The History of the City of Chester and its Racecourse

By: Keith Driscoll


Chester Racecourse, also known as the Roodee, is according to official records the oldest racecourse still used England. Chester Racecourse is now ranked as the fourth greatest attended in the whole of Britain, averaging 18,000 visitors each at its race meetings. It was Chester Racecourse that showed how to thrive with Sunday racing and tens of thousands now goto the Roodee for the yearly family fun day in August. The July meeting at Chester Racecourse, held over 2 days, is one of the most well-liked 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, dancing, 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 time of the Saxon Minster, which in 907 housed the remnants of St Werburgh. Chester Castle, set in the angle of the city walls boasts the finest Norman architecture in the city. The Normans built a castle at Chester soon after William the Conqueror took over 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 areas for Roman military camps). The remnants of a Roman amphitheatre were dug out in the 1960s and can be seen opposite the Chester Visitor Centre (on Vicar's Lane).

Chester Horse Racing

Racing at Chester's historic Roodee course goes back to the early sixteenth, making it the country's oldest racecourse. There has been racing at the Roodee at Chester for around 450 years and the delight 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 occurrence. Tudor Kings and Queens ruled England when horse racing started on The Roodee.

There are a few more awesome 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 perfect weekend to combine horse racing with the delights of shopping and eating out in Chester City.

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 thrill of racing with all the magic. The July meeting at Chester Racecourse, held over 2 days, is one of the most popular 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 found within the historic and beautiful City of Chester, one of Britain’s best 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 1 mile 2 furlongs and 75 yards (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.


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