BRIGHTON RACECOURSE


Brighton racecourse is well worth a visit, set on the downs high above the town, the view is spectacular. Being so high up the ground is often very firm at Brighton, and this coupled with the very poor prize money on offer means that small fields in the races are not uncommon.

brighton racecourse

Key Characteristics

Brighton is a very unusual racecourse, it could be said to be similar to Epsom, but in reality it isn’t similar to anywhere. It has left hand dog leg turn where the horses then come down what could be the steepest descent on a racecourse anywhere in the world, before the uphill final furlong. Brighton suits a certain type of horse, the small agile type. If your horse is a big galloping type then Brighton certainly isn’t for you.
Because of its eccentricities Brighton is very much a course specialists course so I would suggest always looking for horses with previous good form at the track. Course specialism at Brighton applies to Jockeys as well as horses and there is nobody better than Ryan Moore at the course. His father trained on the downs when Ryan was growing up and there is nobody who knows the course better.

Course map


brighton racecourse map

Interesting Facts about Brighton Racecourse

  • The first officially recorded race meeting in the Brighton area took place in 1783.
  • The Prince of Wales, who later became King George IV, helped make racing at Brighton fashionable during the late eighteenth century.
  • Brighton Racecourse is situated on Whitehawk Hill, around a mile from the seafront.
  • The elevated course provides wide views across the city of Brighton and the English Channel.
  • The venue stages Flat racing, with its principal racing season generally running from spring into autumn.
  • Brighton's unusual horseshoe-shaped course has no complete circuit, which gives it a layout unlike most British racecourses.
  • The racecourse occupies approximately 20 acres of countryside on the South Downs.
  • In 1805, the Prince of Wales commissioned an elaborate silver-gilt Brighton Cup as a trophy for the races.
  • Brighton Racecourse is now part of Arena Racing Company, which operates a group of racecourses across Britain.
  • The course's exposed hilltop position means wind and changing coastal weather can influence racing conditions.
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