Guide to Royal Windsor Racecourse 4c4eh

Flat / National Hunt i6h3j

Henry VIII – Royal Hunting Ground 665t19

Being enclosed as a royal hunting ground Windsor Great Park and Datchet Mead have links to horseracing dating back to the reign of Henry VIII. 1x536a

Flat Racing 2kx5i

However, the first official Flat race meeting at Royal Windsor on Rays Meadow (the current site) was not held until 1866. It became popular as a base for horses racing at Royal Ascot and Jump racing soon followed.

Figure-of-eight course 19a2g

It is one of only two courses in Britain shaped in a figure-of-eight. In 1923, a photographer attending the races managed to uniquely capture a triple dead heat – it was before photo finishes had been invented, but his shot was perfectly timed to snap the three horses crossing the line at the same time.

Winston Churchill 4ao1w

In 1926 the bookies at Windsor went on strike after Winston Churchill introduced an unpopular betting tax. The tax was later scrapped and Churchill went on to become a racehorse owner himself – his popular horse, Colonist II, won at Windsor in 1949.

Racing during both World Wars 2i4eh

Windsor continued racing during both World Wars – even when a bomb was dropped during a meeting (no casualties).

Queen Mother’s Local 383e3g

Its popular Monday evening meetings began in the 1960s – the Queen Mother often attended if she was staying in Windsor Castle on racenights. Jump racing was discontinued at Windsor in 1998 but in 2004 and 2005 it resumed temporarily while Ascot was closed for redevelopment.

Richard Hughes 5ew6g

Jockey Richard Hughes made the headlines at Windsor in 2012, when he rode seven winners in one afternoon at combined odds of 10,168/1.

Important Races/Festivals 2621j

• May – Royal Windsor Stakes; Leisure Stakes
• July – Midsummer Stakes
• August – August Stakes; Winter Hill Stakes