RIPON RACECOURSE
Course: Ripon Racecourse - Go Racing in Yorkshire Summer Festival Fixture
🎫 Ticket & value: £30 Club Enclosure
👀 Track view: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
🍔 Food: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
🍺 Guinness: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
⭕️ Parade Ring: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🏇 Runners and riders: ⭐️⭐️
🎉 Atmosphere: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
⭐️ Overall Experience: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
👍🏻 Best for: Parade Ring ⭕️
A visit to Ripon Racecourse – affectionately known as the Garden Racecourse – delivered everything we hoped for and more, even on a sodden summer festival day. The rain may have been relentless, but it didn’t dampen the spirits of a buzzing local crowd or ruin the charm of this Yorkshire gem. A long queue to get in threatened to start the day on the wrong foot, but once inside the friendly and apologetic staff set the tone for what became an atmospheric and memorable afternoon.
The Club Enclosure area offers a unique vantage point down the racetrack, which is a big step up from the paddock ticket areas. Being by the rail gets you close to the action and the thunder of hooves as the field charges past, but be aware that from ground level you won’t see much of the race until they reappear in the straight. Even in the stands, the mound in the centre of the track can obscure parts of the run, so pick your spot carefully. That said, when the horses do come into view, the perspective is excellent and the excitement is infectious.
Food options on course impressed, with everything from hog roast and stone-baked pizzas to burgers and classic fish and chips. We went traditional, grabbing fish and chips and a battered sausage with curry sauce – £21.50 for both. It was worth every penny. The batter was crisp and golden, the fish soft and full of flavour, and the chips had that perfect chippy style we all hope for. The curry sauce packed a punch without overpowering. One of the better fish and chips we’ve had trackside.
A pint of Guinness set us back £7.60 – a steep but not unusual price for a raceday. It was poured properly and left to settle, served at a good temperature in a basic plastic cup. While the taste hit the usual notes and was certainly drinkable, it lacked a bit of that creamy, coffee depth you hope for, and the head didn’t quite pass the stick test. Not bad, but there’s room for improvement here.
The real star of Ripon, though, is its parade ring. Surrounded by beautiful trees and manicured flowers, it lives up to the Garden Racecourse nickname. With a Club ticket, you get excellent access to follow the horses from pre-parade to the main ring and out onto the track. There’s plenty of tiered standing room and it’s perfectly positioned near several bars, making it a fantastic place to watch your paddock picks or soak in the build-up to each race.
On the day we saw some big northern names in action – David Allan, Danny Tudhope, and Oisin Orr all in the saddle, with rising talent Warren Fentiman and local legend Tim Easterby well represented. Mick Easterby was a familiar face trackside and William Haggas sent up a winner to round off a competitive card.
What stood out most was the atmosphere. Despite the relentless drizzle, the crowd was in high spirits – a friendly, local racing crowd enjoying the facilities and the on-track action. The Summer Festival lived up to its billing, and even the weather couldn’t wash out the buzz around the place.
Despite the weather trying its best to spoil the party, Ripon Racecourse proved why it’s such a beloved stop on the Yorkshire racing circuit. The parade ring was undoubtedly the star of the show – a leafy, flower-lined haven that lived up to its garden billing and offered superb access to the horses pre- and post-race. The atmosphere throughout the day was warm and welcoming, with a local crowd in high spirits and plenty of excitement around the racing action. And to top it all off, the fish and chips were exceptional – crispy batter, proper chippy chips, and a curry sauce packed with flavour. Even with the queues at the gates and a few viewing compromises on the track, Ripon more than made up for it with its character and charm.
