JCR - Hints and Tips

Hints and Tips

Buying tickets

Most courses have three types of tickets, providing access to different areas (enclosures); for details please see our New to Racing guide:

Premier: This ticket allows you to enter the Premier, Club or Members’ Enclosure, close to the finishing line, as well as all other areas of the course.
Grandstand or Tattersalls tickets: this ticket allows you to visit the paddock, winners’ enclosure and the betting ring, getting a close view of the horses before the race. They also provide great views of the course and plenty of food and drink options.
Silver Ring or Course Enclosure tickets: The most affordable option which allows you to cheer on your horse from the rails lining the course.

Tickets can be bought online, at the racecourse or over the phone, and they can be bought on the day for most race meetings.

Useful things to have

It’s a good idea to bring the following with you:

Pen or pencil (for jotting down notes on the horses you see in the parade ring)
Umbrella (depending on the forecast)
Cash (some courses have cash machines, but not all, and the queues can be quite long)
Comfortable shoes and suitable clothing (some racecourses can be quite exposed, this could mean either suncream or a warm jacket and gloves, and most are uneven underfoot, with a mixture of hard and soft surfaces).
Binoculars can be useful.

At the course

The first thing to do is get a racecard. This is the course guide and will provide you with a map of the course and all the facilities, as well as all the information you need on the races, horses and riders. Arrive early to explore the lay of the land and pick out different spots for watching the races. It is sometimes possible to “walk the course” prior to the start of the meeting, giving you a sense of the distance and the ground that the horses will be racing over.