Chester Racecourse, also known as the Roodee, is according to official records the oldest racecourse that is still in use in England. Chester Racecourse is now ranked as the fourth greatest attended in the whole of Britain, averaging 18,000 people per day at its race meetings. It was Chester Racecourse that showed how to thrive with Sunday racing and tens of thousands now pack the Roodee for the annual family fun day in August. The July meeting at Chester Racecourse, held over 2 days, is one of the most popular racing events of the summer. It is interesting to note that Chester racecourse is built over the silted up old port of Deva.



Chester City

Chester celebrates its folk heritage with concerts, dances, workshops, displays, crafts and children's events, featuring many local and national folk performers. Chester also boasts a fine cathedral founded in the 10th century. The story of Chester Cathedral can be traced back to the age of the Saxon Minster, which in 907 housed the remains of St Werburgh. Chester Castle, set in the angle of the city walls boasts the best Norman architecture in the city. The Normans constructed a castle at Chester soon after William the Conqueror took control of England.

Circled by a 2 mile ring of medieval and Roman walls, Chester is fashioned by 2,000 years of history. In Roman times Chester was known as Castra Deva (pronounced Dewa), meaning "the military camp on the River Dee" (places in England whose names contain the letters "chester", or which end in -caster or -cester, were locations for Roman military camps). The remains of a Roman auditorium were excavated in the 1960s and can be viewed opposite the Chester Visitor Centre (on Vicar's Lane).

Chester Racing

Racing at Chester's historic Roodee course dates back to the early 16th century, making it the country's oldest racecourse. There has been racing on the Roodee at Chester for over 450 years and the thrill of watching a race at Chester unfolding before you from the sophisticated surroundings of the course’s enclosures or the vantage point of the City walls is an impressive experience. Tudor Kings and Queens ruled England when horseracing started on The Roodee.

There are a few more thrilling sights in British Racing than the horses thundering into the final furlong at Chester, a circular course that makes exceptional demands on the capabilities of jockeys and their mounts with races run repeatedly on the turn. For many it is the ideal weekend to merge horse racing with the delights of shopping and eating out in the city of Chester.

The Dee Festival celebrates the prominent position of both Chester and Bangor-on-Dee Racecourses on the banks of the River Dee, allowing racegoers to experience the buzz of racing with all the charm of the country. The July meeting at Chester Racecourse, held over 2 days, is one of the most fashionable racing events of the summer.

Chester racecourse is the oldest in Europe and regular race meetings are held throughout the year. With spectacular views over the track and the River Dee, Chester Racecourse is located within the historic and beautiful City of Chester, one of Britain’s great heritage cities.

The Dee Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in the UK for three-year-old thoroughbred colts and geldings run over a distance of 1m 2f 75yds (2,080 metres) at Chester Racecourse in May. The race is so named because Chester Racecourse is situated on the banks of the River Dee.