CHELMSFORD RACECOURSE
Course: Chelmsford City Racecourse — Sunday Series
🎫 Ticket & Value: £30 Grandstand & Queen Charlotte Marquee
👀 Track View: ⭐️⭐️
🍔 Food: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🍺 Guinness: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
⭕️ Parade Ring: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
🏇 Runners and Riders: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🎉 Atmosphere: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
⭐️ Overall Experience: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
👍🏻 Best For: Food & family-friendly atmosphere
Welcome to The Paddock Preview Episode 27, where we visited Chelmsford City Racecourse for their Sunday Series card on the all-weather.
Chelmsford is a unique track in that you enter by walking underneath the course itself—a quirky feature we’d never experienced before.
Food at Chelmsford was a real highlight, scoring a solid 4/5. The variety was fantastic, from the London Chocolate Company to mega shake trucks, noodles, bao buns, dim sum, Greek, burgers, and a hog roast. We opted for the Greek mega lunch box featuring chicken, lamb, Greek sausage, halloumi, warm pitta bread, hand-cut fries, and a freshly prepared Greek salad. The flavours were excellent, especially the seasoned chips, but for £16, the portion could have been a touch more generous—and a dash of tzatziki would have been the cherry on top. The hog roast bap at £9 was budget-friendly, well-filled, and tasty, though a more premium bun would elevate it. Finally, the burger and chips at £8.50 was a solid, tasty option—great value considering some racecourse prices elsewhere.
Guinness at £6.50 a pint earns 4/5. That’s the cheapest we’ve found at any track so far, and it was poured beautifully. Our bartender let it settle for the full 120 seconds, added a clover in the head, and served it at a good temperature. While the head could have been thicker, it tasted good and was pretty creamy—a real treat for the price. Very friendly chatty staff which is always a bonus.
Track View was the most challenging part of the day, scoring just 2/5. The course is so large that from the main grandstand you only get a decent view of them just coming round the final bend and home straight, with limited steps for an elevated vantage point. However, the Queen Charlotte marquee seating area does offer a unique angle on the action, with horses flying round the home bend and down to the finish. Overall, though, you don’t see the full circuit—especially with the stand on the inside of the track.
Runners and Riders scored a strong 4/5. Despite the absence of big names like Buick, Murphy, Marquand, and Ryan Moore, we still saw top jockeys like Hollie Doyle, Rossa Ryan, and David Egan. The prize money on offer attracted large fields and competitive racing, though fewer of the big-name trainers sent runners like Charlie Appleby for example. Not many of the bigger trainers appeared to be in attendance. Overall though a lot of staple flat jockeys none the less and some great races.
Atmosphere scored 3/5. It was a relaxed, family-friendly vibe with plenty of seating areas, bouncy castles, and activities for kids. The large marquees with bars were bustling and made for a nice social space, but it lacked the buzz of some bigger meetings.
Parade Ring earned 3/5. While it’s a big ring with excellent sightlines, access is limited to about two-thirds of the way around. There’s no tiered standing, and with the weighing room on the far side, you don’t get to see the jockeys coming ou If you’re after an autograph or a selfie, this might disappoint compared to other courses. That said, you can follow the horses easily from the ring to the track, which is a nice touch.
Facilities overall were cracking—modern bars, Tote facilities, and well-placed screens. The staff were friendly, and the effort put in for the Sunday Series was impressive: a wide selection of affordable food vendors, great racing, and a genuinely welcoming atmosphere.
In short, Chelmsford delivers a modern, accessible race-day experience, with excellent food, good Guinness, and competitive racing. If you’re after a relaxed Sunday meet with plenty of family activities and affordable options, it’s definitely worth a visit!
