the flat campaign to a spectacular close. The Champions Stakes was crowned one of the world's best races in 2025.

CHELTENHAM NOVEMBER MEETING | 13–15 NOVEMBER 2026

Cheltenham's November Meeting marks the true start of the National Hunt season's serious business, with the November Gold Cup, a Grade 3 handicap chase run on the Saturday, as the undisputed highlight. The day, affectionately known as Super Saturday, is one of the most attended days in National Hunt racing outside the Festival itself.

The meeting also features the Shloer Chase and the Greatwood Hurdle, early-season tests for horses that will go on to shape the Cheltenham Festival picture.

KING GEORGE VI CHASE, KEMPTON PARK | 26 DECEMBER 2026

The King George VI Chase on Boxing Day is a cherished British racing tradition and one of the most prestigious jump races of the entire season. Run at Kempton Park's right-handed flat track, the two-mile three-furlong chase is a true championship race for the best staying chasers in training, often featuring the Gold Cup favourite and the reigning champion.

For many racing fans, a trip to Kempton on Boxing Day is as much a part of Christmas as any other tradition.

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