What are widely seen as some of the best racecourses in the world?

Cheltenham

Occupying 350 acres in Prestbury Park, a natural amphitheatre at the foot of Cleeve Hill in the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire, Cheltenham Racecourse is considered the home of National Hunt racing. Indeed, its name has become synonymous with the Cheltenham Festival, the most popular National Hunt meeting in the world, which is staged annually ovetr four days in March.

Ascot

Situated in 179 acres of beautiful wooded countryside adjacent to Windsor Great Park in Berkshire, South East England, Ascot Racecourse is synonymous with Royal Ascot in mid-June and, more recently, with British Champions Day in mid-October. The former is a five-day festival, featuring a total of 35 races, including eight Group 1 contests, and prize money of £10 million, making it the most valuablerace meeting in Britain. The latter, which features seven races, worth £4.35 million in prize money, is similarly the most valuable raceday in Britain.

Longchamp

Longchamp Racecourse, situated in the Bois de Boulogne, on the western edge of Paris, France, in a loop of the River Seine, enjoys an idyllic location. A vast facility, occupying over 140 acres, Longchamp is home to 17 of the 28 Group 1 races staged during the French Flat season, the highlight of which is the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, run over a mile and a half, usually on the first Sunday in October. Inaugurated in 1920, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is, nowadays, worth £5 million in prize money, making it the most value race run in Europe.

Churchill Downs

Famous for its iconic Twin Spires, not to mention being the home of the ‘Race for the Roses’, the Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs occupies 175 acres on Central Avenue in Louisville, Kentucky. Aside from the first leg of the American Triple Crown, which is run over a mile and a quarter on dirt, Churchill Downs also plays host to the ‘Lilies for the Fillies’, the Kentucky Oaks, and has been the venue for the Breeders’ Cup World Championship on eight occasions.