Chester Racecourse has hosted racing since 1512 — making it the world's oldest active racecourse. The Roodee sits within the city walls of Chester, on an ancient floodplain of the River Dee. Three days of the year the Chester May Festival transforms it into one of the most anticipated social and sporting events in the British racing calendar. Here is the complete guide.
The Course
The Roodee is a near-circular, left-handed oval approximately one mile in circumference. The straight is short — approximately two furlongs — and the bends are tight by any standard in British flat racing. There is a slight rise into the home straight. The configuration means that races at Chester are fundamentally different from those at flat, straight tracks like Newmarket.
The short straight means that horses need to be well-positioned turning for home. A horse trapped wide in the back straight at Chester travels significantly more ground than a horse hugging the rail. On sprint distances, this positional premium is greatest — the bends are navigated in full during a five or six furlong sprint, and the difference in distance between low and high draws is measurable in racing lengths.
The Draw
Draw bias at Chester is the strongest and most consistent of any British flat track. In races up to seven furlongs, low draws — stalls one to five — carry a measurable statistical advantage. The William Hill Chester preview specifically identifies draw as a primary selection variable. The Paddy Power preview notes it in multiple race analyses. Every serious Chester bettor checks the draw before the form.
For races over a mile and a half or more — the Cheshire Oaks and Chester Vase — the draw becomes less decisive. The bends are navigated multiple times across the longer distances and the advantage equalises across the field.
The Going
Chester's going in May is typically good to firm, occasionally good. The course sits on the floodplain of the River Dee and can hold moisture — a significant rain event before the festival can shift the going toward good to soft. Most years, May at Chester produces the ground that suits horses with a preference for quick, summer conditions.
The New International Partnerships
The 2026 Chester Festival introduces a new international qualifying dimension. The winner of the Ladbrokes Ormonde Stakes qualifies for the Belmont Gold Cup in New York, which also serves as a route to the Melbourne Cup. The Huxley Stakes winner qualifies for the $1 million Manhattan Stakes at NYRA. These international pathways add significance to races that previously had purely domestic implications.
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Facts verified via web search May 6 2026.