What’s Coming up on the British Horse Racing Calendar in 2022? 

The 2022 British horse racing schedule is, quite simply, packed with exciting events. The Grand National is just around the corner and has already set off a flurry of promotions from bookies, while the Cheltenham Festival kept punters and racing fans occupied just a few weeks ago.  

While Cheltenham’s Gold Cup is arguably the ‘blue riband’ of jumps racing, and the National in 2022 is set to be as big a spectacle as ever, they aren’t the only festivals to get excited about this year.  

Now that live racing is in full swing again, let’s look ahead to the major meets and events that are all set to make 2022 one of the best seasons for British horse racing yet.  

Randox Health Grand National Festival 

The annual Randox Health Grand National Festival remains at the iconic Aintree Racecourse, where’s it’s been hosted since 1839. 

Although the 4 mile, 2 furlong National draws the biggest crowds, with fences like The Chair and Beecher’s Brook being some of the most challenging in all of jumps racing, the 3-day festival is a real treat for racing fans.  

Dates: 7-9th April 2022 

Where: Aintree Racecourse 

Notable Races: The Grand National, Topham Steeple Chase, JLT Melling Steeple Chase  

Boylesports Irish Grand National 

Taking place on the last day of Fairyhouse Racecourse’s Easter meeting, the Irish Grand National is a flagship race at the heart of Irish racing.  

Dates: 18th April (Easter Festival 16-18th April) 2022 

Where: Fairyhouse Racecourse 

Punchestown Festival 

The biggest national hunt meeting in the Irish racing calendar, the 5-day Punchestown Festival is jam-packed with elite-class racing including 12 Grade One races. Making its “Great Comeback” in 2022, expect to see the crème de la crème of Irish racing making an appearance this year.  

Dates: 26-30th April 2022 

Where: Punchestown Racecourse 

Notable Races: Punchestown Gold Cup, Champion Stayers’ Hurdle, Champion Chase, Champion Hurdle 

QIPCO Guineas Festival 

When it comes to world-class flat racing, the QIPCO Guineas Festival at Newmarket sets the gold standard. Taking place over 3 days for the first time this year, the festival, set at the “home of horseracing”, will kick off with the 1-mile 2000 Guineas as the feature race on Day 2. 

Closing out the festival will be the 1000 Guineas, which is the first chance that 3-year-olds get to compete for the first leg of the Triple Crown (Guineas, Derby and Oaks, St Leger).  

Dates: 29th April-1st May 2022 

Where: Newmarket Racecourse 

Notable Races: 2000 Guineas, 1000 Guineas 

Cazoo Epsom Derby Festival 

Known throughout Europe for being the “birthplace of Thoroughbred racing”, the Epsom Derby offers a veritable carnival of horse racing. 

Held over 2 days at the Epsom Downs racecourse, the festival features Group One races for fillies and colts, while Derby Day’s Epsom Derby remains the most prestigious – and richest – flat race of all 5 British Classic races.  

Dates: 3-4th June 2022 

Where: Epsom Racecourse 

Notable Races: Epsom Oaks (fillies), Epsom Derby (colts) 

Royal Ascot 

With a global reputation for being the most prestigious of all horse racing meetings on British soil, Royal Ascot is known for spectacular glamour as much as it is exceptional horse racing. Attended by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, each day of the meeting begins with the Royal Procession, in which the Queen and other members of the Royal Family arrive at the track. Attracting the best racehorses from across the world, Royal Ascot features no less than 18 Group races across its 5 days.  

Dates: 14-18th June 2022 

Where: Ascot Racecourse 

Notable Races: Gold Cup, Coronation Stakes, Golden Jubilee Stakes, Queen Anne Stakes, Prince of Wales’s Stakes, St James’s Palace Stakes 

Coral Summer Festival 

As the summer season kicks into full swing, Sandown Park hosts two days of exceptional flat racing. Giving upcoming Classics contenders a major opportunity to race against their older, and more experienced, rivals, the highlight of the 2-day festival is the 1 mile and a quarter Group 1 Eclipse.  

Dates: 1-2nd July 2022 

Where: Sandown Park 

Notable Races: Group 1 Coral-Eclipse 

Moet & Chandon July Festival  

Aka the Newmarket July Festival, this 3-day meeting is well-known for combining flat-racing with fashion. With several Group 1 races taking place across all 3 days, the July Festival also features its annual Style Awards ceremony on Ladies Day. Feature races include the 6-furlong sprint race, the Darley July Cup and the Group One Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes for fillies and mares.  

Dates: 7-9th July 2022 

Where: Newmarket Racecourse 

Notable Races: Darley July Cup, Princess of Wales’s Tattersalls Stakes, Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes 

QIPCO King George Diamond Weekend 

The summer showpiece at Ascot, the King George Diamond Weekend shares a long history with British flat racing. Featuring 2 days of celebration, entertainment, and world-class racing, the highlight race of the festival is the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes. At 1 mile and 4 furlongs, the race is open to all age groups and, in 2022, offers the second-highest prize money of £875,000 in the whole calendar. Winners of the Stakes are also automatically invited to compete in the Breeder’s Cup Turf in the US.  

Dates: 23-24th July 2022 

Where: Ascot Racecourse 

Notable Races: QIPCO King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Moet & Chandon International Stakes (Heritage Handicap) 

Qatar Goodwood Festival 

Glorious Goodwood returns in 2022 with five days of racing and a social event like no other on the British racing calendar. Standout races for this year will be the Group 1 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup on day one, in which superstar stayer Stradivarius will be attempting to claim his fifth win. Ladies’ Day will see the best fillies compete, while day two’s Qatar Sussex Stakes sees exception milers take on the Goodwood turf. During the final day, the world’s fastest racehorses will go head to head at the King George Qatar Stakes. 

Dates: 26-30th July 

Where: Goodwood Racecourse 

Notable Races: Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup, Qatar Sussex Stales, Qatar Nassau Stakes, Stewards’ Cup, King George Stakes  

Cazoo St Leger Festival 

The final piece of the hallowed Triple Crown, the Group 1 St Leger Stakes form the featured race of the Cazoo St Leger Festival at Doncaster Racecourse. 

With 4 days of action and excitement, the festival also includes the furious and competitive Portland Handicap and the Champagne Stakes.  

Dates: 7-10th September 

Where: Doncaster Racecourse 

Notable Races: St Leger Stakes, Portland Handicap, Champagne Stakes 

The November Meeting 

In British jumps racing, all roads really do lead to The Festival, but they begin at The November Meeting. The first major jumps festival of the season, the November meeting sees the top national hunt trainers in the country bring their best horses to tackle the ikes of the Paddy Power Gold Cup Chase and the Unibet Greatwood Hurdle.  

Dates: 11-13th November 2022 

Where: Cheltenham Racecourse 

Notable Races: Paddy Power Gold Cup Chase, Unibet Greatwood Hurdle, Mucking Brillian Paddy Power Handicap Chase