Doncaster Racecourse
Doncaster racecourse is the home of the St. Leger Festival and after a refurbishment in 2007 it now has some of the finest racecourse facilities in the country.
Revamp
The refurbishment was completed in September 2007 in time to host the annual St. Leger festival. The new look racecourse held more than 30,000 people on the day of the feature race, the St. Leger. It was a record crowd for a race meeting at Doncaster and one that justifies the £30m plus that was spent redeveloping it.
Doncaster Racecourse
The main attraction at the racecourse is the impressive five tier grandstand, the Urban-i Stand, which has bars, food halls and all the modern hospitality extras for VIP race goers.
A further extension to the racecourse is planned, with a plush new hotel set to become the new main attraction in 2009.
The St. Leger
The St. Leger festival takes place at Doncaster Racecourse every September and takes its name from the feature race, the St. Leger Stakes, which is raced on the last day of the festival.
The race is the oldest classic race in the world and has been around for more than 230 years. Top jockeys Frankie Dettori, Lestor Piggott and Willie Carson have all ridden winners in the event.
The race is one mile and six furlongs long and was held at York Racecourse in 2006, due to the redevelopment at Doncaster racecourse.
There have been other occasions when the St Leger has not been held at Doncaster racecourse, including during both the first and second world wars, when racing at Doncaster was stopped and the race took place at Newmarket instead.
The race has also been held at York, in 1945, at the end of the Second World War and Ayr in 1989 after a drain subsided at Doncaster racecourse.
Old…
The course is known as Town Moor and it was first marked out in 1614. It is one of the oldest racecourses in Britain and a great home to historical races such as the Doncaster Cup and the St. Leger.
The racecourse held the first ever Sunday race meeting in 1992 and also stages the Doncaster Cup, known as the Doncaster Gold Cup.
The Doncaster Cup is part of the St. Leger festival and, like the St. Leger, it was first run in 1766 and has also been won by Dettori and Carson.
A grandstand was built in 1777 which cost more than £2500 – a great deal of money in those days, although substantially less than the amount spent on the most recent revamp.
…and new
A champagne and seafood restaurant is one of the new additions to Doncaster racecourse and it sums up the class of the facilities.
The sport of kings is very much at home in Doncaster with its exciting new grandstand and catering facilities. Everything from new saddling boxes and the weighing room have been altered for the better and the racecourse can be regarded as one of the best in Europe for facilities.
When the proposed new £20m four-star hotel is built, then the racecourse will have unique facilities across the country.
In demand
The Premier Suite is the most expensive place to view the race and is situated in the third tier of the brand new grandstand.
Race goers can dine at a top restaurant in the Premier Suite and watch the action unfold but seating is limited and prices range between £75 and £35 per day.
The County Enclosure is in the first and second tiers of the grandstand and you can dine in the champagne and seafood restaurant and feel the victorious atmosphere because there is access to the winners’ enclosure. The prices vary from £22 to £50 per day.
The Grandstand Enclosure offers a view over the winners’ enclosure as well as many eateries where you can get everything from pies to noodles. Entrance to this enclosure will cost between £14 and £30 per day.
The Family Enclosure is the most reasonably priced enclosure, with prices starting at £7 and going up to £12 for the dates most in demand. It is a perfect place for families to go.
Contact Information
Address:
Doncaster Racecourse The Grandstand Leger Way Doncaster DN2 6BB
Telephone: 01302 304200 Fax: 01302 323271
e-mail: [email protected]