Choosing a day

The first thing you need to do to plan your trip racing is choose your day and book your tickets.

Follow these three simple steps to choosing your day and booking your tickets:

• 1. Choose your fixture
• 2. Pick your enclosure
• 3. Book your tickets

Choose your fixture

The ‘buy tickets’ box you will find on this page offers you three very simple ways to find the right meeting for you:

• If you know what date you want to go racing on, click on that date in our racing calendar and see what events are on that day
• If you know what course you want to go to but are not sure when the next race meeting us, type the racecourse name into the ‘Find a race by course’ box and all the fixtures for your selected course will be displayed
• If you do not know which course to go to simply type your postcode into the ‘Find my local race course’ box and we will display all the courses near your house and what fixtures are coming up

Pick your enclosure

Once you have chosen the day you want to go racing, the next thing you have to do is pick which ‘enclosure’ or area of the course you would like to visit.

Racecourse entry is split into Enclosures which have varying facilities, dress codes and levels of viewing. This is a great way of making sure you pay for what you want to get out of the day and nothing more.

Generally there are three different Enclosure types within a racecourse which are available to everyone:

The top of the range option, this gives you access to the best viewing areas and best facilities on the course. A Members badge allows the holder to access all the other Enclosures on the course.

Provides a constant buzz of activity throughout the meeting. You will get a good view of the course and the Parade Ring and Winner's Enclosure which are both great for seeing horses close up. There are plenty of places to eat and drink and you'll find the bookmakers in the betting ring fascinating to watch!

The least expensive and least formal Enclosure. Although you can’t access the Parade Ring or the Winner's Enclosure, there are places to eat, drink and place a bet. Some Course Enclosures have grassy areas where you can park your car and enjoy your own picnic.

For specific details of the different enclosures at your chosen race meeting, visit the British Horseracing Authority’s website racecourse pages which contains full details of every racecourse in the country

Book your tickets

Now that you have chosen your day and which enclosure you want to sit in, booking tickets couldn’t be easier!

Then use the ‘buy tickets’ box you will see on this page, select the course and meeting you want to buy tickets for and use your debit or credit card to book via our secure Worldpay online payment system.

Please note that bookings must be made 6 days prior to the race meeting, this allows the racecourses time to dispatch tickets.

Once you've seen the booking confirmation screen which indicates your booking reference, you will receive further notification via email. Your tickets and vouchers (if relevant) will then be dispatched in the post by the racecourse.

On our Promotions page you will also find details of any promotions that are currently running which mean you could even grab a bargain.

The great news is that children under 16 (accompanied by an adult) go free at most courses! Many courses put on extra entertainment during the school holidays and at Bank Holiday and weekend fixtures. Plus there are often crèche and play areas available for kids to enjoy.

There are a number of advantages to booking online. Above all, you're entitled to any advance or group booking discounts as well as ticket promotions offered by the racecourses.

Customers who booked tickets through Gototheraces.com for a race meeting which is subsequently abandoned (e.g. due to bad weather conditions) are entitled to a ticket refund (less the £2.50 administration fee)

To receive a refund, please send your tickets within 28 days of the abandonment to Ticket Sales, Racecourse Association, Winkfield Road, Ascot, Berkshire, SL5 7HX.

Read more>>

• Guide to Going Racing
  • Choosing a Day
  • Preparing for the Day
  • On The Day
  • Frequently Asked Questions
• Guide to Betting
• Guide to Flat Racing
• Guide to Jump Racing