Market Rasen Races

The Market Rasen Races are rural races at their best - the historic town of Market Rasen providing a unique and idyllic scene for the classic sport on a backdrop of English countryside. The only racecourse in Lincolnshire, the course itself is fairly new - the first Market Rasen Races took place on the Easter Monday of April the 21st, 1924, and maintains a warm and modern family friendly atmosphere. Market Rasen Race Meetings take place every month of the year, except for January - with the course maintained throughout the season. The course went through a £500,000 improvement programme in 2003, and can now boast to have some of the very best in modern facilities. National Hunt racing is also held here, and in addition to the National Hunt there is a left hand point-to-point course laid out specifically for winter events on the inside of the National Hunt course. The most high-profile fixture in the Market Rasen Races calendar is the Summer Plate meeting, which is normally held on the third Sunday in July. This features the Summer Hurdle over a gruelling two-and-a-quarter miles, as well as the eponymous Summer Plate - a chase over two-and-three-quarter miles. Both of these National Hunt meetings are regarded as among the most valuable in Britain staged during the summer months. Horses that have made their start at Market Rasen include Red Rum, who ran in two novice steeplechases at Market Rasen, before he gained his game in the Grand National. Other horse greats include Ribsticks, the first Scottish horse that won the Grand National, who won Market Rasen Races in 1947 and Silver Buck, who won at Rasen before going on to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Market Rasen Information

The course at Market Rasen is a National Hunt, which runs in a right-handed oval. It is sharp and undulates somewhat in its 1 mile 2 furlong circuit. There are three enclosures available for use at Market Rasen, which include the County Enclosure, the Tattersalls Enclosure and the Family Enclosure. All these enclosures offer hot food and drinks (with varying degrees of price and luxury to suit any punter) as well as Tote betting facilities. There is a smart/casual dress code at Market Rasen, although they encourage race goers to dress up for the key race meetings of the year - such as Ladies Night and the Summer Plate Day. Hats are not obligatory at these meetings, although they are worn by the majority.

 Getting There

The course can be found twelve miles north east of the city of Lincoln, just off the A46 and next to the A631. If arriving from the south, take the A1 to the A46. From the north, the M62, M18 and the M180 link to the A15 is recommended, followed by the A631 at Caenby Corner. There is ample free parking provided at the course upon arrival, with picnic car parks also available which allow views of the races from the car - with a charge of £5.00 per car on top of course admission. By train, the Newark to Cleethorpes line stops at Market Rasen, with this line accessible by changing at Newark from London Kings Cross. The station is around a ten minute walk from the Market Rasen Races.