If you are pondering which sports events to visit in 2025, the United Kingdom horse racing calendar has plenty of options worth checking out.
The highlight of the early part of the year is the Cheltenham Festival, where the top National Hunt performers bid to etch their names into jump racing folklore.
Read on as we look at the standout events in the 2025 horse racing calendar, before highlighting the meetings we think are truly unmissable.
- Cheltenham Festival – Cheltenham – March 11-14
- All Weather Championships Finals Day – Newcastle – March 29
- Grand National Festival – Aintree – April 3-5
- Scottish Grand National Meeting – Ayr – April 11-12
- Jump Finale – Sandown Park – April 25-26
- QIPCO Guineas Festival – Newmarket – May 2-4
- Boodles May Festival – Chester – May 7-9
- Dante Festival – York – May 14-16
- Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes Day – Newbury – May 17
- Epsom Derby Festival – Epsom – June 6-7
- Royal Ascot – Ascot – June 17-21
- Northumberland Plate Festival – Newcastle – June 26-28
- Coral Summer Festival – Sandown Park – July 4-5
- Boodles July Festival – Newmarket – July 10-12
- King George Weekend – Ascot – July 25-26
- Qatar Goodwood Festival – Goodwood – July 39 – August 2
- Ebor Festival – York – August 20-23
- Haydock Sprint Cup Festival – September 4-6
- St Leger Festival – Doncaster – September 11-14
- Ayr Gold Cup Meeting – Ayr – September 18-20
- Cambridgeshire Meeting – Newmarket – September 25-27
- Dubai Future Champions Day – Newmarket – October 10
- QIPCO British Champions Day – Ascot – October 18
- Autumn Afternoon Meeting – Doncaster – October 24-25
- The Open – The November Meeting – Cheltenham – November 14-16
- Coral Winter Carnival – Newbury – November 28-29
- Tingle Creek Christmas Festival – Sandown Park – December 5-6
- Ladbrokes Christmas Festival – Kempton Park – December 26-27
- Welsh Grand National – Chepstow – December 27
Cheltenham Festival – Cheltenham – March 11-14
The four-day Cheltenham Festival is the centrepiece of the annual National Hunt calendar and always attracts a ton of activity in the betting industry.
The Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase, Stayers’ Hurdle and Cheltenham Gold Cup are the standout races at a meeting which is packed with top-class events.
The highlight in 2025 will be the Champion Hurdle, where impressive 2023 winner Constitution Hill will bid to bid to regain his two-mile hurdling crown.
Reigning champion State Man will head a strong Irish challenge, but he will have his work cut out against a horse who has looked unbeatable during his career.
Grand National Festival – Aintree – April 3-5
Jump racing remains in the spotlight a few weeks later as Aintree stages the prestigious three-day Grand National Festival on Merseyside.
The undisputed highlight is the Grand National – a race which always generates a massive amount of betting activity from novice and experienced punters.
I Am Maximus was an impressive winner of the race this year and trainer Willie Mullins has already confirmed he will bid to go back-to-back in 2025.
Connections anticipate he will have to carry top-weight of 11st 12lbs, but that is unlikely to stop a horse that Mullins thinks is capable of winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Royal Ascot – Ascot – June 17-21
Attention switches to flat racing during the summer months and fans have plenty of options to choose from if they fancy a day at the races.
It is difficult to look past Royal Ascot in terms of prestige, with the five-day meeting renowned for attracting high-class horses from around the world.
The mix of racing, fashion and pageantry make Royal Ascot a fairly unique event in the UK sports calendar and every racing fan should experience it at least once.
The Gold Cup will be one to watch next year as the Aidan O’Brien-trained Kyprios bids to record his third victory in the race.
QIPCO British Champions Day – Ascot – October 18
British Champions Day at Ascot is the showpiece finale to the flat racing season in the UK, with the meeting featuring five championship races across different categories.
The meeting kicks off with the Long-Distance Cup, before top-class sprinters take centre stage in the British Champions Sprint Stakes.
The British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes are next on the agenda, each of which crown champion horses in different disciplines.
The QIPCO Champions Stakes is the main event. Previous winners of the race include Brigadier Gerard, Indian Skimmer and the legendary Frankel.
Ladbrokes Christmas Festival – Kempton Park – December 26-27
National Hunt Racing returns with a bang during the winter months and one of the main highlights is the Christmas Festival at Kempton Park.
The King George VI Chase on Boxing Day is the standout race having previously been won by some of the best staying chasers ever to grace the sport.
They include Desert Orchid and Kauto Star, who became household names by recording multiple victories in the three-mile contest.
The supporting card at the two-day meeting is packed with top-class racing, making it one of the biggest betting events over the festive period.
Michael specializes in journalism, digital content production and social media management. He has a passion for numerous sports including football, horse racing and ice hockey. Michael currently works on a freelance basis, producing daily content for various outlets within the sports industry.
