SALISBURY RACECOURSE
Course: Salisbury Racecourse
🎫 Ticket & Value: £25 (Grandstand & Bibury combined)
👀 Track View: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
🍔 Food: ⭐️⭐️
🍺 Guinness: ⭐️⭐️
⭕️ Parade Ring: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🏇 Runners and Riders: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🎉 Atmosphere: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
⭐️ Overall Experience: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
👍🏻 Best For: Parade Ring Access
Salisbury offered an enjoyable and intimate race-day experience, a great example of a traditional racecourse where everything feels close to the action. Getting to the track was a breeze thanks to free parking and a free shuttle bus from the city centre, making it an accessible venue for locals and visitors alike.
Although the card featured mainly Class 4 and handicap races, the quality of jockeys and trainers in attendance was still top drawer. Oisin Murphy, Tom Marquand, and Rossa Ryan were all present, while trainers like Beckett, Gosden, Balding, and Hannon brought some serious horsepower. It’s a venue that punches above its weight for a midweek race meeting.
The Parade Ring setup is a real highlight — a four-star experience with access almost the whole way around the ring. It doesn’t have tiered standing, but with relatively manageable crowds, it’s easy to get a good spot right by the rail. The adjacent parade ring bar, a sleek and modern barn-style space, was another win — offering draught pints of Guinness, Madri, Thatcher’s, and Pravha. They even accept cash, making it a convenient spot for a drink, a bet (there’s a tote stand), and a comfort break.
The Food, unfortunately, was a low point. The options were limited — a burger van or an inside counter serving roast pork or beef baps. The freshly roasted meat was tasty, and the crackling was spot-on, but the stuffing was poor and the baguette underbaked. At £10 for a roast pork baguette and £9 for a burger, it felt like missed potential. The quality meat deserved better accompaniments, and the lack of variety was noticeable.
The Guinness, priced at £7, was disappointing. Served in a sturdier plastic cup, it arrived very cold but was poured hastily — filled almost immediately after the settle, yielding a flat head and average taste. The second pint was topped right to the brim, making for a very forgettable experience for stout lovers.
Where Salisbury shines is its charm as a racegoer venue. The pre-parade and parade rings are right next to each other, making it easy to watch the horses move between both areas. The jockey walk from the weighing room to the parade ring is a short one, allowing for great access and a sense of intimacy. To get to the track, the horses canter down in front of the grandstand — a nice feature that gives racegoers a closer view.
Atmosphere-wise, Salisbury delivers. Even for a Tuesday meeting, the place felt bustling. The hospitality was sold out, the sun was out, and the crowd was a mix of die-hard racing fans and social visitors enjoying the summer’s evening. The final furlong of each race came alive with cheering and energy, making it a genuinely enjoyable and communal experience.
The biggest caveat is the Track View — at ground level, you only really pick up the action in the final furlong, making the race largely a mystery until it arrives within eyesight. The higher up you can get, the better the view, and the Bibury Stand or top terrace provide a fantastic panoramic view of the whole track, including the pre-parade and parade rings. From here, you can watch the horses break from the stalls and charge down the home straight.
All in all, Salisbury is a great value racecourse for a midweek meeting. The quality of racing and the intimacy of the venue more than justify the £25 entry price, especially when it includes access to all areas — Grandstand, Bibury Stand, and terrace. The low points were the food and Guinness offerings, but for a racegoer seeking atmosphere, great access, and the thrill of seeing top jockeys in action, Salisbury delivers a memorable day out.
