Boxing Day Horse Racing Guide 2023

Want to know if any Boxing Day horse racing is taking place near you? Well, here’s a rundown of all the meetings that are being held this year:

• Kempton Park
• Wolverhampton
• Fontwell Park
• Aintree
• Market Rasen
• Sedgefield
• Wetherby
• Wincanton
• Down Royal (Northern Ireland)
• Leopardstown (Ireland)
• Limerick (Ireland)

The biggest and best of these meetings is the 2023 Kempton Winter Festival, which hosts a series of spectacular national hunt races on Boxing Day. However, all the meetings listed above are well attended and some of the racing action is outstanding. With this in mind, here’s exactly what you can expect at each Boxing Day horse racing meeting:

Boxing Day is the first day of the Kempton Park Christmas Festival, which runs from 26 December to 27 December.

Boxing Day is King George VI Chase Day, which stages some of the most important races in the jump calendar, including the Grade 1 Ladbrokes King George VI Chase, as well as the Christmas Hurdle and Kauto Star Chase.

The big race (as the name suggests) is the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase. This race has been won by many legendary horses over the years, including Arkle, Best Mate, Kauto Star and Desert Orchid.

Wolverhampton Racecourse is home to a floodlit all-weather track. As a result, it hosts race meetings all-year-round.
The course’s Boxing Day meeting is one of the highlights of the racing calendar. Known as being a family-friendly meeting (kids can actually go for free), Wolverhampton’s Boxing Day meeting boasts seven races that are each held on the course’s flat track.

Boxing Day racing at Fontwell Park is particularly relaxed. Here, punters can blow off the cobwebs while they watch the seven races that take place over the jumps course.

The Boxing Day meeting at Fontwell Park is one of the best fixtures on the racecourse’s calendar and it always delivers exciting racing.

The races here are also high quality, and the Barber Kurakina Memorial Handicap Hurdle is a particular highlight. Last year, Sussex’s own Gary Moore had two winners at Fontwell Park.

This year, Aintree will host its first Boxing Day meeting. It promises to feature some of the country’s finest horses, jockeys and trainers.

Seven races will be held at Aintree Races this Boxing Day. Although the majority will take place over jumps, the day will conclude with The Racing TV National Hunt Flat Race.

Based in Lincolnshire? Head to Market Rasen this Boxing Day. Here you can enjoy seven thrilling jump races, including the famous three-and-a-half-mile Lincolnshire National. This serves as Market Rasen’s equivalent of Aintree’s legendary Grand National and traditionally attracts big name runners and riders.

Boxing Day racing at Sedgefield is a tradition in County Durham. The meeting is primarily marketed towards families, but there’s plenty of great racing action on show, including 6-8 hotly contested jump races (the exact Boxing Day race card is yet to be finalised).

If you are taking the family, you’ll be pleased to hear that kids can go for free.

The West Yorkshire town of Wetherby is home to one of the most picturesque racecourses in the whole of the UK. Its Boxing Day meeting is its biggest and most popular.

The highlight of the meeting is the Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase. This is a top-class and competitive chase that’s incredibly popular with the locals.

Wetherby has held Boxing Day racing since 1940. As well as the racing, here you can enjoy live music, circus-themed entertainment and complimentary mulled wine and mince pies.

Boxing Day racing at Wincanton is incredibly popular. The meeting includes seven races, including one flat race (the rest are chase and hurdle races).

Racing here is always incredibly popular on Boxing Day, so if you’re going then it’s recommended that you head down early. Mince pies are available when the gates open and there’s plenty going on to keep you busy.

Down Royal Racecourse is home to a popular National Hunt course. If you live in Northern Ireland and fancy heading to the horse racing on Boxing Day, then this is the place to be.

Leopardstown is an incredibly popular racecourse all-year-round. However, it’s at its busiest and most popular on Boxing Day, when it hosts the first day of the Christmas Festival, which runs until 29 December.

Across the festival, punters can enjoy seven Grade 1 races, as well as a host of live music and entertainment.

Boxing Day itself features seven races, including the Grade 2 Knight Frank Novice Hurdle and the Grade 1 Racing Post Novice Chase.

Limerick hosts the Mr Binman Racing Festival over the Christmas period. Boxing Day is the first day of the festival and the feature race is the Grade 2 Novice Hurdle (Dorans Pride).

St. Stephen's Day racing is a tradition in the mid-west, so why not head to Limerick this year?

After an expensive Christmas, many race-goers who head to the Boxing Day horse racing fixtures are looking to either recoup some cash or simply get one up on their friends and family who are going with them!

For this reason, before you head to the Boxing Day horse racing, you need to check out the latest horse racing tips. From singles to trebles to Lucky 15s, we have every option covered. So, no matter how you like to bet, we have plenty of Boxing Day horse racing tips that can help you.

Remember, certain trainers, jockeys and horses all perform well around certain tracks. For example, our Boxing Day racing tips show that Paul Nicholls-trained horses usually go well at Kempton. Meanwhile, you’ll notice that other horses will round into form just in time for the Boxing Day fixtures

So, before you head to a thrilling day of racing, make sure you’re armed with all the information you need to make an informed bet. And always gamble responsibly.

Boxing Day is a great time for free horse racing bets. After all, with so many popular Boxing Day fixtures taking place, almost all bookies offer free bets and sign-up offers that punters and race-goers can make the most of.

Interested in making the most of one of these great offers? Head over to our free bets page. Here we’ve listed all the best bookmaker signup offers available. Simply click on any banner and you’ll be taken straight to the offer page you'll need to claim your bonuses.